2020 NFL Draft: Five teams that should target RB D’Andre Swift
By John Newman
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are another team that may only be one or two pieces on the offense away from being a juggernaut in the AFC. They play in a very weak division most seasons and have the most talented quarterback-wide receiver duo in the AFC South with Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins. Their offensive line is improving. All that is missing from this offense is a truly elite running back.
The Texans do not have a first-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but if Swift falls all the way to the second round there is a chance the Texans would consider drafting him. Quarterback Watson has had another great year in Houston but has shown in certain games to just not have the juice.
A perfect example of this can be seen back in September when he threw for just 159 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 55.2 completion percentage. The next week Watson dropped 351 yards against the LA Chargers for a 73.5 completion percentage. The week after that he threw for 160 yards.
Having an exceptional playmaker like Swift on their offense would allow the Texans to reach their potential in 2020 and beyond. Watson, like Mahomes, is due a massive contract in the next two years and the team will need to be smart with cap issues going into the future. One of the best ways to do this is to build through the draft and abstain from big free-agency players.
The Texans have three running backs who will be free agents after this season and Swift could help prop up the offense when Watson is playing less than ideally. Players like Swift can help keep the chains moving during a game, with their intermediate receptions and big-play ability. At the very least, Swift could peel a safety out of the secondary to cover him, opening up Hopkins from double teams, opening up the passing game.
Head coach and de-facto general manager Bill O’Brien will need to make some serious strides in 2020 if he hopes to hold onto his job. The Texans may have defeated the Bills in the Wild Card this postseason, but with the decision to trade two-first round draft picks to the Miami Dolphins for left tackle Laremy Tunsil, O’Brien effectively doubled down on the roster he currently has.
For a team to trade that much draft capital for a left-tackle indicates that they believe they can win with this core group. It was a high-risk, high-reward situation that has yielded some modest returns.
But with the lack of playoff success a notable blemish on O’Brien’s resume, he will need to show some playoff success in the next season if he hopes to hold his position. Someone like that would draft a do-it-all running back, in hopes of boosting the offense and adding more points to games during the season.
Without a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, it will be difficult for the Texans to draft Swift. But it isn’t totally out of the question that Swift falls to the middle of the second round. If the eventual general manager of the Texans decides Swift is worth targeting to complete the offense, expect the team to be very aggressive in moving up to select Swift.