3. Pat Mahomes, Texas Tech
First round, 25th pick: Houston Texans
There’s little question that Houston has focused primarily on the quarterback position during the pre-draft process. And for good reason. Currently, the team only has Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden under contract after trading away free-agent bust Brock Osweiler last month.
Coming off an AFC South title and with a roster equipped for a deep run in the playoffs, Houston would be smart to add a young quarterback to the mix in the first round. Coming from Texas Tech’s spread offense, Mahomes likely won’t be a Day 1 starter. But he would give the Texans a ton of young, raw talent to work with under center. That’s something the team simply has not had during its relatively young existence in the NFL.
Some will conclude that adding a veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo or A.J. McCarron makes more sense here. That might very well be true, but it also takes two to tango. At this point, neither New England or Cincinnati have shown much interest in dealing their backup quarterbacks.
Houston will want to keep as many picks as possible in order to build up its depth as the draft plays out. It’s in this that trading up for a more pro-ready Deshaun Watson doesn’t make much sense.
Mahomes and his strong arm fits extremely well with what Bill O’Brien wants to do on offense. After a year or two of sitting, he would be able to take the helm under center and not look back. At that point, the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Lamar Miller, Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt would still be in the prime of their careers. That would make for an instant Super Bowl contender in Houston.