Houston Texans Dream Draft: Mocking All 7 Rounds

The 2023 NFL draft is a pivotal one for the Houston Texans. With 12 selections, a giant need at quarterback, and five picks inside the top 100 overall this is a year in which the franchise can be built or a year in which the regime will look back on as when it all fell apart.

Using the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft simulator, here’s a look at the picks that will get the Texans back to competing in 2023.

As always, we’re using the PFF simulator but sprinkling in our own notes, rumors and news on each player drafted. Let’s have some fun.

1.2 — QB Bryce Young, Alabama

Young is, far and away, the best quarterback prospect in this class. He doesn’t have ideal NFL size at 6-foot and around 200 pounds, but he has the best poise, accuracy, leadership, football IQ and toughness of the quarterbacks (with C.J. Stroud a close second). There is not yet good intel on what Houston wants to do at quarterback—not with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik in town—but Young is the closet thing to a sure thing in this class.

1.12 — DE Myles Murphy, Clemson

The Texans need a pass-rusher who can set the tempo off the right side of the defense like what Ryans had in Nick Bosa with the San Francisco 49ers. And no, Murphy isn’t Bosa, but he’s close at 275 pounds with elite athletic ability. Murphy is so athletic, in fact, that it will be a shock if he’s available at pick No. 12 overall. He might not have awesome production—17.5 career sacks—but like Travon Walker last year, Murphy’s athletic upside is big enough to convince teams he has double-digit potential in the pros.