Houston Texans: The harsh reality of a possible Jadeveon Clowney trade

Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Texans are rumored to be one of two teams to have the desire to trade up in the NFL Draft. Will Jadeveon Clowney be on the block? Let’s look.

The Houston Texans have only two days to go before they’ll take center stage to make their first pick of the NFL Draft.  They’ll kick off the draft with the 23rd pick so it will be interesting to see whom they select at that position or if they’ll even be using this pick at all to bring the utmost of talent into the fold.

It’s a no-brainer for the Houston Texans to have the affinity to trade up to fulfill their needs and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do exactly just that.  The team’s needs for an offensive tackle as well as a cornerback are dire and the top talent to address what they’ve been lacking may not be there at 23.

That’s something that we’ll all have to monitor but the rumor mill has not disappointed by churning a plethora of takes in regard to what the Houston Texans will do come Thursday night.

According to NFL Insider Albert Breer, he’s hearing whispers that the Houston Texans will be one of two teams looking to trade up from the current positions to try to snag the best player available to address their roster concerns.

He mentions the Houston Texans — along with the Carolina Panthers — as two teams that will be trying to move up but not looking for a quarterback.  I think the verdict is clear regard to both of their quarterback positions being solidified in Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton respectively.

Breer thinks both teams will be looking for a tackle, especially with the Houston Texans‘ woes and as well as the Panthers with the jettisoning of Matt Kalil.  He ironically signed here in H-Town to compete for a roster spot but Carolina still has a hole to fill his void.  Kalil wasn’t quite what the doctor ordered with the smattering of injuries that he experienced, prompting the team to cut ties with him and his massive, five-year, $55 million deal.

Andre Dillard, Jonah Williams, Cody Ford and Jawaan Taylor all come to mind in regard to the talent that they can snag in the draft and the pot would be even sweeter if the Houston Texans were at a higher position to land a premier tackle this week.

Meanwhile, the Houston Texans still have not come to terms with outside linebacker Jadeveon

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Clowney to a long-term as he’s currently signed to the $15.96 million exclusive franchise tag to table things until July 15, the deadline for the team to render a contract to the former No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft.

I certainly would like to keep Clowney in a Houston Texans‘ uniform but with J.J. Watt still producing a terrific level and last season’s sixth-rounder Duke Ejiofor waiting behind the wings, the Texans could afford to trade Clowney to get a nice haul of at least a higher first-rounder and a second.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders make the most sense in terms of teams with a ton of draft capital but we’ll likely have to pump the brakes on Kansas City with the announcement of their signing of defensive end Frank Clark yesterday.

That certainly leaves the Raiders as they’ve been hurting for a dynamic edge rusher since the departure of Khalil Mack and Clowney would certainly fit the bill.  They have three first-round picks (No. 4, 24 and 27) so it would take the team to dangle Clowney in order for them to wrangle away their first pick.

Will it happen?  I’ve seen stranger things.  Gaine seems to be the type of guy that would want to trade down but if he had an opportunity like the aforementioned, he’d have no choice to take an offer that he couldn’t refuse.

Next. Texans: Four teams that can ruin the team's draft plans. dark

Let’s keep our eyes peeled!

The NFL Draft will commence this Thursday at 7 p.m. CDT.  It will be televised on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes.