Lovie Smith could lead the Texans to brighter days if they let him

Data from Pro Football Focus suggest the Texans are a more competitive team this year than their record indicates. Houston was an underdog in each of its first 13 games and is in the same position this weekend as 14-point underdogs to the Kanas City Chiefs. (h/t Oddschecker)

They are 5-7-1 against the spread and covered its three previous games as double-digit underdogs, most recently last Sunday as 17-point underdogs against the Dallas Cowboys. The Texans ultimately lost, 27-23.

Smith had his most success as a head coach with the Chicago Bears. He led the team to Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season and had five winning records in nine seasons (2004-2012). Since 2013, the Bears have had one season with a winning record and no playoff wins,

Houston (1-11-1) is as bad as its record indicates. The franchise will likely have the first overall pick in next April's NFL draft, which means the team's fortunes could turn on a dime.

Per Todd McShay's mock draft released Monday, Young is projected to go first overall to Houston. The team is projected to own the No. 12 pick thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade. Per McShay, that puts the Texans in line to draft Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.

Young is the top-ranked prospect on PFF's big board and Mayer is the top-ranked tight end (13th overall).

Young is the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and was just as electric in 2022 despite battling a shoulder injury. He played in 11 games and was 230-of-359 (64.1 percent) for 3,007 yards with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions.

He nearly broke LSU's heart in Death Valley with an unreal touchdown pass after escaping a formidable Tigers pass rush.

Mayer had 67 receptions for 809 yards with nine touchdowns. He was the glue that kept Notre Dame's season together. Luckily, he kept some glue for himself on this one-handed grab against UNLV.

If drafted by Houston, the two will join a roster in desperate need of an infusion of talent. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce burst on the scene with 220 carries for 939 yards and four touchdowns but advanced metrics show he has significant room for growth.

Per Football Outsiders, he ranks 30th out of 39 qualifying running backs in success rate (47 percent), which is adjusted for situation; a one-yard run on first-and-10, for example, isn't a successful run, but a one-yard run on a fourth-and-inches would be cause for celebration.

It's hard not to be optimistic about Pierce's future if paired with elite talent at QB and tight end.

Young and Mayer could be the duo that leads to brighter days in Houston. It should be Smith who experiences the first sunrise.