Texans draft needs: What move would help improve Super Bowl 57 and win total odds

The Houston Texans enter the 2022 NFL Draft on the outside looking in at the league’s title contenders. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Texans sit at +20000 to win Super Bowl LVII — the longest odds of any team — and have a regular-season win total of 4.5.

To the surprise of few, the Texans struggled throughout this past season. After a Week 1 win overly the similarly woeful Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston went on to lose eight consecutive games before hitting the bye. While the second half of 2021 went comparatively better, the team still lost more games (five) than it won (three), finishing with a 4-13 final record.

Earlier in the offseason, the Texans officially severed ties with legally embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, sending him to the Cleveland Browns. But as Watson did not play in a single game last year, that move doesn’t affect Houston’s 2022 outlook. Davis Mills appears positioned to begin the season as the starter under center with the recently extended Brandin Cooks as his top receiver.

Houston Texans pre-NFL Draft odds

Super Bowl 57: +20000
Win total: 4.5 (Over +100, Under -120)

With an incoming draft class considered bereft of a top-shelf quarterback prospect, the Texans could best help themselves go over their win total by adding a field-tilting defensive end. Even if pass rushers come off the board with the opening two picks, Houston will have viable options still available to bolster the defensive front. Perhaps head coach Lovie Smith could unlock the athletic potential of Georgia’s Travon Walker or Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.

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