The Houston Texans raised eyebrows on Friday when they used their first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on a quarterback. It sounds like the guy they picked didn’t see it coming, either.
With the 67th overall pick, the Texans selected Stanford quarterback Davis Mills despite a number of other roster needs. The Texans also devoted their first pick in the draft to a quarterback, having traded their earlier selections at various points over the past two years, especially in the trade for offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil.
On one hand, the Texans’ selection seemed to be an admission that quarterback Deshaun Watson’s future with the team is in doubt, and Tyrod Taylor and Mills may be the future. On the other hand, that apparently wasn’t communicated to Mills, who admitted that he had little contact with the Texans leading up to his selection.
Davis Mills said he did not have a lot of contact with the Texans. "Surprised by the call."
— Aaron Reiss (@aaronjreiss) May 1, 2021
It’s a bit unorthodox for a team to be interested in a quarterback but not really remain in close contact with him leading up to the selection. At the very least, a lot of quarterbacks know who’s digging heavily into them and have an idea of where they might land. That doesn’t necessarily make the pick bad, but it adds to the curiousness of it all.
Watson is facing 22 civil suits alleging sexual assault, and was already trying to force his way out of Houston before his legal problems began. With that in mind, it’s no wonder the Texans sound less certain about his future. Whether Mills is his replacement, or even a capable one, remains to be seen.
