Houston Texans' Davis Mills Would be No. 1 QB in This NFL Draft?

According to one head coach, the Houston Texans may have already won the 2022 NFL Draft.

All eyes may be on the 2022 NFL Draft. But according to Stanford head coach David Shaw, the Houston Texans have already won the draft before it's even begun.

Opting to leave Stanford in 2021 after just 14 starts, quarterback Davis Mills took a gamble by declaring. With an extra year under his belt, Shaw firmly believes Mills would have been a first-round pick.

"This was part of our conversations with Davis on whether or not he was going to come back, because just as you mentioned, this quarterback class isn't great," Shaw said on The Rich Eisen Show. "If Davis would have come back, I feel very strongly that he would be the top quarterback in the draft. So the Texans just got the top quarterback in the draft a year ahead of when he would have been the top quarterback."

Instead, Mills was drafted 67th overall by the Texans - the eighth quarterback off the board. 

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

© Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

After starting the year as the backup to veteran Tyrod Taylor, the 23-year-old went on to pass for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 appearances (11 starts).

"He didn't start early, he played some games in the middle, and then finished up, he was arguably the second-best rookie quarterback this past year behind Mac [Jones], and in some places, probably outperformed Mac," Shaw said.

Somewhat ironically, one of Mills' best games came against none other than Jones' New England Patriots. 

Despite losing 25-22, Mills arguably outperformed Jones, with the Texan going 21 of 29, for 312 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 141.7. By comparison, Jones went 23 of 30 for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception, for a quarterback rating of 95.3.

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

For the Texans, this was one of only a few positive signs for Mills' future. Not only did Mills pass for over 300 yards four times (most in the class), but after resuming the starting role in Week 13, the rookie passed for 1,258 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions in his final five games for a 102.4 quarterback rating.

"So now, here you've got a quarterback that when you put the film on and watch the last five or six games that he played, this guy is as good as anybody in the NFL in the red zone," Shaw said. "[He has a] strong arm, [he's] a better athlete than you think, [he's a] really bright kid who picks things up and learns from his mistakes. I think they've got a legitimate starter there that's got a chance to be the franchise guy, and hopefully they can put some pieces around him and have some fun in Houston."

If the Texans agree with Shaw's sentiment - which appears to be the case after coach Lovie Smith's recent comments - then perhaps the Texans can use some of their four picks in the top 80 this year, or free agency to build around Mills and give him the best possible chance to succeed.