HOUSTON – The homework is complete. The draft board is finalized. Now, the action truly begins for the Texans.
They currently hold the 28th overall pick of the draft and could make their first first-round selection since landing All-Pro defensive end and $150 million man Will Anderson Jr. third overall and former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall four years ago.
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The excitement of that landmark draft, acquiring two foundational pieces that accelerated the Texans’ path from a rebuild to a playoff squad the past three years with Anderson, Stroud and the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, is unlikely to be rivaled Thursday night.
The Texans have a prime opportunity, though, in a draft regarded as lacking flash to upgrade their roster. They have displayed a particular emphasis on the line of scrimmage with an extensive visit schedule and private workouts for offensive linemen, defensive tackles and pass rushers.
Under the direction of general manager Nick Caserio, the Texans are always open for business in terms of the trade market. They have explored both trade-up and trade-back scenarios, per league sources.
Ideally, they come away with a few offensive linemen in this draft along with an edge rusher to work in tandem with Anderson and Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, a tight end to pair with Dalton Schultz and
“The draft, as we all know, can go a lot of different way,” Ryans said. “We will examine the board, see where we are and we’ll just make smart decisions for our football team to put us in the best position possible to add quality young men to our team, quality football players who can add value to our team.”
Should the Texans stay put at the 28th overall pick, league sources have linked them heavily to Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and Texas A&M offensive guard Chase Bisontis. Both players visited the Texans along with Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller, Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, Alabama offensive tackle Kaydyn Proctor, UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and Missouri defensive end Zion Young.
Among the more prominent players that have conducted Zoom calls with the Texans: Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen.
“We’re looking to improve in all areas,” Ryans said. “That’s how we keep it open for the draft. I don’t think there is just one particular area where we’re going in saying, ‘Hey, we have to do a certain thing.’
“You see how everything shapes out. The draft, as we know, there’ll be a lot of movement. A lot of things happen throughout draft weekend. It’s hard to predict where you’re going to be. We just have to be ready.”
Trade-back options, or waiting until 38th overall in the second round, include Georgia Tech guard Keyland ‘Big Red’ Rutledge. The Texans love his nasty streak, overall toughness and coachability, per sources, and have met with him extensively in advance of the draft.
If the Texans do land a defensive tackle like McDonald or Clemson standout Peter Woods in the first round, they could wait on addressing a long-term succession plan at guard or tackle in the second round.
Rutledge could be off the board by the 38th overall pick. Among the cluster of players that are expected to be available in the top half of the second round: Rutledge, Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter, who met formally with the Texans at the NFL scouting combine, Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who has had foot surgeries and is expected to be cleared by June, Young, possibly Rodriguez, and edges Gabe Jacas, Cashius Howell, and T.J. Parker.
Caserio emphasized the Texans could draft any position in the first round except for a quarterback.
By reinforcing the offensive line with offensive guard Wyatt Teller (two years, $23 million), offensive tackle Braden Smith (two years, $25 million) and retaining guard Ed Ingram (three years, $37.5 million), the Texans aren’t locked into drafting an offensive lineman immediately. They can wait a bit, if they prefer, to address depth and potential competition and succession plans. They can stick with their best player available strategy.
“DeMeco and I have talked about this, before the draft you try to put the team in a position where if you had to go play a game tomorrow, we’d be able to go out there and play and what we feel is a competitive team,” Caserio said. “What happened in free agency, honestly, has no bearing in what goes on in the draft. The draft is the draft. We’ll grade the players. Ultimately, we’ll take the best football players, regardless of the position. That’s what we’ve always done. We take the best player available.
“There’s a reason that we grade the players and put them on the board and stack the board accordingly. So, you start hopscotching around, it goes against the integrity of what you’re doing with the process from start to finish. So, our goal is to build the best football team we can for the 2026 season. We’ll take the best football players. It’s not going to affect our draft strategy. Whatever we feel makes the most sense at that time then that’s how we do it.”
A year ago, Caserio traded out of the first round with the New York Giants as they drafted quarterback Jaxson Dart. And the Texans’ first pick of the draft was second-round wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
Trade-up options are always a tough endeavor. A year ago, the Texans looked into the cost of trying to move up for offensive linemen Kelvin Banks Jr. and Thomas Booker. The cost of doing something was expensive and the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys preferred to stand pat and draft Banks and Booker, respectively.
What if the Texans want to move up for that high-qulity, coveted prospect?
There’s a pathway to do that, and a proven track record for Caserio of executing trades. This isn’t regarded as a very deep draft. The elite players go off the board fast.
The Texans have the ammunition of two first-round draft picks after trading offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil last year. They maneuvered with a third-round pick acquired from the Washington Commanders to draft Tunsil’s replacement, Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery, last year and plugged him in as an immediate starter.
If the Texans did trade up, potential targets include Penn State consensus All-American Vega Ioane and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Offensive tackles Caleb Lomu (Utah) and Monroe Freeling (Georgia) are expected to be off the board by the Texans’ current position in the first round. Both were initially slated to visit the Texans, per sources, but the trips didn’t go forward due to their draft stock being well above the Texans’ first-round selection.
“I think we’re prepared for anything,” Caserio said. “I don’t know if there’s a, ‘Well we’re going to do this.’ We could go both ways. Again, it’s always who are you trading up for. How far are you going and what do you have to give up in return? If you get past a certain cohort of players, ‘What’s the next tier? Well, we’re comfortable with these five or six, or you know what, maybe we’d rather have this player as opposed to that player.’
“Look, I’m not trying to be cute here. Trades are always a product of the player, they’re very player-driven. We’re going to sit in there. I’m sure what we’ll do you get through 10 picks or so, and we’ll keep having conversations and discussions as the players come off, ‘Okay, here are our options. Hey, what about these two or three players, what are our thoughts? What are our grades? What do you think? DeMeco what are your thoughts on this one? Yeah, I like the player. I’m not sure. Okay, where are we collectively as an organization and is it worth doing?’
Caserio has strong relationships around the NFL. Annually, he does a ton of trades.
What if the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets want to maneuver to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson? The Texans’ 28th overall pick is a prime opportunity for a team looking to get a quarterback.
“Where we are positioned right now, we’re picking at 28,” Caserio said. “Honestly, we have no idea who is going to be available at 28. There’s probably a group of 10 or 15 players, more than likely, unless you get to that level, that they’re off the board. So, then you’re into the next tier and then go through that process.”
Caserio made eight trades during the 2023 draft, including the big one to acquire Anderson.
This marks his sixth draft since joining the Texans in 2021.
“We’ll put the scenarios on the board: ‘Hey, it will cost this,’” Caserio said. “Okay if we do that then that means we’re going to be out of this and this and this.’ We’re either comfortable or not comfortable. It’s free-flowing and it’s a very active conversation.
“We don’t just sit there looking at a screen watching all the fans jump up and down when somebody gets picked. We’re working. We’re thinking. We’re preparing. We’re always ready to go whenever we’ve got to pick.”
Four years ago, the Texans created a ton of excitement as they went back to back picks for Stroud and Anderson.
Four years later, Anderson is under contract through the 2030 season on a deal that includes a $32 million signing bonus, $134 million total guaranteed and $100 million fully guaranteed.
“The 2023 draft is probably one of the most exciting drafts that I’ve been a part of, and I would say one of the most exciting drafts in Texans history,” Ryans said. “It was exciting just to know what we were doing. We pick C.J. and to know we’re back on the phones trying to trade up to get Will, it was just an exciting moment, a tense moment.
“The adrenaline is pumping in the room. It was awesome. Nick executed the trade. It was about the guy we were getting. As we all see, fast forward to where we are now, it was well worth the move. We knew the type of man that Will was, and it was worth moving up to get him and it has paid off big-time for us.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com