2022 NFL Draft: What every AFC team should focus on in round one
By Sean Basile
How should AFC teams approach the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
Houston Texans (Picks #3 & #13)
The Texans need a bit of everything, so I can’t really say one particular thing is what they need to address.
It’s a franchise that’s still very much in flux, so I can’t see them making the most coherent decisions on these two picks.
My gut feeling is that if Kayvon Thibodeaux is there at #3, controversy and all, they’ll take him because he’s a 2.0 version of Jadeveon Clowney and they miss him and JJ Watt badly in the pass rush.
I think Sauce Gardner is the better pick for both on-the-field reasons as well as character reasons. I simply would not want to roll the dice on a guy whose will to win has been in question at multiple points of this draft season.
As for pick #13, that could very well be a spot the Texans land on Kyle Hamilton if he drops. I think they should probably split their two picks between the front seven and secondary, so if they go pass rush at #3, they should go secondary at #13 and vice versa.
Houston is going to be a defensive-centric team in 2022, so grabbing two stud first-rounders is a job this team absolutely needs to accomplish come Thursday.
Will they? Who knows.