Texans could clinch top pick … Houston could conceivably wrap up the #1 pick overall at the 2023 draft as early as tomorrow. Indeed, if the Texans lose at Tennessee and Chicago upsets Buffalo, Houston would clinch the top pick with two weeks still to go in the regular schedule. However, while the Texans would normally be figured to be a heavy underdog against the Titans, the odds of a Houston upset got shorter with word that Titans’ QB Ryan Tannehill is out – likely for the rest of the year – and will be replaced by rookie Malik Willis, Tennessee’s 3rd round pick at the 2022 draft. Of course, the Bears will also be pretty heavy underdogs against the Bills, but come expected bad weather could have an impact. And whatever happens with the Texans and Bears at the top of the current selection order for the opening round of the upcoming draft, there will almost assuredly be some reshuffling in the top ten as Denver and the LA Rams, which are currently sitting on the 3rd and 4th picks respectively, will play each other in LA in the late afternoon game on Sunday, although of course those picks actually belong to Seattle and Detroit respectively because of earlier trades. At the same time, this weekend’s prime time games will also have a draft flavor as Arizona, which has the 5th pick this week, will be at Tampa Bay in the Sunday night game, while #6 Indianapolis will be hosting the LA Chargers in the Monday nighter.
