John McClain of the Houston Chronicle was adamant this week that the Texans want to trade up in the draft, specifically targeting LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson and Texas A&M outside linebacker Von Miller.
Miller looks increasingly out of reach, as ESPN’s Todd McShay, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News, CBS Sports’ Rob Rang, and NFL Network’s Mike Mayock all anticipate the Butkus Award winner going No. 2 to Denver.
At worst, Miller would go No. 3 to Buffalo.
Peterson, in theory, could be a realistic target if he falls to No. 5 or 6. McShay went so far as to predict a Texans-Cardinals trade in his final mock, slotting Peterson to Houston with Arizona moving down.
But SI.com’s Peter King throws cold water on McClain and McShay’s lines of thinking in his 2011 NFL Draft Primer.
“I’ve been told in the past couple of days,” writes King, “that Houston G.M. Rick Smith is loathe to use so much draft currency to move up from 11 to five or seven to get Peterson.”
Such a move would -- at the very least -- cost Houston the Nos. 11 and 42 overall picks in the draft.