NFL Draft Rumors: Texans, Falcons talking trade, Houston wants a big haul
Atlanta Falcons helmet. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans are willing to trade the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but it’s unclear if they would trade down for a quarterback prospect or trade down for Khalil Mack, who is rumored to be the team’s top choice at No.1 over Jadeveon Clowney (I’m not sold on them passing on a quarterback, though, especially after they signed veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick). There’s so much smoke surrounding the No. 1 overall pick that just about anything could happen, and their most likely trade partner seems to be the Atlanta Falcons, who would be in the market for Clowney.
Per Rotoworld’s Evan Silva, ESPN’s Ed Werder stated on SportsCenter that the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons are in “legitimate” trade talks that are still in progress, and he adds that the Texans want a ridiculous haul of picks from the Falcons akin to what the Washington Redskins gave up to the St. Louis Rams for Robert Griffin III.
Yeah…not happening, unless if Thomas Dimitroff goes crazy. And that’s not happening either. Dimitroff is aggressive and would be wiling to pay the price to trade up for Clowney, but he is a top GM and not reckless enough to give up a ridiculous sum of picks. Not only is this year’s draft deep, but the only time anyone should give up a huge haul of picks for a prospect is if said prospect is a can’t-miss franchise QB.
Anyway, CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reports that the asking price from the Texans will likely end up being low due to the depth in this class and the lack of trade interest, and he believes the asking price will drop as a result. Check out his timeline by following the link above for details, and I’m not sold on the Falcons trading up for Clowney either with top offensive tackles set to be on the board when the Falcons are picking at No. 6. If the price isn’t right, then I can’t see the Falcons pulling the trigger.