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The Houston Texans need a quarterback, presumably they are going to take one in the 2014 NFL Draft, but according to reports it won't be Fresno State's Derek Carr. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport is confident that the Texans will stay away from Carr, boasting, "we know that." Does it have something to do with their history with Carr's brother David? Do they not like him as a prospect? Let's speculate.
Why it makes sense
Well, there's that whole David Carr thing. The Texans drafted David No. 1 overall in 2002 with their first-ever draft pick as a franchise, and he want on the become a journeyman backup elsewhere after several sack-plagued seasons in Houston. From a PR standpoint, taking his younger brother, Derek, could be a nightmare, not to mention a dangerous temptation of fate.
The Texans may simply not think much of Derek Carr as a quarterback, as well -- at least, not at No. 33. If they had, they likely would have traded up into the first round to select him, as Battle Red Blog points out.
Will they kick off the second round with a QB? If they do that, why didn't they move up into the first round to enhance that potential QB's contract with a 5th year option for the team? I think the fact that the Texans didn't move up last night is very telling that they likely won't go QB at 2.1 (33rd overall), unless it was just that difficult to find a trade partner.
This most recent rumor jibes with earlier rumblings that the Texans are trying to trade out of the top pick of the second round. They may not like Carr, but they may be hoping someone else does, enough to trade up so that the Texans can secure picks to fortify themselves elsewhere.
NFL Draft Grades
Why it doesn't make sense
If not Carr, then who? Zach Mettenberger fits the prototypical NFL passer mold that head coach Bill O'Brien supposedly prefers, but he's coming off an ACL tear and doesn't have Carr's sterling numbers. Beyond him are other small-school quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo and David Fales, who likewise don't jump off the page in comparison to Carr.
The Texans need to take a quarterback in the draft, right?
Likelihood: 8/10
If the Texans are throwing smokescreens, it seems we should be hearing the opposite of the rumblings that have surfaced Friday. That, or there's a level of bluffing taking place that mere mortals cannot comprehend.