Texans QB Davis Mills 'Trying To Improve With Every Snap'

After the Houston Texans acquired the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, it was a foregone conclusion that they'd select either Alabama quarterback Bryce Young or Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Texans then-starter Davis Mills struggled throughout his first two seasons in the league, compiling a 5-19-1 record over that span. Mills knew that Houston would take one of the quarterbacks in the draft.

And when his name was called, Mills came in with the vengeance he's held throughout the offseason and played well on his four drives, as he completed 9-of-12 attempts for 99 yards and a touchdown.

He explained that he didn't do many things differently this offseason and let his play do the talking.

"I don't think my approach has changed at all," Mills said during the post-game press conference. "I'm just...trying to be the best player and best person I could be for this team...every rep I get is making me better as a player, so it's exciting. I'm coming in, putting my head down and showing what I can do."

Mills played well on Thursday night, but he had a couple of faults.

Mills and rookie receiver Tank Dell were the duo to watch in the second quarter, but on his first dropback, Mills threw it low and slightly behind the open receiver for an incomplete pass. Mills found Dell once again on 2nd-and-20 but slightly overthrew him for what could've been a long gain. The duo connected a third time, this time a 10-yard completion, but the placement was unnecessarily low.

Besides the low throws (and one overthrow), Mills was practically perfect, especially with under three minutes left in the first half.

His touchdown pass to Dell with 12 seconds left is a great example of how he played against the Patriots.

Tank Dell caught it on the second try!

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We clocked his time of release at around 1.8-1.9 seconds from the snap, which is much quicker than average (2.77 seconds). He threw it low, like a few of his attempts, but only where Dell could make a play.

It looked like it was a comeback route, which is designed for the quarterback to release the ball well before the receiver turns around. Granted, it wasn't his best throw of the night, as Dell also deserves credit for the circus catch.

That ended up being Mills' final play of the night as Case Keenum played the entire second half.

You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver

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