Bill O'Brien says Texans are 'happy' they drafted a lineman over Derek Carr

The Texans still need a franchise quarterback because Brock Osweiler certainly isn't the answer

As the Texans slog through the season with Brock Osweiler under center, they're reminded on a game-by-game basis just how costly a decision it was to sign him. But at least that mistake has overshadowed another error the team made in the 2014 NFL Draft, when they passed on quarterback Derek Carr to take offensive lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo three picks before the Raiders selected Carr in the second round.

Unfortunately for the Texans, that error will only be magnified as they head into their Monday night matchup with the Raiders in Mexico City.

In his third season, Carr has led the Raiders to a 7-2 record by throwing 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Osweiler is meandering along with 11 touchdowns and nine picks. And Su'a-Filo is the 48th-best guard in the league, according to Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking efficiency metric.

Naturally, with the game approaching, reporters wanted to know how Texans coach Bill O'Brien feels about that fateful decision. It turns out, O'Brien is "happy" with their call -- or at least that's what he claims.

"We evaluated all the quarterbacks in that draft and we felt like he was definitely one of the better quarterbacks," O'Brien said, per the Houston Chronicle. "When it comes to the draft, [GM] Rick [Smith] and I, we just try to make the decision for the team and that's what we did. We chose who we chose and we're happy with who we chose, but Derek is having a good year."

What else is he supposed to say, though?

Carr is having a good year. He's ranked ninth in passer rating (99.1) and by Pro Football Focus' grading scale he's tied with Russell Wilson as the league's fourth-best quarterback. For what it's worth, the Texans are 6-3 and in first place in the AFC South. So it's not as if that decision to pass on Carr has killed the franchise.

Then again, imagine this Texans team with a quarterback who wasn't averaging a league-worst 5.61 yards per attempt. The Texans won last week and Osweiler didn't even throw for 100 yards. They're not winning because of Osweiler; they're winning in spite of him. If they had drafted Carr, they would most likely have more than six wins with a cheaper, better quarterback.

This is all hindsight, of course, and every other team also passed on Carr. So it wasn't just the Texans' mistake. And it still isn't as bad as the one they made to sign Osweiler this offseason.