The Houston Texans now have a major decision to make with the number 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, as names like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Jadeveon Clowney and Sammy Watkins have been mentioned in mock drafts as potential top picks and this comes after the team pulled the Matt Schaub trade to the Oakland Raiders.
The Texans already had a tough decision to make after getting the number one pick and now that they have traded Schaub, it appears that a quarterback pick is in the cards, as the team signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and he doesn't seem like starter material right now. According to ESPN.com, Mel Kiper thinks that Manziel will be the top overall pick and others have speculated that the Texans will take Blake Bortles, as he is the biggest of the three and looks to be the perfect mold for an NFL quarterback despite a lack of other skills.
Bortles broke out in the Fiesta Bowl this season after leading UCF to a win against Baylor and now he is rising up drat boards, as many have compared him to Ben Roethlisberger and that could be why the Texans snag him. Bortles had 25 touchdowns last season and while he is considered a raw product, Bill O'Brien could be the perfect coach for him after he worked with Tom Brady for a number of years. Adding to the mix is the fact that Bortles had a strong pro day and scouts liked his arm and his accuracy and that could push him up draft boards as well.
The Texans felt they had to trade Schaub after the way the season went last year and while he has tossed for 4,000 yards three different times, the team felt it was time to move on and now he will with the Raiders. The Texans used Case Keenum last season and now they could go after Manziel or one of the other top prospects. Manziel makes sense from a marketing standpoint and an excitement standpoint, but the team needs to turn things around and they have the roster to do it, as they were a Super Bowl contender just a year ago.
Clowney poses an interesting risk, as his upside is a good as anyone's and after his 40-yard dash time, he could be the number one pick, but many scouts have raised questions about his work ethic and the season he had for South Carolina. If Clowney was allowed to come out last season he easily would have been the first overall pick, but after some injuries and some so-so play and effort, scouts have questions about him as a pro. The Texans had a similar choice back when they had the first overall pick and went with Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, who went number two to the Saints.
Bridgewater was considered by many to be the most pro-ready quarterback when the season ended, but after a so-so pro day and questions about his accuracy, he could drop out of the top five. The Texans are battling the Jaguars, Browns and Vikings for quarterbacks most likely and while they have the number one pick, they still have a huge decision to make that will be a franchise changing one this year.