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By virtue of their 2-14 record -- including 14 straight losses to end the season -- the Texans have the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The team's biggest need is quarterback, although we'll find out in the coming weeks and months if there's a QB worthy of that distinction.
In the meantime, brace yourself for plenty of obfuscation from all 32 teams eager to cover their true draft-day intentions. Just something to keep in mind as you read these recent comments from Texans' owner Bob McNair on South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
"He is a remarkable player," McNair said via the team's website (by way of SBNation). "He's one of these players that's a once every 10 years kind of physical specimen. Mario Williams was that way. I think that Clowney is a better athlete than Mario, so that tells you what kind of player he can be."
In 2006, the Texans surprised a lot of people when they took Mario Williams first overall instead of Reggie Bush. It turned out to be the right decision.
McNair also talked about Houston's 2011 first-rounder, defensive end J.J. Watt, already one of the league's most dominant players.
"Like many of these fellas who have these great physical attributes, they didn't have to work as hard in junior high school, high school and college to be a superlative athlete because they have this natural ability," the owner said. "He's not a J.J. Watt. J.J. didn't have that natural ability. He worked. He developed his. One of the things I said to J.J. is 'I don't know what'll happen but if we get Clowney, we want you to instill in him the same kind of work habits that you have.' He said 'If he's in the same room as me, he'll have them."
Who knows what this means for the Texans' draft plans. They could love Clowney but choose to take a quarterback. Or, as McNair said earlier this month, the team could trade out of the first pick altogether should the right opportunity arise.
In case you're wondering, in the latest NFLDraftScout.com mock draft, Rob Rang has Houston taking Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater first overall, while Dane Brugler likes UCF quarterback Blake Bortles.
