After a 3-13-1 season that included no victories at NRG Stadium, it’s clear the Houston Texans are hoping to find their next franchise quarterback with the No. 2 pick in this month’s NFL Draft.
And according to a survey of Texans fans, more than half want that quarterback to be Bryce Young from Alabama.
Utilizing Survey Monkey, BetTexas.com, your home to coverage of Texas sports betting, gathered 160 survey results from Houston Texans Reddit and Facebook groups to see who Texans fans want their franchise to select.
Young came in first with 55.2 percent of the vote.
Who Texans Fans Want With Second Pick
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Late-Season Victories Costs Texans Top Pick
The Texans lost the chance to have the No. 1 pick by winning two of their final three games, including a 32-31 victory with a winning two-point conversion in the final minute of the finale against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mock drafts have one of three quarterbacks going first overall with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud the one many have the Carolina Panthers taking at No. 1.
There are no Texas sports betting apps, but national operator FanDuel Sportsbook has Stroud as the overwhelming favorite to be top pick at -270. Young is second at +210.
Some mock drafts have Florida’s Anthony Richardson (+1100) being a surprise selection at the top, and Texans fans have Stroud and Richardson as their No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the survey.
Young’s Size a Negative For Some
Detractors for Young point to his size at 5-10⅛ and 204 pounds. By comparison, the Arizona Cardinals list Kyler Murray at 5-10, 207, and he was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Murray has had an up-and-down career with a 25-31-1 record as a starter with 84 touchdowns, 41 interceptions and 13,848 yards passing in four years. He’s added 2,204 yards and 23 touchdowns running the ball.
Young comes to the NFL with some of the same accolades as Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in his last college season at the University of Oklahoma. He passed for 4,300 yards and 42 scores, while rushing for 1,000 and 13 more touchdowns for the Sooners.
Young hasn’t shown Murray’s running ability, but his throwing accuracy is something Texans fans have been missing since Deshaun Watson’s injuries, suspension and trade to the Cleveland Browns.
Young won the Heisman Trophy in his first year as a starter at Alabama in 2021 and led the Crimson Tide to the National Championship Game. Alabama lost to Georgia, but Young posted big numbers with 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns passing while completing 67 percent of his attempts. He only threw seven interceptions in 548 passes.
He was 23-4 as a starter. As a junior last year, he passed for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions while leading Alabama to a win over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl.
Stroud posted similar numbers the past two seasons while leading the Buckeyes to an identical 23-4 record that ended with the thrilling 42-41 loss to Georgia in one of the national semifinal games after the 2022 season.
Stroud passed for 7,775 yards with 81 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over two years, which included a Rose Bowl victory after his sophomore season.
Whoever the Texans wind up with at No. 2 overall, expect that player to open the season as the starter. The only quarterbacks on the roster are Davis Mills (5-19-1 in two years as a starter), 35-year-old backup Case Keenum and E.J. Perry, who hasn’t taken a snap since his days at Brown.
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