Monday was a difficult day for some in the Houston Texans organization as the team officially cut longtime receiver Andre Johnson.
While a divorce between the former All-Pro and the team that drafted him No. 3 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft had been expected, it won't be long before head coach Bill O'Brien has to find a replacement for Johnson. It could be that the Texans target a big free-agent acquisition, but given how receiver-rich the 2015 NFL Draft is, it seems far more likely they will address the need in Chicago a few weeks from now.
"With no Andre Johnson, you have to go with DeVante Parker out of Louisville," NFL Media analyst Curtis Conway suggested on "Path to the Draft". "You have to give DeAndre Hopkins a running mate. Hopkins has emerged as a No. 1 wide receiver but as a former receiver, you need someone on the other side to take pressure off."
Parker's terrific -- albeit injury-shortened -- 2014 season for Louisville plus a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine has led to his stock soaring in the pre-draft process and he's slotted in as NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock's third-best receiver available to teams.
NFL.com mock drafts have recently placed the former ACC star as high as No. 12 to the Cleveland Browns and as low as the No. 18 pick to the Kansas City Chiefs. That's right in the range the Texans are picking, but it might take some trading up in order land the top-tier receiver.
"I think it would be DeVante Parker, but I don't know if he'll actually be there (at No. 16). His stock is so much on the rise, I would not be surprised if you go into a decent number of draft rooms that would have DeVante Parker atop their wide receiver draft board," Davis said. "If, somehow, he gets to 16, I would run up to the podium to pair him with DeAndre Hopkins."
It seems pretty clear that the Texans will be drafting at least one receiver to pair up with Hopkins, but where on the board that winds up will be anybody's guess as the team might be on the clock too late to draft a player of Parker's caliber.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
