Latest mock has Texans picking twice inside top 10

Texas Tech defensive lineman Tyree Wilson. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Latest mock draft has Texans picking twice inside the top 10

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/4/23

It’s been reported that the Houston Texans are targeting Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

But should the Carolina Panthers grab the Heisman Trophy winning QB first overall, some draft experts — including NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein — have speculated Houston could take an edge rusher second overall and trade back up into the back half of the top 10 for its quarterback.

In his latest mock draft , Zierlein has the Texans picking Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson at No. 2 then trading the No. 12 overall pick plus some of their additional 11 picks in 2023 to the Las Vegas Raiders to jump to No. 7 and grab Kentucky QB Will Levis (in Zierlein’s scenario, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud was taken fourth overall by the Baltimore Ravens).

“If the Texans miss out on Young, they might not be a lock to take Stroud,” Zierlein said. “With needs along the defensive front and two 2023 first-round picks, the choice could be between Wilson and Will Anderson Jr.”

You may not like my new mock draft, but I’ve gone through several contingencies when I put it together, and there is just no way that this draft is going to come out like most people expect it to. Too much potential chaos elements and play.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 4, 2023

Also, Texans fans, now might be a bad time to remind you that I hit both of their first round picks from 2022 in my final mock last season. pic.twitter.com/tBiCesxpx3
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 4, 2023

While quarterback is arguably Houston’s biggest area of need, pass rusher isn’t too far behind.

The Texans were a middle-of-the-road team in terms of getting to the quarterback in 2022, ranking 20th in sacks (39) and 18th in pass rushing, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes and linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were the only Texans players with four or more sacks and 30 or more pressures.

Anderson led the FBS with 14 sacks, logging the sixth-most QB pressures (59) and the 11th-most QB hurries (36), according to PFF.

Wilson totaled 27.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and 58 hurries the last two years at Texas Tech. He dominated in 2022 with 53 pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 22.6%, per PFF — ranking among the top edge rushers in college football in both categories.

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