NFL
By: Bill Carroll
Warning: Bill Carroll’s New And Crazy Trade Heavy 2023 NFL Mock Draft may cause dizziness, heart palpitations, nervous sweats, and paranoia. If you are prone to fits of rage or vertigo Bill Carroll’s New And Crazy Trade Heavy 2023 NFL Mock Draft may not be right for you. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but the 2022 Houston Texans have the most talent-starved roster in the NFL.
On the current roster only PK Ka’imi Fairbairn, DE Jerry Hughes, P Cam Johnston, and RB Dameon Pierce were Pro Bowl alternates. I repeat, alternates, no Texans were voted All-Pro or regular Pro Bowl participants. The good news is that no matter what, where or who you draft, it will be a position of need. Of their Pro Bowl alternates, three of the four are very likely on the roster in 2023.
Jerry Hughes has had an impressive NFL career. He tallied nine sacks last season and has posted 67 in his career, but he’ll turn 35 on August 13th. It is not ideal to have your best pass-rusher be the second-oldest player on your team. Mario Addison, also a defensive end, is already 35. [This is not counting Jon Weeks, the long snapper, who is almost 37].
The brightest group, currently shining, on the roster is the secondary, they have several young players with talent, including last year’s first-round pick Derek Stingley Jr. and their second-rounder, Jalen Pitre. Steven Nelson, at age 30 is the oldest member of the group. On offense, running back Dameon Pierce is impressive and was drafted by the Texans in the fourth round, he has star potential.
Last year’s starter at QB, Davis Mills is just 24. But he seemed to regress last year, after having flashed in his rookie year, when he had a 66.8 completion percentage, he passed for 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 2664 yards, in 13 games. In 2022 he was in 15 games, passing for 17 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions and 3118 yards. He did have strong performances versus the Colts and Raiders, but his future as a starter is very much in question.
The offensive line has their most expensive, but also most attractive, possible trade asset, in 28-year-old, offensive left tackle, Laremy Tunsil. He is owed $18,500,000 in base salary, $3,250,000 in bonuses and $13,460,834 in contract restructure compensation and would represent a ‘dead’ cap hit of $16,710,834. But a starting offensive left tackle with the potential to start at a high level for 10 or more years, is still fairly attractive. The only other players likely to generate much, serious interest are the very young, ascending players that were previously noted. Those are the types of players that you keep and around which you build.
With a builder’s mindset, I tried to not only stock the larder for the upcoming season, but also to have the assets available that would allow the Texans to trade up to the top of round one if there were a chance to reel in either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in 2024.
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In an attempt to stockpile talent and future picks, I stared at a photograph of Howie Roseman and I started making trades.
Was I done at this point? You might think so, but you’d be wrong. There’s so much more to come!
Am I mad, touched, not quite right, maybe, but they laughed at Nicola Tesla and the Wright brothers. Hold on to your butts I am just getting started!
Normally it is considered a detriment to receive picks in a future draft, but could there be a method to my madness? Let’s see.
If your team, while not tanking, {we would never, ever tank}, could draft now in such a way that it set you up to be able to have the draft assets to move anywhere you needed in the next year’s draft would you do it? Be honest.
Most mock drafts that I have done and will do in the future, [I promise], are based in things that I think are likely to happen, or at least could happen, but his is something quite different. “I have slipped the surly bonds of ‘normal’ drafting.” “I am through the looking glass.” If the Texans show incremental improvement and are drafting, I will just say sixth in 2024, they will have the Commanders’ and Panthers’ first-round selections as well as their own. They could come away with back-to-back picks at the very top of the draft, should they choose.
Let’s take a look at what we netted, other than a metric ton of 2024 picks: the two 1st rounders, three 2nd rounders, three 3rds, three 4ths and a 5th round selection, we also drafted players! We got a wide receiver who can replace and, perhaps upgrade Brandon Cooks, Hendon Hooker needs to sit, and I think Davis Mills deserves another year to prove if he is or is not the future at QB. Sam LaPorta is an upgrade over any TE on the roster. Jaylon Jones is a CB from Texas A&M who has size and is fluid and athletic. Eventually, he could pair with Stingley in a young and talented duo. Xavier Hutchinson could learn from and eventually supplant Nico Collins and we upgraded Chris Moore in the form of the big and fast A.T Perry from Wake Forest at # 145 with a pick that Atlanta had sent to the Raiders. DeMarvion Overshown is one of the new breed of hybrid, overhang defenders that can play nickel-backer, as a third safety, blitz or be a slot defender and he can play in the box or defend big receivers or TEs all over. Deuce Vaughn is an electrifying 3rd down back in the mold of his hero/doppelgänger Darren Sproles, I think he would give this offense ‘juice.’ The rest of the players are developmental players or valuable depth, but if two or three become contributors, I will call Bill Carroll’s New And Crazy Trade Heavy 2023 NFL Mock Draft a success.
