HOUSTON-The Houston Texans got a much-needed upgrade at quarterback in free agency.
Now they need to find a new target in this year's draft to catch Brock Osweiler's passes.
Houston addressed its biggest need during free agency by luring Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos with a huge $72 million contract to take over at quarterback for Brian Hoyer, who was released this week.
The Texans return star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who made his first Pro Bowl last season after finishing third in the NFL with 1,521 yards receiving. But they could use the 22nd overall pick to find a receiver to play opposite Hopkins and take some pressure off the 23-year-old who faced near constant double teams last season.
Top receivers who could still be around when Houston's spot comes up are Will Fuller of Notre Dame and Baylor's Corey Coleman.
Though receiver is clearly Houston's biggest need, there's certainly no guarantee the Texans will use their first pick on the position.
"If you know anything about the way we draft, we try to always evaluate the draft class independently of need," general manager Rick Smith said. "So that's what we will do and we will continue to use that philosophy."
Though the Texans officially started their offseason workouts this week, Osweiler got going early by inviting several teammates to Arizona to spend some time working together this month. Several receivers and backup quarterback Tom Savage took part in the informal practices at Arizona State, where Osweiler went to school.
The Texans have a strong history with taking receivers in the first round. Hopkins was the 27th pick in the 2013 draft and has started every game in his three-year career. He came to Houston 10 years after the Texans took Andre Johnson with the third overall pick in 2003. Johnson was a seven-time Pro Bowler who spent 12 years with the Texans and is the team's all-time leading receiver with 13,597 yards.