NEWSLETTER
Tomorrow’s NFL Draft figures to be as unpredictable as they come.
And yet, I’m still in a place thinking about time as a flat circle because ESPN’s Adam Schefter just dropped a rumor that the Houston Texans could be looking to trade up from No. 12. What’s old is new again:
On the one hand, this is the type of tweet that gives me a good laugh this time of year. The Texans could move up. Or back. Perhaps side-to-side. Houston’s football team could … maybe … possibly … potentially … participate in some manner … or capacity … at some level … in the 2023 NFL Draft. Yep. That sounds about right when it comes to NFL scuttlebutt on the afternoon before the draft’s first round kicks off.
But on the other hand, this is something worth stashing in your back pocket. There has been some recent chatter about quarterbacks dropping down draft boards. Some of that is smokescreen, I’m sure. But we’ve seen quarterbacks slip down boards before. Bears fans are familiar with Justin Fields’ slip in 2021 when he went from being seen as the QB2 to ultimately being the fourth quarterback taken in his class. Justin Herbert entered the 2019-20 college football season as the consensus top QB prospect, but didn’t go until pick No. 6 in the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2019, Dwayne Haskins was pegged to go as early as No. 6 to the Giants before being chosen 15th by Washington. Remember when Lamar Jackson fell all the way to 32 in 2018? What a wild time.
In the end, I’m in a mindset of knowing that quarterback slippage isn’t out of the ordinary. And if history repeats itself, Chicago could be in a spot to offer the ninth pick to a QB-thirsty team.
Maybe it is Houston (especially if the Texans take Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter with the second pick). Perhaps Tennessee wants to beat their division rivals to the punch. Would Washington have an interest if the right QB prospect was available at No. 9? Throw together a deal surrounding a first-round pick swap and defensive end Chase Young and I might listen to the Commanders. Washington reportedly did *NOT* exercise the fifth-year option on Young’s rookie deal. And with all the other defensive linemen the Commanders are paying, perhaps Young is the odd man out.
I’m just saying that history has a weird way of repeating itself. And things have a funny way of coming full circle in the NFL. So it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the NFL Draft starts the same way the regular season ended — with the Bears dangling their first-round pick in front of a Texans franchise that has eyes for a particular quarterback.
