Latest draft intel reveals Texans could explore a trade that would make C.J. Stroud happy while showing how aggressive Nick Caserio can be
The 2025 NFL Draft is just two days away and this is the time of the draft cycle when things start to get interesting around the league.There's an age-old saying that deadlines spark action and we're starting to see some of that take shape over the last two days. Teams are beginning to sniff around […]
The 2025 NFL Draft is just two days away and this is the time of the draft cycle when things start to get interesting around the league.
There's an age-old saying that deadlines spark action and we're starting to see some of that take shape over the last two days. Teams are beginning to sniff around potential trade opportunities, either up or down the board.
For the most part, teams seem to be more in favor of moving down in Thursday's first-round. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the Denver Broncos were one of the rare teams considering moving up on opening night, and now the Houston Texans are beginning to join that conversation as well.
Texans are considering a first-round trade up?
Houston currently holds the 25th overall pick in the first-round, which would be the latest general manager Nick Caserio has ever picked on opening night with the Texans. His other four first-round selections were at 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, and 15th overall.
Other general managers around the league consider the mid-late 20s to be purgatory in the first-round because of how much can go wrong for your draft board leading up to your selection. And for a team like the Texans in dire need of help on the offensive line, moving up ahead of certain teams makes sense, and is feasible. And we all know Caserio isn't afraid to move up on opening night.
"It’s no secret that Houston needs offensive line help, and I’d expect the Texans to target strong-character players as they continue to remake that room.
With the possibility that [Will] Campbell, [Armand] Membou and [Kelvin] Banks are all gone inside the top 10, the next group of linemen could get moved up the board a bit. And the Texans have two teams in front of them, the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, that could take an offensive lineman.
Thanks to the Laremy Tunsil trade, the Texans do have three picks on Day 2 (Nos. 58, 79 and 89) to work with, though they’re without fourth- and sixth-rounders." – Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer
For the majority of the process, Banks seemed like the ideal target for the Texans. After the last two days, it sounds like the Texas left tackle will come off the board much higher than originally believed in the media.
Trading into the Top-10 would be a big jump for Houston if the team still is high on Banks, but it's not impossible. Teams inside the Top-10 such as the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears could be willing to move down if the price is right and the board falls out of their favor.
Moving somewhere into the teens, ahead of the Packers and Vikings, is much more manageable and gives the Texans their pick out of the second group of protectors.
Breer noted two names who make sense in that scenario: NDSU's Grey Zabel and OSU's Donovan Jackson. Both players are extremely versatile with high character and can fill any void at multiple positions.
For Zabel, he excels on the interior but has experience at all five positions up-front. His comfortable position is at left guard but teams also are encouraged by his potential at center. As for Jackson, he started the 2024 season at left guard for the Buckeyes before sliding to left tackle after Josh Simmons went down and looked strong at both positions. Jackson also met with Houston on a Top-30 visit.
The Texans need help all over the offensive front to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud and couldn't go wrong with either prospect. And it certainly sounds like trading up is on the table to land their ideal fit, but it takes two teams to make a trade. We'll see if Nick Caserio can find a willing trade partner over the next two days.
Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio just revealed a bit of his draft strategy when it comes to need vs. best player available
The Texans have to get it right.
