Texans trade down, gaining valuable picks while bolstering their trenches with top talent. See who they snag and why.
The Houston Texans are going to have no choice but to attack the trenches in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. The offensive line was weak in 2025, and the recent trade of Tytus Howard creates some more holes for the unit. The offensive line should be the focus at the top of the draft as the Texans go into the event with the 28th overall selection, but Houston will be able to move around if other teams want to move back into the first round of the event.
It happens often when certain teams want to move back into the first round of the NFL Draft. The New York Giants did it in 2025 to land Jaxson Dart, and Houston is in a perfect spot for a team to move up and pull off that maneuver. This would give Houston some additional draft capital, and another team could land the prospect they want. It isn't always about trading up into the first round to get a player before another team does, sometimes it is just better to draft a player in the first round so the franchise has the chance to have an extra year of control.
In ESPN's most recent mock draft, the Texans would be moving out of the first round in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals would get the 28th overall pick, while Houston would receive the 34th overall pick plus Arizona's fourth-round pick. In this instance, the Cardinals would be moving up to select quarterback Ty Simpson out of Alabama, which would certainly be interesting.
This would bump Houston out of the first round, but realistically, the franchise would only drop six spots while getting another pick near the top-100. In this mock draft, Houston would grab tackle Blake Miller out of Clemson with the 34th selection in the event, and that would be a steal as he has been projected to go in the first round by some.
Houston also has the 38th overall pick in the draft due to the franchise trading Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders. With that pick, ESPN suggests that the organization select offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon out of Oregon. He is another player who has been mocked in the first round, so if Houston can get a tackle and an interior lineman in these spots, that would be ideal.
With Houston's last-second round pick, ESPN suggests the franchise attacks the trenches once again, only on the defensive side of the ball this time. Defensive tackle Gracen Halton, out of Oklahoma, would be the pick, rounding out Houston's first three selections.