The NFL draft for 2014 is coming and the Houston Texans know who they want with the number one pick, as Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack are the most likely options, while the team also could trade the pick and clubs like the Oakland Raiders, 49ers, NY Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be interested in moving up.
The Texans have long said they may trade the number one pick, but on Thursday general manager Rick Smith said that the team knew who they would select if they do hold onto the pick. ESPN.com reported that Mack and Clowney are the likely options for the Texans and that the team may trade the pick as well. The first overall pick is a valuable thing to have and while the Texans could trade it, they are also comfortable hanging onto the pick heading into the event.
This is a deep draft and with the Texans going 2-14 last season, Smith may want to add more picks to bring in depth and more talent, but it could be hard to pass up on Clowney or Mack. Some scouts have Mack ahead of Clowney, but he has long been considered the number one pick and if he was able to come out last season, he easily would have been the top pick. The Texans traded their quarterback in Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders the team now needs a new thrower and names like Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr could be in the mix.
The team hired Bill O'Brien and that led many to speculate that the team would pick a quarterback, but the Texans dismissed that notion and said there was depth at that position as well. The Texans have names like Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger and AJ McCarron to look at later in the draft and they could pass on the top QBs for someone like Clowney.
If the Texans pick Clowney, they still could look to trade down and that has been suggested by some in the same way that the Giants did it with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. The Texans pick is an important one, as the top five picks overall have teams looking at what they will do and who will be available. The Raiders, Falcons, 49ers and Jets all could be in the mix and Oakland could actually look to trade down if the Texans take one of the players they are looking at.
