Why Texans' rivals are primed to add firepower in 2024 NFL draft

The Houston Texans once appeared to be targeting wide receiver help in the 2024 NFL draft. General manager Nick Caserio filled this need in blockbuster fashion. 

Caserio and the Texans found their third piece alongside young wideouts Tank Dell and Nico Collins via the trade market in early April when Houston acquired former Buffalo Bills star Stefon Diggs. The deal quickly became the story of the NFL offseason. Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and 2020 All-Pro, a player with five 100-plus catch seasons and six 1,000-plus yard campaigns on his career ledger. He made one of the more iconic touchdown catches in recent NFL history in his time with the Minnesota Vikings, then served as the leading passer catcher for Josh Allen and the ascendant Bills. 

C.J. Stroud and the Texans reached the postseason in 2023 without a previously proven receiver. With Diggs in the fold, a Super Bowl-caliber offense is now an expectation. 

None of Houston's AFC South rivals have a receiver with the track record of Diggs, and with Thursday's draft fast approaching, all three could pursue landing the league's next premier pass catcher the traditional way. So, how could the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans each land a first-round pass catcher? Let's outline their respective paths below. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

The good news for Jacksonville? Trevor Lawrence has both the tools and track record to be a top-flight NFL quarterback, winning a playoff game as a youngster like Stroud just 15-or-so months ago. The bad news? The roster around him entering 2024 isn't so pristine. The Jaguars lost previous top target Calvin Ridley—more on him later—to Tennessee in free agency, replacing him with the ever-inconsistent Gabe Davis (formerly with Diggs in Buffalo). Davis, Zay Jones and Christian Kirk is a wideout trio of three solid veterans and zero stars (or even close to it). I don't see Lawrence slinging the ball into wide open windows all season long with this group.

The Jaguars aren't quite high enough in the draft to simply wait and select any of the top receiver prospects, such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. And while they could attempt a trade up into the top-10, that feels more likely for the next team on this list given the holes across Jacksonville's roster. Keep an eye on LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr. for Jacksonville at No. 17, though a defensive addition is my best bet for the Jaguars as draft night approaches. 

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard is considered one of the NFL’s more conservative general managers in terms of signing free agents and moving draft capital. 2024 is a perfect time for a pivot.

Stroud is the jewel of the 2023 draft. He's not the only quarterback worth salivating over. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was electric in a limited sample last season, tallying seven total touchdowns in four games before a shoulder injury ended his season. Richardson is a Cam Newton-esque athlete at 6-foot-4 and (at least) 240 pounds, and he pairs his bulldozing rushing ability with a cannon of an arm and nascent touch in the intermediate game. 

Richardson has all the tools. He doesn’t have a proper supporting cast. Leading wideout Michael Pittman Jr. isn't quite a true top option. Pair the big-bodied wideout with a playmaker like Nabers and we may be in business. If, say, the Los Angeles Chargers are willing to move back from No. 5, the Colts could deal a haul for the LSU product.

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee has a simple route to acquiring its next star receiver after the ill-fated shipping of A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft night in 2022: stick at No. 7, hope to select Nabers or Odunze, and give young signal-caller Will Levis what should be one of the league's best young receivers. Draft experts don't seem to expect that scenario to occur.

For one, all three of Harrison, Nabers and Odunze could be off the board given the current holes in the wide receiver rooms for the Arizona Cardinals (No. 4), Chargers (No. 5) and New York Giants (No. 6). More importantly, the near-consensus seems to be that Tennessee is eyeing an anchor on the offensive line, with Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt mocked as the expected choice. 

I get it. Alt is a mountain of a man with nimble feet and an NFL father's pedigree. Sounds like a winning proposition to me. But in today's NFL, isn’t offensive firepower the priority? Tennessee shouldn't expect the arrival of a 29-year-old Ridley to solve its pass-catching woes, and the current group on paper lacks both depth and a real No. 1. Maybe Alt is considered generational by the Titans' brass. If not, Tennessee should seriously consider a receiver at No. 7, rectifying the Brown mistake sooner than later.