The public clues all pointed to one thing.
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair explicitly said it: "There are four or five of them (in the draft) that look like they have enough talent, size and athletic ability. I don’t know why we wouldn’t be able to do it."
Then the Texans met with five of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft during the combine: North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, Memphis's Paxton Lynch, California's Jared Goff, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg and Michigan State's Connor Cook.
And who could discount Texans coach Bill O'Brien's relationship with Hackenberg, highlighted by perfect theater at the NFL combine when their press conferences overlapped.
The public clues all pointed to the Texans drafting a quarterback who would start for them in 2016 -- if not right away, then eventually.
On Wednesday the Texans doused Houston in reality. This might have been the plan all along.
On the first day of free agency the Texans went and got former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler. They gave him a contract worth $18 million dollars per year. The money he'll make in 2016 -- a $12 million signing bonus, a $4 million base salary and a $5 million roster bonus -- will rank him in the top 10 in the league.
The Texans didn't wait any longer, or leave their fate in the hands of the draft. They tipped their hand, and the cards showed a different plan than the one the Texans weaved during the past several months.
It's still possible the Texans will take a quarterback at some point in this year's draft, but the urgency is gone. They have a quarterback who can lead them this coming year, with the hope he develops into their long-term starter.
They're breaking with tradition here, paying more than they've paid in years for a quarterback. Last season the Texans spent $6.3 million on the quarterback position, ranking 26th in the NFL according to ESPN Stats and Information. In 2014 they spent $5.75 million, ranking 22nd. In 2013 they spent $8.2 million, ranking 18th in Matt Schaub's last year in Houston. This year they'll pay Osweiler more than the entire value of the contracts they gave to Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer last season. Mallett is already gone, and Hoyer will likely be gone soon.
Drafting at No. 22 this year means the Texans may have had to trade up to get a good quarterback, a difficult prospect when the rest of the NFL would have known what they needed.
Instead of taking that chance the Texans struck aggressively and unexpectedly in free agency.