With the 12th overall pick in the 2023 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Houston Texans GM Domonate selects ...

Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

I’m not going to mince words. The Texans are a bad team with needs everywhere, and just about any position I picked would have been justifiable. I’m a firm believer that the purpose of the draft is to acquire talent, and the purpose of FA and trades are to fill needs. So, when I do my own mocks I always tend to lean toward BPA over needs or positional value. The Texans did fairly well in filling some gaps in FA, but their roster still needs a lot of work. In this particular draft I see a small top tier and a very large second tier who are all similarly talented, meaning I had many viable options available with this pick.

Needs:

QB - The most obvious need that was addressed with the #2 pick.

WR - Holy moly, this is a thin group. Their current #1 is Robert Woods, who would be a #3/4 on just about any other team in the league. John Metchie is recovering from leukemia and a total unknown at this point. Noah Brown is their #3 and if you’re wondering who the hell that is, you aren’t alone.

OL - Their tackles are solid, but the interior leaves a lot to be desired.

DL - They lost their top DE in free agency and overpaid for Sheldon Rankins, so they definitely need help here.

Secondary - Our old friend Steven Nelson is their CB2 so they could upgrade here, but the rest is solid.

The Texans drafted their shiny new franchise QB at #2 and I believe that the best way to develop him is to surround him with good weapons. We’ve all seen the huge leaps young QBs can take when getting good weapons (Jalen Hurts with A.J. Brown/DeVonta Smith, Tua Tagovailoa with Jaylen Waddle/Tyreek Hill, Josh Allen with Stefon Diggs, Joe Burrow with Ja’Marr Chase, etc.), so securing good help is extremely important. I opted to go with a player who will best help my QB develop with this pick, which is Quentin Johnston. All the top tier guys are gone so I feel I was able to find someone who both fit my BPA requirement and filled a huge need.

Strengths:

Johnston has just about every trait you look for in a #1 WR. He’s got great size, great athleticism, and is very fast with quick burst off the line and breaks. He is excellent at creating space and has tremendous long speed, often easily outrunning defenders on deep routes. He’s a strong route runner who has a great feel for finding holes in zones. He is very dangerous in the open field and nearly always makes the first defender or two miss. He is arguably the only WR in this class with true game breaking, big play ability. He’s exactly what you want in a prototypical X receiver, and some of his comps include AJ Brown, Alshon Jeffery, and Amani Toomer, all legit #1’s in their prime.

Here are some highlights and breakdowns showing off his skills.

Weaknesses:

As great as his strengths are, he does have some concerns, listed below.

1. Overall inconsistent play

2. Doesn’t win 50/50 balls as much as he should

3. Ran a small route tree in college

4. Some difficulty beating press coverage

5. Tendency for drops

I know, I know; this sounds an awful lot like the other WR from TCU whose name we shall not speak, but Johnston is much more talented than him. He will likely have some growing pains in the NFL, but with better coaching and QB play most of his issues are correctable and he can develop into a bona fide top WR.

Conclusion:

To be completely honest, I think this QB class is vastly overrated, and if I were the Texans I wouldn’t have drafted one this year. They have absolutely no WRs and their OL is mediocre. They will basically be sending Stroud out to the slaughter. I would have tried to trade back from #2 or taken Will Anderson and spent the rest of my picks building the roster and gaining future draft capital to go for a QB next year. It can be argued that I would have been better off going after a defensive lineman, and I seriously considered it, but I think there is much better value there on Day 2. The Texans have 12 picks this year, so they have plenty of chances to load up on talent in other position groups.

That being said, giving Stroud a high ceiling WR is the best option I felt I had here to aid in his development, which should be at the top of the Texans priority list. In fact, it would be in their best interests to double or triple dip in the WR pool since their current group is so abysmal. Combined with a strong running game and anchored by Dameon Pierce and solid TE Dalton Schultz adding someone like Johnston can go a long way in helping him reach his ceiling.

2023 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Panthers (pheebthegoose): QB Bryce Young
2) Texans (Phoenix X Minimus): QB C.J. Stroud
3) Cardinals (alwaysaphillyfan): EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts (eaglenomics): QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions (Sam2TheMaximum): DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders (joey2arms): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons (Kephas): CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears (chewy wellington): OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles (Philly21): CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans (RachAttack): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans (Domonate): WR Quentin Johnston
13) Jets (JawnJam)
14) Patriots (Amish Eagle Lion)
15) Packers (bdawk4ever)
16) Commanders (the dog did it)
17) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
18) Lions (DreadPirateRocco)
19) Buccaneers (Neil Dutton)
20) Seahawks (wardbell92)
21) Chargers (Brendanekstrom)
22) Ravens (Rollinpin)
23) Vikings (FierceDisc65)
24) Jaguars (Leo Bedio)
25) Giants (dkays)
26) Cowboys (roberticus01)
27) Bills (EHyungNim)
28) Bengals (mainmanham)
29) Saints (RiverCityEagle)
30) Eagles (ablesser88)
31) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2023 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Panthers: QB C.J. Stroud
2) Texans: QB Bryce Young
3) Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions: DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders: OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons: CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears: OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles: CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans: