2016 NFL Draft: Houston Texans Should Take Laquon Treadwell With No. 22 Pick

Following Super Bowl 50, all 31 picks have been set in place for the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft (one of the 32 is missing because of a certain DeflateGate scandal). Picking No. 22 overall are the Houston Texans, after they got blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs. This team has some needs for sure, especially at quarterback. However, there may not be anyone worth taking at that position at this pick. If that is the case, the Texans should take Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell.

That is, if he's still available.

Coincidentally, in my latest mock draft, he is.

Treadwell is the best wideout in this year's draft. But, there are a lot of great offensive and defensive linemen, as well as quarterbacks that are likely to go in the top 20 picks. There's a real chance that no wide receivers could be taken in that period.

In the case of the Texans, it's not quite clear why they'd consider Treadwell on the surface, but let's dig deeper.

Of course, quarterback is Houston's biggest need. Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Tom Savage, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden all failed last year to be successful. None of them are the answer moving forward. But at this point in the draft, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch and Carson Wentz all figure to be gone. That leaves Houston in a precarious place, and, honestly, they're a prime candidate to either trade up or down in this draft.

If they do not trade out of the pick, however, Treadwell makes a lot of sense.

The offense is in dire need of more weapons, as DeAndre Hopkins was basically asked to do everything productive for the unit. The offensive line couldn't create running lanes, and even when they were there, the backs they have aren't that talented thanks to Arian Foster's injury troubles. Simply put, if they can't get a quarterback here (or sign someone like Robert Griffin III in free agency), then getting a wide receiver to pair with Hopkins for years is an intriguing prospect.

Treadwell comes in as a well-polished jumpball receiver. He excels at finding the ball at it's highest point with his 6-foot-2 frame and coming down with contested catches, even with contact from defenders. He was a touchdown machine at Ole Miss, and forming a duo of him and Hopkins would be scary for any defense to face.

Simply put, adding him to this offense just gives the defense someone else to worry about it. Instead of focusing on stopping Hopkins and effectively limiting the Texans' offense, they have two guys that demand the attention of two guys on any given play, or else they're in a mismatch. If he can establish himself in the league early on, which he projects to do, then the running game should open up and underneath passing routes suddenly become a lot easier with safeties having to help over the top on nearly every passing play on both sides of the field.

It just makes sense, if, again, the Texans don't trade up for a quarterback, or down for more options.