Anthony Richardson to Texans, Hendon Hooker to Rams in Mel Kiper's NFL Mock Draft

The Houston Texans are passing on taking their next franchise quarterback with the No. 2 pick, according to Mel Kiper Jr.'s final mock draft.

That said, the ESPN draft guru does have them landing a signal-caller with their second first-round pick.

Kiper's final mock has the Texans selecting Florida's Anthony Richardson with the No. 12 overall pick, which would mark an ideal scenario for the Houston front office. He also has a surprising pick to end his first-round projections, with the Los Angeles Rams trading into the No. 31 pick to take Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Richardson falling outside the top 10 would be a surprise given his massive ceiling and teams' increasing willingness to take risks at the top of the draft thanks to the rookie pay scale.

The Florida product has every physical tool you could ever want in a quarterback. He's arguably the most physically gifted player in this class—quarterback or otherwise—standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in a 244 pounds while running a 4.43-second 40, vertical jumping like an NBA player and possessing a howitzer for a right arm. Drafted into the right circumstances with the proper support system, Richardson has the marks of a future Hall of Famer.

He's also extremely raw and at least a year away from being an NFL quarterback. In his lone season as a starter at Florida, Richardson threw for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions while adding 654 yards and nine scores as a runner. He struggled mightily with his accuracy and poise in the pocket, concluding his college career with a game where he completed just nine of 27 pass attempts against Florida State.

Just 20 years old, Richardson is also one of the youngest players in this class.

By contrast, Hooker is already 25 years old. He was one of college football's most efficient quarterbacks over the past two seasons, throwing just five interceptions on 632 pass attempts while helping Tennessee back to national prominence.

The Rams are an odd fit for a quarterback, particularly Hooker. Matthew Stafford's contract does not have a good out until at least after the 2024 season and likely not until after the 2025 campaign. If the Rams draft Hooker, he would be at least 27 years old before he gets a chance to be a full-time starter.

Given the Rams' needs elsewhere on the roster after their mass exodus of talent this offseason, it's hard to see this actually coming to fruition.