'Fantasy' Football: Texans Select Super Bowl QB in 'Win-Now' Draft

In an alternate reality, the Houston Texans have the opportunity to make a franchise-altering draft pick in Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow.

NFL Media recently put together a "win-now" mock draft, designed to build the best team to win a Super Bowl in 2023. While the Houston Texans are excited about rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud in the real world, in this fantasy scenario they have an opportunity to take another signal-caller too good to pass up.

While a Week 18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts prevented the Texans from having the No. 1 pick to take quarterback Patrick Mahomes in this mock, literally every other player in the league was available for the taking. And the Texans went with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. 

"Though Josh Allen is available, Houston chooses the QB with the more recent playoff success," Chad Reuter of NFL Media wrote. "Burrow has gone 5-2 over the past two postseasons, appearing in one Super Bowl and two AFC title matches, while Allen has gone 2-2 in that span, with two straight Divisional Round losses." 

In terms of physical gifts, Allen is the superior quarterback to Burrow, and there's definitely a case to be made for taking him. But while Mahomes is the clear-cut No. 1 pick, it's a no-lose situation when Burrow and Allen are there for the taking. 

And Burrow does have a gift that's unique -- even among franchise quarterbacks -- of being able to change the culture of an entire organization just by stepping in the building. And in the same way that the Bengals needed that in 2020, the Texans, who have won just 11 games over the last three seasons, need it now. 

Meanwhile, Stroud went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 89 overall pick in this exercise. He joined a team that already selected running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in the first two rounds. It's possible that in a few years when Stroud has helped to turn the Texans around, he finds himself in a similar situation in mocks like this to where Burrow is now.

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