In an ideal world, the Houston Texans would be able to move out of the top spot before they are on the clock Thursday night. The issue is whether they can find another team to trade with.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Texans “really want to trade down.” If and when the team can do that, they would still select former Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack.
The issue, as it has been all along, is who would be willing to put together an enticing enough trade package to move into the No. 1 spot.
Houston has long been open to trading out of that spot, and only one team has shown interest in potentially making a deal.
The Atlanta Falcons are seemingly very high on former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, and last month Sports Illustrated reported there was momentum gaining for the team to move up to nab him. Insider Peter King pegged the chances of the Falcons moving up at about 40 percent.
This is also sheds light on another underlying issues: the Texans may prefer Mack to Clowney. For weeks, it seemed as if Clowney was the lock to be the first overall pick. Lately, however, the conversation shifted from Clowney versus a quarterback to Clowney versus Mack.
According to ESPN NFL insider Ed Werder, the Texans are demanding a “Robert Griffin III-like trade” for the Falcons to move into the top spot.
The Washington Redskins sent three first-round picks and a second-rounder to the St. Louis Rams back in 2012 to move from No. 6 to No. 2 in order to graft Griffin. Werder indicated the dialogue between Houston and Atlanta is “legitimate” and “continues as we speak.”
Pro Football Talk also reported the Rams remain interested in moving down as well. That has been the sense all along, Like Houston, the Rams have been mentioned as a potential trading partner for Atlanta if it chooses to make a move up. Of course, it would cost the Falcons less to move into the No. 2 spot as opposed to the No. 1 spot.
If the Rams are also to move back, they could go after former Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews. The team has long been linked to another tackle in Greg Robinson.
