NFL1000: Houston Texans 2017 NFL Draft Preview

Bill O'Brien had the best quarterback in NFL history during his time as New England's quarterback coach and offensive coordinator around the turn of the decade, and he did an amazing job of turning around the Penn State program (making Christian Hackenberg look serviceable in the process) before he took the Texans' head coach position in 2014. His time with Tom Brady may have been any coach's version of heaven, so perhaps it's fitting that O'Brien now finds himself firmly in quarterback purgatory.The franchise's decision to sign former Broncos backup Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract before the 2016 season will go down as one of the worst free-agency moves in league annals. Osweiler was an abject disasterso much so that he managed to waste the efforts of a top-five defense, a receiver corps led by a legitimate superstar in DeAndre Hopkins, a good offensive line and an improved running game. Eventually, the Texans shipped Osweiler and his onerous contract off to Cleveland, throwing in a second-round pick as thanks to the Browns for taking on Osweiler's cap charge and attendant baggage.Coming into the 2017 draft, no team in the NFL has a clearer positional need. The Texans have just about everything else needed for a deep playoff run, including placement in the NFL's worst division, but until they get the quarterback situation worked out, very little else matters. There are other needscornerback, safety and offensive tackle, to be surebut the Texans have gone about as far as any team should in proving that it's a quarterback-driven league.Begin Slideshow
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