Breaking news from several sources say that the Houston Texans have agreed to terms on a 6-year $54 million contract with North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with about $26.5 million of the money guaranteed. This is a shock to much of the football community who were skeptical of Houston General Manager Charley Casserly when he announce his interest in drafting Williams number one overall. Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winning running back out of Southern Cal was the consensus top overall selection since before the draft order was determined. In fact, the ?competition? for the top overall selection was deemed by many the ?Reggie Bush Sweepstakes?. Thusly, news that Houston had begun negotiating with Mario Williams was surprising. While it was true that negotiations had taken place, most of the football community chalked this up as a leverage tool to save money when they signed Reggie Bush. The selection of Williams, while a surprise, makes sense to an extent from a football standpoint. With running back Domanick Davis in the fold there wasn?t exactly a dire need for a running back, even though Bush was largely considered a talent so great that nobody could pass up on him. With the presence of wide receiver Andre Johnson and with the offseason additions of receiver Eric Moulds and tight end Jeb Putzier, Houston was apparently satisfied with the weapons at David Carr?s disposal. Williams is thought of by many as the best defensive end prospect since Julius Peppers. More shocking than the NC State defensive end as the top overall selection is that Reggie Bush is not. Bush is compared to Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers and is expected to reinvent his position to an extent. He should not get more than 15 carries a game, but the USC running back also can line up at receiver and draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Not only that, but his return skills are second to none giving him an impact on three different aspects of the game. Previous speculation had the New Orleans Saints trading out of the number two spot so that another team could draft a quarterback and they could take either the aforementioned Williams or offensive tackle D?Brickashaw Ferguson while gaining another pick. However, the news of Mario Williams? signing changes everything. New Orleans has premier running back Deuce McAlister but McAlister has often found himself injured. It begs the question whether New Orleans still finds themselves wanting to trade back. Reggie Bush is the kind of franchise player who could help raise the Saints team out of the ruins that not only their franchise, but their city finds themselves in. If nothing else, the price for trading up to New Orleans? number two spot is considerably higher. While previously the price was believed to be set at somewhere around a top five pick and a second or third rounder, now undoubtedly the Saints will want at least a top five pick and a second first round pick. There is one team who can meet those needs and another who comes close enough. The New York Jets find themselves in a state of disarray but also find themselves with the 4th, 29th and 35th selections. Two or possibly all three of those picks could be packaged to move up to select Bush. A second team who could find themselves in the mix are the San Francisco 49ers who own the 6th and 22nd picks. Both of those teams have major holes to fill all over the board and might be hesitant to trade multiple high selections, but believe me when I say Bush is worth it.

Even as Houston Texans officials continued to insist they have made no decision about the first selection in the draft, there were strong indications Friday afternoon that the team has redirected its focus to North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams. Texans executives were in substantive negotiations with Ben Dogra, the representative for Williams, throughout the day. Conversely, ESPN.com learned that the agent for Southern California tailback and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush had not heard from the Texans, as of late Friday afternoon, in more than 24 hours. The two sides spoke twice Thursday, but only briefly and made no progress toward an accord. During the week, progress was incremental and one person close to the discussions termed them "a little bit like being in quicksand." In addition, league sources told ESPN.com that, in terms of guaranteed money, the latest offer made to Williams exceeds the best proposal made to Bush.

Defensive end Mario Williams' stock has climbed so significantly recently that the Texans appear to seriously be considering selecting him instead of Reggie Bush, a player that most insiders have been calling a once a generation talent. "It's not likely, but it's a possibility," Williams said of his chances to be the first pick. "It's kind of shocking, especially for a defensive end."

The Houston Texans will take Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick in Saturday's draft, general manager Charley Casserly said Wednesday. The Texans dashed the hopes of University of Texas fans everywhere who have been clamoring for the team to pick Vince Young, a Houston native who led the Longhorns to a Rose Bowl victory over Bush and USC. "We came to the conclusion that to draft a quarterback, whether it be Vince Young, Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler, was not the best thing for this football team," Casserly said. "The best thing for this football team was to use the first pick in this draft to add a premier player at another position."

The Texans have apparently taken another big step in making Reggie Bush the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. The team and Bush's agent exchanged contract proposals for the first time and are hoping to reach an agreement before the draft, ESPN reported Friday. Since the Texans have the No. 1 overall pick, the team is free to negotiate with any of the prospects in the draft.

The Jets are smitten with Reggie Bush, but will not call the Texans about moving up to the top spot to get him, even with Houston willing to listen to trade offers. There is also the possibility that the Texans will take defensive end Mario Williams at No. 1. There's even a slim chance Bush could fall to the Jets at No. 4. The smoke screens make the air pretty cloudy over the 32 team headquarters so close to the April 29-30 draft, but last night Texans GM Charley Casserly insisted that Houston has not decided between the dynamic Bush, who can score from anywhere on the field, or Williams, the 6-7 pass rusher from North Carolina State, given a higher grade by the Texans than Julius Peppers in 2002. Casserly said he hasn't received any offers for the No.1 pick. "It doesn't mean we won't," he said. "We are open to offers."

North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, the top defensive player in the draft, is coming to Houston today to visit with the Texans. The Texans insisted Sunday they are serious about taking Williams, who is rated as a better prospect than Julius Peppers, the defensive end taken second by Carolina in 2002. The Texans are ready to start contract negotiations. Under NFL rules, they can negotiate with any players they're considering drafting with the top pick April 29. They can negotiate with Williams, Reggie Bush and Vince Young and sign one before the draft.

Vince Young isn't daunted by recent speculation that the Houston Texans will use the No. 1 pick in the draft on Reggie Bush. The former Texas quarterback said Friday he still thinks his hometown team is open to drafting him. "That's why I believe that I came here today," Young said. "You never know what is going on. A lot of people say Reggie is going to be here, but you never know."

Veteran receiver Eric Moulds agreed to a contract with Houston on Tuesday and said the Texans have worked out a trade to acquire him from the Buffalo Bills. "Yeah, it's done," Moulds' personal adviser Greg Johnson said. ``I'm ecstatic. I'm relieved, happy and thankful that all parties came to an agreement.''

Talks continued Monday between the Texans and Buffalo Bills over wide receiver Eric Moulds, who is in town to meet with Texans officials and take a physical. Last week, Moulds, 32, agreed to a $14 million four-year contract with the Texans, which included a $5 million signing bonus. But because Moulds is under contract for two more years with the Bills, the Texans must give compensation to the Bills to make the trade complete. Negotiations between Texans general manager Charley Casserly and Bills general manager Marv Levy continued Monday. The Bills are asking for a fourth-round pick in the April draft; the Texans are offering a fifth-round pick.