Is there really any other way to describe the future of the Houston Texans than describing their 2022 NFL Draft class as incredibly dire and important for the future, both now and down the road? Their franchise has barely any pieces to currently build around and they have squandered most of their recent picks, pushing back their rebuild even further.

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But this franchise has some hope – with their recent shedding of Deshaun Watson for a massive haul of picks from the Cleveland Browns, combined with their own top-3 first-round selection, the Texans draft class has the potential to become a strong one that helps change their course.

Texans Predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft

3. Houston decides to give Davis Mills another chance

When the Texans selected Stanford’s Davis Mills in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it wasn’t widely seen that Mills would ever be given a fair shot at becoming the starter. But flash forward through his rookie season, and Mills was quite competent in his 11 starts, even if his 2-9 record doesn’t show that.

Houston’s offense is quite devoid of talent outside of Brandin Cooks and Laremy Tunsil, but Mills must have the confidence of the front office, seeing as how both Cooks and Tunsil were kept in Houston this offseason amidst rampant trade rumors. With the 2022 NFL Draft not being a strong QB class, the Texans will give Mills another shot at taking the reigns for the Texans.

The 2023 draft class is extremely ripe with QB prospects, so if Mills doesn’t work out, they can just pivot to finding their next lottery ticket next year – but this year will not see major competition brought in for Mills.

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2. Houston finding Cooks a running mate – and Mills a bonafide target

Cooks has bounced around the NFL, with the Texans being his fourth team since 2014. Even with his ever-changing surroundings, he continues to put up impressive numbers, and the ‘21 season was no different.

Producing a 90/1,037/6 line catching passes from a plethora of average options shows just how valuable Cooks is, and the Texans actually made a smart move in extending his contract. But he needs help, and Mills needs another bonafide target for the passing game.

While there is no WR prospect good enough to go 3rd overall, the Texans could look to utilize the 13th overall selection acquired from Cleveland in the Watson deal. USC’s Drake London, Ohio State’s Chris Olave, and Alabama’s Jameson Williams are looked at as three of the best WR option in this year’s class, making them all likely targets in the middle of the first round for the Texans.

1. Houston ends up making three first-round selections to accelerate their rebuild

In the deal that sent Watson out of town, the Texans acquired Cleveland’s ‘22 1st (13th overall) and ‘22 4th, as well as two more first-rounders (‘23 & ‘24), a 3rd (‘23), and a 4th (‘24), giving them plenty of extra ammunition to move up in the 1st round this year.

Two top-13 selections are huge for the Texans, but adding a third to their draft class would be a great way to take advantage of the draft board. If the Texans draft class ends up including three top-25 players when it is all said and done, then GM Nick Caserio may have done just enough to actually keep his job for another season or two.

A perfect team for the Texans to get back into the first round with would be the Kansas City Chiefs, who currently hold the 29th and 30th selections and would likely be open to trading back into the early 2nd round. The Texans draft class would have one of these selections as its cherry on top, hopefully making it so they are actually on their way to being competitive again.