Every team passed on Derek Carr in the 2014 NFL draft. But the Houston Texans are the team that really seemed to blow it.

Houston desperately needed a quarterback. Derek Carr was available to the Texans at the start of the second round. Some say the Texans passed on Carr because it would have been too much pressure since his brother, David, was the Texans’ first-ever draft pick and didn’t pan out. People cite that like it’s a reasonable excuse, even though if that’s the truth it makes passing on Derek Carr about a hundred times worse (for what it’s worth, Derek said he doesn’t think David’s history in Houston was a factor).

The Texans took UCLA guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. The Oakland Raiders, who the Texans play next Monday night, took Carr. Passing on Carr in the second round is the kind of mistake that changes a franchise’s fortunes for 10 years. And if that error sets you back only 10 years, you’re lucky. On the other side, the Raiders are 7-2, in large part because they hit the NFL’s lottery when Carr fell to them.

But hey, Texans coach Bill O’Brien still thinks his team made the right move taking a guard over Carr. Just ask him.

“We evaluated all the quarterbacks in that draft and we felt like he was definitely one of the better quarterbacks,” O’Brien said, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “When it comes to the draft, Rick and I, we just try to make the decision for the team and that’s what we did. We chose who we chose and we’re happy with who we chose, but Derek is having a good year.”

I know, I know. O’Brien can’t say that the Texans blew it. But “we’re happy with who we chose” is so insulting to anyone who watches the NFL that you have to laugh. Carr is a borderline MVP candidate. The Texans would be set for the next dozen years with Carr. Instead, this offseason they paid Brock Osweiler an amazing $72 million contract, and Osweiler has not played well. He has a 74.1 rating, and among all NFL starting quarterbacks only Ryan Fitzpatrick of the New York Jets has been worse. The Texans have to figure they still don’t have a quarterback, even though they’re stuck with Osweiler through at least 2017 because of how his contract is structured.

The Texans are 6-3 with one of the worst starting quarterbacks in football making $18 million. Think they might be better off with Carr, his 99.1 rating and $733,000 base salary? Just a little bit.

It’s not Su’a-Filo’s fault that the Texans entirely screwed up and didn’t take Carr. You’d have to play like John Hannah to make your team look good for passing on a future franchise quarterback (and honestly, you’d also pass a Hall of Fame guard for a top-shelf QB). But Su’a-Filo is the guy the Texans picked instead of one of the best young quarterbacks in football. Su’a-Filo ranks 61st among NFL guards in Pro Football Focus’ grades this season. At least he has been healthy this season. He started just 10 games over his first two seasons, in part because of injuries. He has started all nine games this season.

We all know that the Texans made a historic mistake in the 2014 draft. O’Brien probably knows it too. But instead, he told everyone he’s thrilled his team passed on Derek Carr. Sure, coach.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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