2024 NFL Mock Draft: Texans Pick 'Explosive' Weapon Malik Nabers
Houston Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud will enter his rookie season with what Pro Football Focus recently ranked as the worst group of pass catchers in the NFL. That means that next offseason, adding a potential No. 1 receiver for Stroud to lean on will likely be the top priority for general manager Nick Caserio and coach DeMeco Ryans.
To that end, Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network recently projected that the Texans will use the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on LSU receiver Malik Nabers:
"If there is a football in the area to be caught, Nabers is the man for the job. Even when high-level coverage defenders appear to have the upper hand on the Tigers' receiver, he simply discards the defender.
"He’s not a huge pass catcher, but Nabers is incredibly physical after the catch, and he is an explosive weapon on the outside that Bobby Slowik should be able to use over the middle of the field."
Though Nabers is entering his third season at LSU, he's still only 19 years old. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound wideout broke out for 72 catches and 1,017 yards in his second collegiate season.
Nabers might immediately become the top target for Stroud, given tight end Dalton Schultz can become a free agent after the 2023 season, and it's unclear what the Texans can expect from receiver John Metchie III as he works his way back from both an ACL tear and a battle with Leukemia that cost him the entirety of his rookie season.
Because Houston traded their own 2024 first-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in a move that allowed them to select pass rusher, Will Anderson Jr., they're likely going to be out of the sweepstakes for Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who is expected to be a top-five pick in next year's NFL Draft.
Still, they own the Cleveland Browns' 2024 first-round pick as part of the trade of former quarterback Deshaun Watson, so they will have a selection to make at some point on Day 1 of next year's festivities.
Xavier Worthy of Texas, Johnny Wilson of Florida State, Rome Odunze of Washington and Harrison's Ohio State teammate Emeka Egbuka are other receivers that the Texans could potentially consider in the first round if Harrison does indeed prove to be out of their reach.
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