Texans Trading Up In NFL Draft For WR, Predicts Peter King
Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has been clear about the fact that he is open for business when it comes to trading up, or down, in this week's NFL Draft.
Now, with just a few days to go until draft night, two reporters have suggested where and for whom the Texans may be looking to trade.
Both Pro Football Talk's Peter King and SI's Albert Breer have linked the Texans with Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
© Joshua A. Bickel/Columbus Dispat / USA TODAY NETWORK
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In fact, King has the Texans trading up to the ninth overall pick via the Seattle Seahawks to acquire the Ohio State star.
*Projected Trade: Texans trade the 13th pick overall and an early third-round pick, 68th overall, to the Seahawks for the 9th selection.
Houston leapfrogs the Jets to get the franchise receiver for Davis Mills (who has a chance this year to win this job) or whoever the Texans pick next year to be the franchise passer. There’s a lot of love for Wilson in the league, even though he never led Ohio State in receiving in any of his three years and he’s a lean (6-0, 183) receiver who probably won’t play much heavier.
This rumor appears to be gaining momentum, given that Breer also linked the Texans with Wilson. He says he was given the former Buckeye as another name to watch - although he admitted that "there’s a lot of guessing going on, when it comes to what Caserio’s thinking."
Wilson, an Austin native, had 1,058 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021 for the Buckeyes.
The Texans have the luxury of five picks in the top 80, allowing them a level of flexibility to give up a pick or two in order to move up, without severely compromising their ability to bring in multiple potential impact players early on.
Moving for Wilson would give Mills more to work with outside of Brandin Cooks, and possibly Nico Collins depending on his development. Plus, Wilson's 4.38 40-yard speed would be a welcome addition to an offense that has lacked a true field-stretching receiver since Will Fuller left last year.
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
© Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Troy Taormina-USA Today
For what it's worth, Houston has a solid history with first-round receivers. To date, they've taken Andrew Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Will Fuller on day one. Perhaps Wilson could be the next in this impressive line.
