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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Battle Red Blog -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>The Roller Coaster That Is Texans Fandom</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47249/battleredblog_fave.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-05-07T18:00:00-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.battleredblog.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-05-07T18:00:00-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-05-07T18:00:00-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Texans Talk: Schedule Release</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FcpxEKVtHE_qiBO8f5RZ9cdNU7A=/1194x0:7064x3913/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74070984/2194622422.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;A look at the Houston Texans 2025 opponents. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="UEnNrM"&gt;The official NFL schedule release will take place next Wednesday, May 14th.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="DKrAqv"&gt;While the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt; have their opponents set for the 2025 season, the order in which they will be played, remains to been seen.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;h2 id="9UHDPv"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HOME OPPONENTS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  23. &lt;ul&gt;
  24. &lt;li id="ykTC6O"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDIANAPOLIS COLTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  25. &lt;li id="S5CAmK"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  26. &lt;li id="RIsi6o"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TENNESSEE TITANS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  27. &lt;li id="5UrGvF"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.milehighreport.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DENVER BRONCOS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  28. &lt;li id="tq3Vg4"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.silverandblackpride.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LAS VEGAS RAIDERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  29. &lt;li id="tELyKV"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BUFFALO BILLS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  30. &lt;li id="FfZWJl"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ARIZONA CARDINALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  31. &lt;li id="AO4rvi"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  32. &lt;li id="M8o21w"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bucsnation.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  33. &lt;/ul&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="bZEoG1"&gt;Houston will have a few tough games at home, headlined by the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Having those games at home, will be huge for the Texans, and fans will need to show up and show out. &lt;/p&gt;
  35. &lt;p id="FhFCSd"&gt;A couple other underrated games will be against the Arizona Cardinals, who have gotten a lot better this offseason, along with the San Francisco 49ers, who have seemingly taken a step back, but still have talent on the roster.&lt;/p&gt;
  36. &lt;h2 id="1J6F3H"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ROAD OPPONENTS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  37. &lt;ul&gt;
  38. &lt;li id="wY1JwV"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INDIANAPOLIS COLTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  39. &lt;li id="AG9Bq0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  40. &lt;li id="vH74ey"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TENNESSEE TITANS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  41. &lt;li id="qnJ8Jn"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KANSAS CITY CHIEFS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  42. &lt;li id="hr4Vw7"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LOS ANGELES CHARGERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  43. &lt;li id="Ne0Zvu"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BALTIMORE RAVENS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  44. &lt;li id="ORZsk8"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.turfshowtimes.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LOS ANGELES RAMS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  45. &lt;li id="qnxPeF"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SEATTLE SEAHAWKS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  46. &lt;/ul&gt;
  47. &lt;p id="eolMJi"&gt;The Texans have several brutal road matchups in 2025, particularly against the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, but with the improved roster, anything could happen, especially when you have C.J. Stroud at quarterback.&lt;/p&gt;
  48. &lt;p id="DHuLj0"&gt;Houston played against the Ravens and Chiefs last season, and lost both of those games, which included the Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. They will also have tough games against the Los Angeles Chargers, who Houston beat in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs, along with the Los Angeles Rams.&lt;/p&gt;
  49. &lt;p id="ZOPTvE"&gt;The trend in recent years has been the Texans playing a divisional rival in week one of the season, particularly the Indianapolis Colts, who have been their week one opponent in two out of the last three years. &lt;/p&gt;
  50. &lt;p id="I0Kibr"&gt;A divisional matchup in week one would be great to potentially take an early lead, and start off on the right foot, but they will be ready for anyone. &lt;/p&gt;
  51. &lt;p id="fR9wUk"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  52. &lt;p id="bhQt1y"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  53. &lt;p id="cHUBdS"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  54. &lt;p id="XMn06w"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;p id="c8fSPX"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  56.  
  57. </content>
  58.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/5/7/24420626/texans-talk-schedule-release0-nfl"/>
  59.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/5/7/24420626/texans-talk-schedule-release0-nfl</id>
  60.    <author>
  61.      <name>Nickschwager</name>
  62.    </author>
  63.  </entry>
  64.  <entry>
  65.    <published>2025-05-07T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  66.    <updated>2025-05-07T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  67.    <title>Houston Texans wide receiver group is stacked!</title>
  68.    <content type="html">  
  69.  
  70.    &lt;figure&gt;
  71.      &lt;img alt="NFL: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dCF18dixJHUWdpboG-p5DmYJ2Cg=/0x0:6127x4085/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74069727/usa_today_25041793.0.jpg" /&gt;
  72.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  73.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  74.  
  75.  &lt;p&gt;Where have we heard that before? &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="LAiXRM"&gt;This time last year, we all thought &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt; quarterback C.J. Stroud had so many wide receivers to choose from it was insane. Then, as always seems to happen with the Texans, dominoes fell, players got hurt and highlight reel moments were few and far between. &lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="yvol8C"&gt;Remember thinking J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney were going to devastate the opposition? How about Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and (insert revolving door of WR3s)?&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="2ZKOh3"&gt;The 2024 edition of that was Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. &lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;p id="prwold"&gt;Ugh. &lt;/p&gt;
  79. &lt;h2 id="tV9OF1"&gt;Welcome to the Houston Texans 2025 offseason, where hope springs eternal! &lt;/h2&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="vV63Hl"&gt;Barring any training camp and/or preseason injuries, the 2025 Texans wide receiver depth chart looks something like this: &lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;h3 id="QargpT"&gt;Houston Texans wide receiver depth chart&lt;/h3&gt;
  82. &lt;p id="QdaNHR"&gt;WR1 - Nico Collins&lt;/p&gt;
  83. &lt;p id="YysYC5"&gt;WR2 - Christian Kirk&lt;/p&gt;
  84. &lt;p id="EJCbss"&gt;WR3 - Tank Dell*&lt;/p&gt;
  85. &lt;p id="2QxzBI"&gt;WR4 - Jayden Higgins (r)&lt;/p&gt;
  86. &lt;p id="3jautR"&gt;WR5 - Jaylin Noel&lt;/p&gt;
  87. &lt;p id="tK8Bpo"&gt;Waiting in the wings are: John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios, Justin Watson, Jared Wayne, Johnny Johnson III and Xavier Johnson. &lt;/p&gt;
  88. &lt;div id="AMSftJ"&gt;
  89. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  90. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jayden Higgins is 6’4, 220lbs and moving like this… &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;This angle shows his INSANE movement ability   &lt;a href="https://t.co/dfd6JKivUC"&gt;pic.twitter.com/dfd6JKivUC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1885001305275408516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  91. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  92. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  93.  
  94. &lt;/div&gt;
  95. &lt;p id="wxFS3D"&gt;The odds of Houston carrying 12 receivers into the season are non-existent. &lt;/p&gt;
  96. &lt;p id="xTghCQ"&gt;In shaving the list down, the 1st name to likely come off is Dell (*). The speedster is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury with no apparent timeline for his return. &lt;/p&gt;
  97. &lt;p id="FB4rvM"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641847&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2F2025%2F05%2F06%2Ftank-dell-injury-update-texans%2F83470741007%2F&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.battleredblog.com%2F2025%2F5%2F7%2F24425346%2Fhouston-texans-wide-receiver-group-is-stacked" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; (via USA Today)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  98. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="IKIdGu"&gt;Tank is doing great. He’s in good spirits. He’s on the road to recovery. He’s doing really well on his rehab process. He’s in a really good spot, so excited to see how that continues to progress. He’ll be back when it’s time for Tank to be back. There’s nothing to rush. There’s no set timeline or we need him back by this certain date. We need Tank back when Tank is ready to be Tank, and that’s good enough for me. I want him to continue to get better, continue to attack each day of the rehab process the right way, like he’s been doing, with a great attitude.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="vce0Ef"&gt;Applause to Ryans for, well, being Ryans. Wouldn’t take much to anoint him greatest head coach in Texans history at this stage. &lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;p id="41n2VX"&gt;Beyond that, let’s say Dell is out for the time being. &lt;/p&gt;
  101. &lt;h3 id="RGSewk"&gt;Houston Texans wide receiver depth chart (edit 1)&lt;/h3&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="GEfrDW"&gt;WR1 - Nico Collins&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="46UW5O"&gt;WR2 - Christian Kirk&lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="kpEy28"&gt;WR3 - Jayden Higgins (r)&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;p id="5ObDS8"&gt;WR4 - Jaylin Noel&lt;/p&gt;
  106. &lt;p id="r0q1FP"&gt;WR5 - Braxton Berrios&lt;/p&gt;
  107. &lt;p id="C1sF4E"&gt;Waiting in the wings are: John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson, Jared Wayne, Johnny Johnson III and Xavier Johnson. &lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;p id="EOwwJT"&gt;In true “we’ve seen this before” H-Town style, hanging a helmet full of hopes on former Jacksonville Jaguar star receiver Christian Kirk doesn’t seem smart either. Headlines like “Jaguars are releasing WR Christian Kirk after two injury-filled seasons” and “Injuries Are A Big Topic For The Jaguars A Day After The Loss (of Christian Kirk)” tell the tale. Not unlike Diggs last year, Kirk will likely contribute some meaningful plays then exit to the injured reserve list. &lt;/p&gt;
  109. &lt;h3 id="8VopD4"&gt;Houston Texans wide receiver depth chart (edit 2)&lt;/h3&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="BrFIRU"&gt;WR1 - Nico Collins&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="KiK7bm"&gt;WR2 - Jayden Higgins (r)&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="738tgL"&gt;WR3 - Jaylin Noel (r)&lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="qI3lPK"&gt;WR4 - Braxton Berrios&lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="meXHJE"&gt;WR5 - John Metchie III&lt;/p&gt;
  115. &lt;p id="kpdhsW"&gt;Waiting in the wings are: Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson, Jared Wayne, Johnny Johnson III and Xavier Johnson. &lt;/p&gt;
  116. &lt;div id="jf3ooi"&gt;
  117. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  118. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jaylin Noel is one of my most DRAFTED Rookie Wide Receivers&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/htownmade?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#htownmade&lt;/a&gt; Slot in the Dell Roll&lt;br&gt; Elite Short Area Quickness&lt;br&gt; Strenght &amp;amp; Speed Combo (4.39)&lt;br&gt; Elusive at the Top of Routes&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Fully Expect similar to Dell 2023&lt;br&gt;47 rec 709 yards 7 TD &lt;a href="https://t.co/V5d0eTaCxp"&gt;pic.twitter.com/V5d0eTaCxp&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/xuHKcrlpQ6"&gt;https://t.co/xuHKcrlpQ6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Dynasty Dad (@DynastyDadFF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/DynastyDadFF/status/1918318977295516002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 2, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  119. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  120. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  121.  
  122. &lt;/div&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="Ps81AV"&gt;What once was a loaded room, full of pass catching talent, is quickly getting thin. &lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="9yuoSS"&gt;In fact, if star receiver Nico Collins gets hurt (again), the national talking heads will likely start bashing Texans general manager Nick Caserio for not bringing in enough receiver talent this off-season. &lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="hG3QtG"&gt;Sure, 12 players sounds like all the depth you could need, but Metchie III, Hutchinson and the others have had more than enough opportunities to crack the starting lineup and failed to do so. &lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="2bJzKj"&gt;Suddenly, getting rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel up to speed quickly is a serious task. How fast can these 2 NCAA teammates get on the same page as Stroud and the rest of the offense? Will both seamlessly make the jump to the NFL? Or will either or both have the standard rookie receiver transition blues? Let’s face it, Collins wasn’t exactly a juggernaut in his rookie year either. Granted, he didn’t have Stroud throwing him the ball. &lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;p id="hu9NNF"&gt;Will all this to consider, the notion that Caserio needs to explore more wide receiver options is valid. Even though 12 players might seem like too many, modern NFL attrition will erode that number quickly. &lt;/p&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="yrnvcw"&gt;Hopefully Dell heals quickly and completely. We already had Will Fuller and don’t need another.&lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="vrFlBf"&gt;But this is the Houston Texans 2025 offseason, where hope springs eternal! &lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;p id="ZRkmzE"&gt;Load up your Madden roster with these pass catching masters and see how quickly you can light the opposing defenses on fire! &lt;/p&gt;
  131. &lt;p id="nzUXRL"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  132. &lt;p id="eocbDD"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  133. &lt;p id="Fhqqke"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  134. &lt;p id="ooErqk"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="Q4sa0j"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  136.  
  137. </content>
  138.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/5/7/24425346/houston-texans-wide-receiver-group-is-stacked"/>
  139.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/5/7/24425346/houston-texans-wide-receiver-group-is-stacked</id>
  140.    <author>
  141.      <name>Mike Bullock</name>
  142.    </author>
  143.  </entry>
  144.  <entry>
  145.    <published>2025-04-30T14:00:00-05:00</published>
  146.    <updated>2025-04-30T14:00:00-05:00</updated>
  147.    <title>Houston Texans 2025 Draft: Grades For Each Pick</title>
  148.    <content type="html">  
  149.  
  150.    &lt;figure&gt;
  151.      &lt;img alt="Houston Texans fans gather in downtown Houston to watch the 2025 NFL Draft" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FuN1iSbXL_vC4gShvUdxlU0EEiA=/0x0:5000x3333/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058094/2212455308.0.jpg" /&gt;
  152.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  153.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  154.  
  155.  &lt;p&gt;How did the Texans 2025 draft class grade out?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="8EPUut"&gt;Like a flash, the 2025 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt; has come and gone. Chock full of trades, charades, and busted parlays, this draft will go down as being one of the weirdest in recent history. Only two quarterbacks, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, were taken in the first round. Offensive and defensive linemen, the “hog mollies,” came off the board early, with five taken in the top ten picks and eleven taken in the top twenty. Late-round sleepers going went high, blue-chip players fell into the third round; you name it, it probably happened during the draft. &lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="jKwdz2"&gt;In similar fashion, the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt; also had an extremely odd, unpredictable &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt;, packed with six trades and nine selections; each one zanier than the last. No draft manned by general manager Nick Caserio will ever be boring, that’s for sure! Now that all of us in the peanut gallery are left to sift through the rubble, I think it’s time to throw out some grades. Here’s my first impression, knee-jerk grades to all nine selections:&lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="Txzrv2"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  158. &lt;h3 id="ZsfZPP"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 2, Pick 34 Overall: WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  159. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  160.        &lt;img alt="Texas Tech Red Raiders v Iowa State Cyclones" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D8vzxzRxkDU53Y8bSSzVqw12g2M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975561/2195942184.jpg"&gt;
  161.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Luke Lu/Diamond Images via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  162.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  163. &lt;ul&gt;
  164. &lt;li id="av3ZTE"&gt;Height: 6’ 4”&lt;/li&gt;
  165. &lt;li id="0OG4fw"&gt;Weight: 214 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  166. &lt;li id="7W4aaz"&gt;Arm: 33 1/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  167. &lt;li id="qSORsS"&gt;Hand: 9 1/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  168. &lt;li id="JHjFbl"&gt;Combine; 40-Yard Dash: 4.47s; 10-Yard Split: 1.53s; Vertical Jump: 39”; Broad Jump: 10’ 8”&lt;/li&gt;
  169. &lt;li id="OFzyhZ"&gt;2024 Statistics: 13 Games, 87 Receptions on 129 Targets (67.4 Rec%), 1,183 Yards (13.6 Y/R), 9 Receiving Touchdowns, 90.3 PFF&lt;/li&gt;
  170. &lt;/ul&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="edTXy7"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com"&gt;Iowa State&lt;/a&gt;’s most targeted receiver in 2024, Jayden Higgins was a big-body threat that had the speed to threaten at all levels of the opposing defense. He’s got an uncanny ability to track the ball and get his hands on it, even with cornerbacks &lt;a href="https://x.com/texans_thoughts/status/1917020253495742807?s=61&amp;amp;t=FLNV0Z5S0fDVGYWnsgrcEw"&gt;draped all over him&lt;/a&gt;. Although, with as much speed as he has, he isn’t very creative with it and doesn’t gain much separation. But, with raw ability and production like this, you can’t blame Nick Caserio for taking a chance of Higgins.&lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;p id="KxvmXK"&gt;You know, as I keep watching him, I start to understand why current Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was such a parroted comparison. Just like Collins when he was coming out of Michigan in 2021, Higgins is an attractive professional prospect because of his height, speed, and ball skills. Just like Collins, he ran a bit on an incomplete route tree and didn’t use his speed as much as you would have liked to have seen. And, just like Collins, I predict Jayden Higgins will master his weaknesses, become a true X receiver, and eventually become a starter for the Houston Texans.&lt;/p&gt;
  173. &lt;div id="ZIlcwU"&gt;
  174. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  175. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jayden Higgins put up a MONSTER 9.87 RAS, including a 4.47 40 at 6’4, 214lbs with a 39” vertical  ️ &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;But how’s the tape? Well…&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;➖ elite separator&lt;br&gt;➖ 3% drop rate&lt;br&gt;➖ 56% contested catch rate&lt;br&gt;➖ career 3309 yards, 28 TDs&lt;br&gt;➖ willing blocker&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;1st-rd talent. Comp is Nico Collins   &lt;a href="https://t.co/Lbe2lrZHmn"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Lbe2lrZHmn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1896938702787793063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 4, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  176. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  177. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  178.  
  179. &lt;/div&gt;
  180. &lt;div id="SNqtjb"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ib8h5x8j6RY?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  181. &lt;h4 id="IcPvxE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: A-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  182. &lt;div id="0mvYkX"&gt;
  183. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  184. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jayden Higgins is an incredibly smooth route runner at 6’4 215lbs with excellent hands, physicality, and contested catch ability.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Has a little Nico Collins to his game   &lt;a href="https://t.co/jliz8K5H1r"&gt;pic.twitter.com/jliz8K5H1r&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1878185013847416937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 11, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  185. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  186. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  187.  
  188. &lt;/div&gt;
  189. &lt;h3 id="3s68az"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 2, 48th Overall: OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  190. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  191.        &lt;img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 02 Minnesota at Illinois" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zqY_W5cYAXZ2-JAfMGu8l-CxlB8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975558/2182203920.jpg"&gt;
  192.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  193.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  194. &lt;ul&gt;
  195. &lt;li id="ufu3J6"&gt;Height: 6’ 6”&lt;/li&gt;
  196. &lt;li id="Ag73tQ"&gt;Weight: 331 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  197. &lt;li id="4UlZgx"&gt;Arm: 33 1/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  198. &lt;li id="VOEPtb"&gt;Hand: 9 1/2”&lt;/li&gt;
  199. &lt;li id="fDPRJm"&gt;Combine: 40-Yard Dash: 5.01s; 10-Yards Split: 1.75s; Vertical Jump: 29.5”; Broad Jump: 9’ 3”; Bench Press: 25 Reps&lt;/li&gt;
  200. &lt;li id="au6SUr"&gt;2024 Statistics: 691 Snaps at LT; 77.5 PFF (77.3 PBLK, 73.6 RBLK); 1 Sack; 1 Hit; 10 Hurries; 3 Penalties&lt;/li&gt;
  201. &lt;/ul&gt;
  202. &lt;p id="uIvFYy"&gt;Thank goodness they got an offensive lineman. During the draft itself, my live reaction to this was exaggerated relief after grumbling about the Jayden Higgins pick not being an offensive lineman. Now that time has passed, I’m pleased with Caserio’s decision making with these two second round selections; but I am admittedly uneasy about the variance in opinion on Ersery. Some draft analysts have Ersery rated as high as a first round pick, and others had him as low as a fourth rounder, so who’s to say what the Texans are getting? &lt;/p&gt;
  203. &lt;p id="NwWM94"&gt;Well, in my brief, extremely amateur review of him, I can say that we’re getting a massive, surprisingly athletic person fully capable of playing tackle at the NFL level. Ersery is strong against speed rushers (check out his Abdul Carter highlights), but his size doesn’t prevent him from being a quality blocker in space when clearing a path for the tailback. For being such a big lineman, he’s faster than expected, but he’s not as bendy as other NFL tackles, nor does he have that deadly first punch that so many top prospects do. That lack of elasticity could make him weak to NFL edge rushers with a bevy of counter moves, but since he was literally the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year, I’m willing to bet on his upside. I’m more of a glass half-full type of guy, anyways, so I think Aireontae Ersery will eventually be a starting tackle for the Houston Texans. Which side he’ll be on, that’ll remain to be seen.&lt;/p&gt;
  204. &lt;h4 id="jq0P7H"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: A&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  205. &lt;div id="5pBL8N"&gt;
  206. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  207. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Aireontae Ersery STONEWALLED several of the top edge rushers at the Senior Bowl  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;His hand placement and power was evident in reps against Mike Green, Landon Jackson, David Walker, and others. Also a good mover at 6’5, 339lbs.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;He made a strong case for OT1 in the 2025 Draft ♨️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/idLDJWVDYX"&gt;pic.twitter.com/idLDJWVDYX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1885084114623074560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  208. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  209. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  210.  
  211. &lt;/div&gt;
  212. &lt;div id="jiH3uJ"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5D_ZJjRGSQ?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  213. &lt;h3 id="9JMT42"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 3, 79th Overall: WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  214. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  215.        &lt;img alt="Iowa State v Miami - Pop-Tarts Bowl" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n9e7NBAtsUGC2WIC0-WrkWZeSas=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975557/2191784982.jpg"&gt;
  216.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  217.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  218. &lt;ul&gt;
  219. &lt;li id="toTCEZ"&gt;Height: 5’ 10”&lt;/li&gt;
  220. &lt;li id="dmY5Xz"&gt;Weight: 194 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  221. &lt;li id="dfgzUg"&gt;Arm: 29 1/2”&lt;/li&gt;
  222. &lt;li id="2CvRUj"&gt;Hand: 8 3/4”&lt;/li&gt;
  223. &lt;li id="h5HR5s"&gt;Combine: 40-Yard Dash: 4.39s; 10-Yard Split: 1.51s; Vertical Jump: 41.5”; Broad Jump: 11’ 2”; Bench Press: 23 Reps&lt;/li&gt;
  224. &lt;li id="Xz7IRy"&gt;2024 Statistics: 14 Games; 80 Receptions on 119 Targets (67.2 Rec%); 1,194 Yards; 14.9 Y/R; 8 Touchdowns; 9 Rushing Attempts for 38 Rushing Yards; 80.5 PFF&lt;/li&gt;
  225. &lt;/ul&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="oCUMhH"&gt;Another receiver from Ames is coming to Houston! During the lead up to the 2025 NFL Draft, two Iowa State wide receivers stood out as some of the best pass-catchers this year: Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. To most draft analysts, either of these players would be immediate contributors to an NFL offense. But now, Houston is getting &lt;em&gt;both &lt;/em&gt;of them, reuniting one of the most prolific pass-catching duos in the Big 12.&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p id="R51Bke"&gt;Jaylin Noel is the speedy slot receiver that excels in using his footwork and ridiculous acceleration to get open. He ran an incredibly fast 4.39s 40-yard dash at the &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-combine"&gt;NFL Combine&lt;/a&gt;, and his speed on tape looks even faster! He has explosive separation and is willing to use that speed to cut through the middle of the defense and invite big hits; hits that I’m worried could become destabilizing in the NFL. He’s ultimately only 5’ 10”, 194 lbs., and like many other undersized college slot receivers, Noel didn’t break many tackles at all. It will only get harder to compensate for this weakness against superior NFL defenders, and coupled with a dropping issue, the transition to the NFL could be rocky. Noel is such a gifted receiver, though, with performances like he had against Kansas or Miami, I can see why the comparison of him to current Texans’ slot receiver Christian Kirk was so common. He’s a third down conversion waiting to happen, which is great news for a Texans offense that was in third-and-long nearly every other drive in 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;p id="SFVzhE"&gt;Allocating two top-100 picks to the receiving corps reveals Nick Caserio’s top priority entering this draft: not just getting more offensive weapons for Stroud, but getting receivers that can plug right into the spaces current Texans Nico Collins and Christian Kirk occupy. Injuries have marred this position group both years Stroud has been the NFL, and it looks like Caserio had had just about enough of that by drafting clones of their current starters. This is a great pick, but missing this opportunity to nab a developmental or even starting-caliber guard with this third round pick could haunt the Texans in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;h4 id="pktWgf"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: B+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  230. &lt;div id="UiyGJN"&gt;
  231. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  232. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jaylin Noel 2025 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReceptionPerception?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#ReceptionPerception&lt;/a&gt; Prospect Profile  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Some highlights:&lt;br&gt;- 74.1% success rate vs. man coverage (84th percentile)&lt;br&gt;- 81.8% success rate vs. zone coverage&lt;br&gt;- 80% contested catch rate in the sample&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Guy is a baller, and I can easily see how he's going to help an NFL… &lt;a href="https://t.co/An5TFWU53c"&gt;pic.twitter.com/An5TFWU53c&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/1910009871065325832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 9, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  233. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  234. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  235.  
  236. &lt;/div&gt;
  237. &lt;div id="lfja55"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AKKdhUpQ0j8?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="Z3whoZ"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;h3 id="DRzOVs"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 3, 97th Overall: CB Jaylin Smith, USC&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  240. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  241.        &lt;img alt="USC v UCLA" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2ip8dvYTOuB5Ymzl3c-EchZ3KyE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975555/2186725427.jpg"&gt;
  242.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  243.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  244. &lt;ul&gt;
  245. &lt;li id="Y94w8m"&gt;Height: 5’ 10 1/2”&lt;/li&gt;
  246. &lt;li id="l93ydD"&gt;Weight: 187 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  247. &lt;li id="0lRKqh"&gt;Arm: 29 7/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  248. &lt;li id="MFIi8y"&gt;Hand: 9 1/4”&lt;/li&gt;
  249. &lt;li id="wyH4Xl"&gt;Combine: 40-Yard Dash: 4.45s; 10-Yard Split: 1.6s; Vertical Jump: 32.5”; Broad Jump: 10’ 2”; Bench Press: N/A&lt;/li&gt;
  250. &lt;li id="HX33lz"&gt;2024 Statistics: 10 Games; 59 Tackles, 4 Tackles for Loss; 2 Interceptions, 2 Pass Deflections; 82.5 PFF (80.1 RDEF, 71.2 TACK, 82.5 COV); 26 Receptions on 42 Targets (61.9 Rec%) 83 Yards after Catch, 62.5 Passer Rating Allowed&lt;/li&gt;
  251. &lt;/ul&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="kXImsE"&gt;This was one of the stranger selections of Houston’s draft, where they elected to deepen their strength in the defensive backfield by drafting experienced cornerback/nickelback Jaylin Smith from USC. Smith spent time at both slot corner and outside while in college, and finished 2024 with third-team All-Big Ten honors, a big accolade considering he’s in the same conference as Will Johnson and Denzel Burke. In 2023 and 2022, he spent much of his time as a nickel cornerback, producing more tackles and tackles for loss but with worse coverage, overall. But, as a nickelback, he was a premier tackler, squaring up defenders large and small and dumping them when they stand. Check out some of his highlights from Colorado or San Jose State from back then and you’ll see how he just tears down opposing players with his physicality.&lt;/p&gt;
  253. &lt;p id="hvW2qY"&gt;Then, in 2024, he added to his impressive utility belt of skills by becoming a significantly better coverage defender. Making the big move from nickelback to outside cornerback in his final year, Jaylin Smith somehow took it all in stride and became one of the stickiest man-coverage defenders in the Big Ten. I mean, his games against Michigan and Maryland were just eye candy; I can see why Nick Caserio wanted a skilled defender like this in the locker room. Regardless of where he was lining up on USC’s defense, he was still one of its most productive players.&lt;/p&gt;
  254. &lt;p id="iktYGR"&gt;Whether or not that production will translate in the NFL, however, has yet to be seen. Unfortunately, Jaylin Smith is a little undersized for the position in the NFL at 5’ 10 1/2” and 187 lbs. He’s also slow to react in zone-coverage, further limiting his potential production in the NFL. However, when in man coverage, Smith is sticky and disruptive, effective at mirroring his receiver and getting his hands in the way. In the box, Jaylin Smith has multiple years worth of beautiful tackling, with great instincts to boot. If he can improve his instincts and become a bit twitchier of an athlete, Houston has just found another quality defensive back. But, if not, Jaylin Smith will either be darling of the roster bubble/practice squad or potentially a superstar on special teams. Not a bad pick, but at this point, I was HURTING for a guard!&lt;/p&gt;
  255. &lt;h4 id="uwgJby"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: C+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  256. &lt;div id="Hfvqfm"&gt;
  257. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  258. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;USC CB Jaylin Smith is probably headed towards a future in the slot in the NFL but it's a role I think he will do quite well in given his physical play style. 2nd most run stops in the class and it shows up on tape. Also has a good amount of special teams experience over the last… &lt;a href="https://t.co/oqKp03odsi"&gt;pic.twitter.com/oqKp03odsi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/StevenIHaglund/status/1914066436202676546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 20, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  259. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  260. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  261.  
  262. &lt;/div&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="INefDx"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;h3 id="cFZHBk"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 4, 116th Overall: RB Woody Marks, USC&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  265. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  266.        &lt;img alt="Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the USC Trojans 49-35 to win a NCAA football game." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X_ufxjQIN1bH4cEi6PKrTNBDUwg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975554/2187122666.jpg"&gt;
  267.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  268. &lt;ul&gt;
  269. &lt;li id="bYn7iU"&gt;Height: 5’ 10”&lt;/li&gt;
  270. &lt;li id="knIbOF"&gt;Weight: 207 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  271. &lt;li id="KUUymh"&gt;40-Yard Dash: 4.54s; 10-Yard Split: 1.57s; Vertical Jump: 35”&lt;/li&gt;
  272. &lt;li id="kM9oWH"&gt;2024 Statistics: 12 Games, 198 Attempts for 1,133 Rushing Yards (5.7 YPA), 9 Rushing TDs, 47 Receptions for 321 Yards&lt;/li&gt;
  273. &lt;/ul&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="4epNAT"&gt;This was one of my very favorite picks of the draft. Since Nick Caserio had dawned the cap of Houston Texans general manager in 2021, he’s done a nearly perfect job of retooling the entire offense around a new generation of players. He’s drafted starters at virtually every skill position on offense, &lt;em&gt;except &lt;/em&gt;running back. Time is technically not quite up for 2022 draftee Dameon Pierce to break through, but Houston’s decision to bring in running back Joe Mixon in free agency has sidelined Pierce’s career as a Texan. Mixon became the starter in 2024, taking over starting duties from 2023 free agency signing Devin Singletary, who took lead-back duties from Pierce in the middle of that season. Suffice to say, Dameon Pierce has not quite lived up to his 2022 highs, and Caserio needs another win at RB in the draft. In 2025, he may have just his next star in Woody Marks.&lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="QprSCn"&gt;Elusive and explosive are the defining characteristics of Woody Marks’ highlight reel. He finds the gap and blasts through it like few other tailbacks in this draft, but also contains the bendiness to make tacklers miss in space. He’s a danger in the receiving game, as well, making Marks a complete third-down scatback for the Texans’ updated offense. You throw Marks into the mix along with Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and you’re bringing in a track meet of offensive skill-position players. This still isn’t the answer to the guard dilemma that I was personally looking for in the draft, but it is still a great pick at a position of need. Finally, the Texans have a third-down back! Although seeing as this was Houston’s last draft selection in the top half of the draft, this running back pick comes at the expense of finding a contributor at guard for the 2025 season. But, at this point, I’m ready to just throw my faith behind Nick Caserio and embrace the wave of skill-position players he’s chosen to draft instead.&lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;h4 id="XWhSRR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: B+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  277. &lt;div id="jf27Gm"&gt;
  278. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  279. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;New &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Texans&lt;/a&gt; RB Woody Marks is the definition of versatility in the RB room.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;This cut-up vs LSU &amp;amp; Michigan in 2024 shows his vision in the run game &amp;amp; awesome hands/quickness in the short passing game that made him a highly touted player for Houston.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Perfect fit next to Mixon. &lt;a href="https://t.co/Lq8eMyXuQN"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Lq8eMyXuQN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Jacob (@TexansJacob) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TexansJacob/status/1916576110856360395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 27, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  280. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  281. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  282.  
  283. &lt;/div&gt;
  284. &lt;div id="0tqoxY"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGk92UDZC0/Zml0DJBNVvku9rkg4LiDsA/watch?embed&amp;amp;meta" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="fullscreen;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  285. &lt;div id="ZWVMuk"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGk92UDZC0/Zml0DJBNVvku9rkg4LiDsA/watch?embed&amp;amp;meta" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="fullscreen;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="bE5OLm"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;h3 id="n29dL7"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 6, 187th Overall: S Jaylen Reed, Penn State&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  288. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  289.        &lt;img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 31 CFP Quarterfinal Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - Penn State vs Boise State" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4LW7w8cwRy3LnApOXOBuN8_nEyo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975552/2191374900.jpg"&gt;
  290.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  291.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  292. &lt;ul&gt;
  293. &lt;li id="r0u6dK"&gt;Height: 6’ 0”&lt;/li&gt;
  294. &lt;li id="MHHOpE"&gt;Weight: 211 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  295. &lt;li id="pXBhtm"&gt;Arm: 30 3/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  296. &lt;li id="5YvlAm"&gt;Hand: 9”&lt;/li&gt;
  297. &lt;li id="q3yKGi"&gt;Combine: 40-Yard Dash: 4.49s; 10-Yard Split: 1.51s; Vertical Jump: 33.5”; Broad Jump: N/A; Bench Press: 19 Reps&lt;/li&gt;
  298. &lt;li id="2v63Ar"&gt;2024 Statistics: 16 Games; 98 Tackles; 7 Tackles for Loss; 2.5 Sacks; 3 Interceptions; 1 Defensive Touchdown; 3 Pass Deflections; 1 Forced Fumble; 1 Fumble Recovery; 65.6 PFF (80.5 RDEF, 71.7 TACK, 90.9 PRSH, 51.2 COV)&lt;/li&gt;
  299. &lt;/ul&gt;
  300. &lt;p id="M1B6w5"&gt;Here’s a late-round sleeper! Jaylen Reed was an instinctive, aggressive, and extremely productive, primarily box safety that played all over the field for the &lt;a href="https://www.blackshoediaries.com"&gt;Penn State Nittany Lions&lt;/a&gt;. Reed does a fantastic job of reading the quarterback, disguising his intentions on defense, and blasting through the line of scrimmage on blitz packages to make big tackles in the backfield. He’s only 6’0” 213 lbs., but with the violence he attacks opposing players and consistency he has at getting them on the ground, you’d think he’s 6’ 2” 230 lbs.&lt;/p&gt;
  301. &lt;p id="Vr3Z7C"&gt;In his last year as a starting safety for Penn State, Reed was one of the most productive defenders on the team, flourishing under defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s “Lion” position, not unlike current Texans player Jalen Pitre’s “Star” position at Baylor in college. He was selected second-team All-Big Ten in 2024 and led the team in tackles, a tremendous feat considering Abdul Carter and Kobe King were on the field with him at the same time. But, even though those instincts led to some game-changing plays (like the pick six against Wisconsin), it also led to some terrible mistaken reads where he was caught red-handed shooting down the wrong gap or in blown coverage.&lt;/p&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="JOllKk"&gt;Here’s what &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/users/Colin_Murphy?_gl=1*15exudk*_ga*NjQwOTg1Nzk5LjE3NDU5NDQ4Nzg.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0NTk0NzM5Ny4yLjAuMTc0NTk0NzM5Ny42MC4wLjA."&gt;Colin_Murphy&lt;/a&gt; of Black Shoe Diaries &lt;a href="https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2025/4/21/24412941/penn-state-nittany-lions-football-jaylen-reed-nfl-draft-safety-prospect"&gt;had to say about Reed&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="dmNeGf"&gt;While he was not overly flashy in his Penn State career, Reed is solid against the run and very physical. His pass coverage improved in his final year at Penn State. Reed’s adaptability in Penn State’s defensive schemes between the free safety and hybrid position (the “Lion”) highlighted his versatility against the run and the pass. His lack of any standout traits probably limits his ceiling as a Day 2 pick, but he is likely to develop into at least a serviceable NFL backup. He should be an immediate contributor on special teams for any NFL team. - Colin_Murphy, Black Shoe Diaries&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="tNSu4q"&gt;In 2025, Jaylen Reed should make for a great insurance policy to current Texans starter Jalen Pitre. Add Jaylin Smith to that backfield, and you have a room full of talented Jalen/Jaylin/Jaylens ready to play nickel!&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;h4 id="fx9EMf"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: B+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  306. &lt;div id="YldHYj"&gt;
  307. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  308. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;I like Jaylen Reed playing a robber/split safety role at the next level. Solid coverage instincts and can blitz from depth to make an impact &lt;a href="https://t.co/zwB12nUi4R"&gt;pic.twitter.com/zwB12nUi4R&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Billy M (@BillyM_91) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1913675065478066606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 19, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  309. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  310. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  311.  
  312. &lt;/div&gt;
  313. &lt;p id="GRWKuX"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  314. &lt;h3 id="zMaZgE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 6, 197th Overall: QB Graham Mertz, Florida&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  315. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  316.        &lt;img alt="Florida v Tennessee" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/azaMXa5IsdayfSa_Rf4V3wjdsRA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975548/2178149961.jpg"&gt;
  317.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  318.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  319. &lt;ul&gt;
  320. &lt;li id="xaHoFa"&gt;Height: 6’ 3”&lt;/li&gt;
  321. &lt;li id="Re66H8"&gt;Weight: 212 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  322. &lt;li id="cXNmcZ"&gt;Arm: 31 1/4”&lt;/li&gt;
  323. &lt;li id="yTlxXo"&gt;Hand: 9 3/4”&lt;/li&gt;
  324. &lt;li id="1UEJRq"&gt;Combine: N/A &lt;/li&gt;
  325. &lt;li id="MMD7tG"&gt;2024 Statistics: 5 Games; 72 Completions on 94 Attempts (76.6%); 791 Yards; 6 Touchdowns; 2 Interceptions; 8.73 AY/A; 73.7 PFF (Season cut short due to ACL tear)&lt;/li&gt;
  326. &lt;li id="QGie2m"&gt;2023 Statistics: 11 Games; 261 Completions on 358 Attempts (72.9%); 2,903 Yards; 20 Touchdowns; 3 Interceptions; 8.85 AY/A; 75.8 PFF&lt;/li&gt;
  327. &lt;/ul&gt;
  328. &lt;p id="DAd6L4"&gt;This might be the weirdest pick of Houston’s draft. Not a selection based on talent nor positional need, Caserio’s selection of Graham Mertz can only be described as a shot in the dark in hopes of landing a bullseye of a backup quarterback. Mertz is a prototypical NFL QB that has gradually improved in his career as a game manager, but never became the multi-faceted playmaker that his first team, Wisconsin, hoped he would become. After four largely disappointing years, he packed his bags and went down to Florida, where he would have his peak in 2023, followed by a 2024 season curtailed by a torn ACL.&lt;/p&gt;
  329. &lt;p id="Eic0fg"&gt;In 2023, in his fifth year as a starting quarterback in college football, Mertz finally looked like he was putting it all together. Significantly more comfortable and decisive with the ball in 2023, Mertz completed 72.9% of his passes for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, three interceptions and four rushing touchdowns. He’s got prototypical NFL size and moderate arm strength, but he’s not going to wow you with his athleticism. He improved his decision making with the Gators and became a much more trustworthy passer, but he can still be slow with his progression, letting defenders get back into a play. Problems like that could send him out of the league in a hurry, but his improvement when given a better supporting cast was intriguing enough for Caserio to pull the trigger, He would go on to &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/d_kKvDe_tTs?si=1cyhYG5HjiZNwIDk"&gt;say of Mertz:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  330. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="qzDYy9"&gt;“Got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin, then kind of went through the coaching transition there a little bit, and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida. Then he played there his first year, he got hurt a little bit, obviously, this year. But, good demeanor, good presence. Has good leadership, good size, throws a pretty good ball. So, the type of player the we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with….we had him here in the building, and he was as advertised.” - Nick Caserio&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  331. &lt;p id="3EqFly"&gt;Overall, the decision to draft Mertz, an experienced college quarterback with standard NFL traits at the position, isn’t a bad one since it’ll give the Texans more freedom to pivot away from current backup Davis Mills. I even mentioned on the BRB writer group chat that I wouldn’t mind Houston taking a quarterback in the later rounds since Mills will enter the 2025 season on the last year of his contract. But, the drop off in quality even from the sixth to seventh rounds was noticeable, so I think Houston’s seventh round pick could have been better used on an offensive lineman or linebacker. If Caserio really thought Mertz was that good, he could have either waited to sign him as an undrafted free agent or grabbed an additional seventh round pick by trading some late-round selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.&lt;/p&gt;
  332. &lt;h4 id="NXhW5Y"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: C&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  333. &lt;div id="BvhaxT"&gt;
  334. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  335. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Texans&lt;/a&gt; traded up to No. 197 to draft former Wisconsin and Florida QB Graham Mertz — a player who won a lot of fans as coaches dug into his college tape.&lt;a href="https://t.co/MYtjYNYveu"&gt;https://t.co/MYtjYNYveu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/xZSGEavWst"&gt;pic.twitter.com/xZSGEavWst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1916232121028321327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 26, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  336. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  337. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  338.  
  339. &lt;/div&gt;
  340. &lt;div id="Mh8LGF"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/orZ4bUkXIcE?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  341. &lt;p id="NT3wA1"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  342. &lt;h3 id="qrGw1e"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 7, 224th Overall: DT Kyonte Hamilton, Rutgers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  343. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  344.        &lt;img alt="Minnesota v Rutgers" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4xG-rTo5veW5u9-H1xJwK6Kx1Is=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975546/2183937099.jpg"&gt;
  345.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  346.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  347. &lt;ul&gt;
  348. &lt;li id="m7yOCL"&gt;Height: 6’ 3”&lt;/li&gt;
  349. &lt;li id="tCCYJD"&gt;Weight: 300 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  350. &lt;li id="3ZA8jn"&gt;Arm: 32.130&lt;/li&gt;
  351. &lt;li id="XnvBR6"&gt;Hand: 9.250&lt;/li&gt;
  352. &lt;li id="6QQA8v"&gt;Measurables: 40-Yard Dash: 5.02s; 20-Yard Split: 2.87s; 10-Yard Split: 1.70s; Vertical Jump: 29”&lt;/li&gt;
  353. &lt;li id="x3RRK9"&gt;2024 Statistics: 13 Games; 36 Tackles; 5 Tackles for loss; 4.0 Sacks; 18 Hurries; 1 Forced Fumble; 649 Defensive Snaps (272 RDEF, 376 PRSH), 81.3 PFF (74.9 RDEF, 79.6 PRSH)&lt;/li&gt;
  354. &lt;/ul&gt;
  355. &lt;p id="6TR8i4"&gt;This is the one player Nick Caserio took in the 2025 NFL Draft I had never heard of before. All the other players I had at least heard of on a telecast or seen a stat line about them at some point, but Kyonte Hamilton evaded my drafting eye. So, since the draft, I’ve dug through as many highlight videos and draft-analysis articles I could find on Hamilton, and I’ve come out of the quick film session a bit more impressed with Caserio’s selection than I expected.&lt;/p&gt;
  356. &lt;p id="bdZ4ne"&gt;Hamilton has the prototypical size and weight to be an NFL defensive tackle, and contains a level of quickness in his step that makes him an intriguing player. A 3-star prospect out of District Heights, MD, Hamilton absorbed the attention of football scouts who were also impressed by his championship wrestling pedigree. He became a three-year starter on the defensive line for the &lt;a href="https://www.onthebanks.com"&gt;Rutgers Scarlet Knights&lt;/a&gt;, having a breakout career in 2024 and earning honorable All-Big Ten recognition. He lined up both at tackle and defensive end, getting production from both positions. He plays with impressive short-area burst, but lacks the skillset required to win consistently in the NFL. He’s a very, very raw prospect, one that may not be able to keep up with the rest of the roster, but I can’t help but root for him since he reminds me of one of Caserio’s last draft selections last year: Auburn DL Marcus Harris.&lt;/p&gt;
  357. &lt;p id="g3xRVx"&gt;It was this time last year that I was pumping up the pro-potential of Harris, and now Kyonte Hamilton will occupy a similar sort of space as a long-shot candidate as we await training camp. While we never saw Marcus Harris in the regular season, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he was a bust. Some players may take time to develop, only reaching their high ceiling with years as a backup. Kyonte Hamilton may be the that kind of prospect, one that will never steal the headlines or play 500+ snaps, but will enjoy a multi-year career as a solid rotational player for the Texans. Maybe, just maybe, both Kyonte Hamilton and Marcus Harris will be starting games and taking names together in 2027! Or…maybe not, but you can’t blame Nick Caserio for taking a chance on an big, athletic wrestler in the seventh round.&lt;/p&gt;
  358. &lt;h4 id="LVr8kv"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: B-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  359. &lt;div id="2XUUV4"&gt;
  360. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  361. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Want a sleeper? Rutgers iDL Kyonte Hamilton has the goods. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Zero buzz for his game around the industry &amp;amp; a player scouts have tried to keep a secret. Former wrestler, outstanding twitch at his size (will play at 305) that flashes up-down a defensive front. &lt;a href="https://t.co/x67q1itrfS"&gt;pic.twitter.com/x67q1itrfS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/_RyanFowler_/status/1887577267980935431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 6, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  362. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  363. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  364.  
  365. &lt;/div&gt;
  366. &lt;div id="X6hua7"&gt;
  367. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  368. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Kyonte Hamilton is a DT prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.28 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 146 out of 2022 DT from 1987 to 2025.&lt;a href="https://t.co/hDrkbhPFRg"&gt;https://t.co/hDrkbhPFRg&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/6rVGyrZTgl"&gt;pic.twitter.com/6rVGyrZTgl&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1907128326138859615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 1, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  369. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  370. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  371.  
  372. &lt;/div&gt;
  373. &lt;p id="wqZdVE"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  374. &lt;h3 id="f6MHZ1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 7, 255th Overall: TE Luke Lachey, Iowa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  375. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  376.        &lt;img alt="Iowa Hawkeyes v Maryland Terrapins" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PwbhHu75yLT3mRCF_7owosXvc7U=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975544/2195097386.jpg"&gt;
  377.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  378.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  379. &lt;ul&gt;
  380. &lt;li id="mF18Lu"&gt;Height: 6’ 6”&lt;/li&gt;
  381. &lt;li id="hsGCej"&gt;Weight: 251 lbs.&lt;/li&gt;
  382. &lt;li id="rpE9oH"&gt;Arm: 32 1/8”&lt;/li&gt;
  383. &lt;li id="WCo3DR"&gt;Hand: 10”&lt;/li&gt;
  384. &lt;li id="528fxc"&gt;Combine: Vertical Jump: 35”; Broad Jump: 10’; 3-Cone Drill: 7.18s; 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.47s&lt;/li&gt;
  385. &lt;li id="WOhoxQ"&gt;2024 Statistics: 12 Games, 28 Receptions for 231 Yards (8.3 Y/R), 530 Offense Snaps, 316 Blocking Snaps, 51.3 PFF Run Blocking, 50.1 PFF Pass Blocking, 95.2 EFF&lt;/li&gt;
  386. &lt;/ul&gt;
  387. &lt;p id="Zuum3w"&gt;An Iowa tight end falling this far was an surprise all unto its own, as Luke Lachey was seen as a late round sleeper by many. While in college, Lachey continued the Iowa tradition of inline tight end blocking, becoming an effective people mover for their outside-zone scheme. Additionally, he’s shown some position flexibility as an H-back and flashes of a better receiver than the chances he was given, but his lack of speed and physicality in that respect holds him back from being a real slam-dunk prospect. He’s a natural receiver with a good catch radius, but his lack of speed gives him a ceiling, with little room besides being a short yardage target underneath the passing game.&lt;/p&gt;
  388. &lt;p id="sysXEN"&gt;That ceiling can be seen in his blocking, as well. Though Lachey is strong, he doesn’t have quite the core strength to go one-on-one against all types of linebackers and edge rushers. The body size willingness to block is certainly there, but his production against bigger defenders isn’t great, at least not without some help. But, in an league where two-tight end sets are becoming increasingly more common, having another guy in the locker room that can block and catch can be invaluable to a Texans offense clearly trying to give its quarterback a diversity of options. As a guy with a chance to make the roster and contribute sparingly, he’s about as good of a pick you can ask for in the seventh round.&lt;/p&gt;
  389. &lt;h4 id="xUnrSq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: A-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  390. &lt;div id="Qlbhmq"&gt;
  391. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  392. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Absolutely loved the Luke Lachey pick at the end of the draft for the Texans! Great combo of hands and blocking abilities. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;He should have a role for years to come in an offense where the OC was a TE coach last season. Does he have a shot to be the next great TE from Iowa… &lt;a href="https://t.co/o87Ro74ZNo"&gt;pic.twitter.com/o87Ro74ZNo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— big ounce (@_bigounce) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/_bigounce/status/1916908781130420479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 28, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  393. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  394. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  395.  
  396. &lt;/div&gt;
  397. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="VGuxOQ"&gt;
  398. &lt;p id="vlM7bM"&gt;After all this picks and trades that kept Houston Texans fans’ heads on a swivel, head coach DeMeco Ryans ended up with these nine rookies - six on offense, three on defense. These picks addressed big needs at tackle, wide receiver, running back, and defensive tackle, but avoided the need for another guard or linebacker. Caserio did sign a linebacker in undrafted free agency - &lt;a href="https://x.com/RaginCajunsFB/status/1916284860638900485"&gt;Louisiana’s KC Ossai&lt;/a&gt; - but it’s a heck of a stretch to say that one signing “addressed the need.”  &lt;/p&gt;
  399. &lt;p id="1QRfqC"&gt;Regardless, Caserio did a great job of finding value at all talent levels of the 2025 Draft, unearthing potential starters from the second round to the seventh. Both Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel should be immediate contributors, maybe even starters by the end of the year. Aireontae Ersery, although a controversial wad of clay, is a wad of clay that I’m going to embrace and predict as a starter for Houston either on the right or left side come 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
  400. &lt;p id="hvwxpa"&gt;Jaylin Smith and Jaylen Reed probably won’t be starting on Houston’s defense anytime soon, but they’ll certainly be seeing playing time on multiple nickel and dime packages - Reed likely designed for plays against the runs, Smith designed for plays against the pass. Hamilton, on the other hand, won’t be playing much until he shocks the team in training camp, but that may not be a big surprise in a couple years! Overall, this draft class won’t knock your socks off, but it will function to deepen the Houston Texans roster from end to end. I’d say we’re looking at two to four starters in this class (Higgins, Ersery, Noel, &amp;amp; Marks), with the potential that all nine will be helping by the end of the year. No players are going to dramatically improve a weak spot on the Texans (except maybe Ersery), but some will prove their worth when injuries inevitably afflict the team, and some will eventually become starters as those snaps come rolling in.&lt;/p&gt;
  401. &lt;p id="QJ2PDk"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  402. &lt;h3 id="1KA00s"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HOUSTON TEXANS 2025 NFL DRAFT GRADE:  B&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  403. &lt;p id="zjTsFT"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  404. &lt;p id="c3PqiL"&gt;What do you think of this draft, though? Did the DeMeco Ryans/Nick Caserio brain trust blow you away, or were you bummed out by their draft picks? Are Houston’s draft classes getting better each subsequent year, or worse? Let us know what you think of the draft down the comments below!&lt;/p&gt;
  405. &lt;p id="7Xj5TY"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  406. &lt;p id="aZsKws"&gt;Go Texans!&lt;/p&gt;
  407.  
  408. </content>
  409.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/30/24420344/houston-texans-2025-draft-grades-for-each-pick"/>
  410.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/30/24420344/houston-texans-2025-draft-grades-for-each-pick</id>
  411.    <author>
  412.      <name>FizzyJoe</name>
  413.    </author>
  414.  </entry>
  415.  <entry>
  416.    <published>2025-04-30T08:00:00-05:00</published>
  417.    <updated>2025-04-30T08:00:00-05:00</updated>
  418.    <title>Mapping Every Houston Texans Trade in the 2025 NFL Draft</title>
  419.    <content type="html">  
  420.  
  421.    &lt;figure&gt;
  422.      &lt;img alt="Big 12 Football Pro Day" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kOoGhzf4_KpvPQLn1m8QE6mRyRg=/0x0:3081x2054/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057342/2206275332.0.jpg" /&gt;
  423.        &lt;figcaption&gt;[Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  424.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  425.  
  426.  &lt;p&gt;Nick Caserio is a mad man. Just depends on if he’s a genius or not.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="RJPiFX"&gt;It’s mind-numbingly demoralizing to consider the&lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/23/24410887/houston-texans-final-seven-round-mock-draft"&gt; eight mock drafts I posted&lt;/a&gt; on this site were essentially null-and-void from the get-go. After selecting three players correctly last year, I came home with only accurately picking Jayden Higgins to be a Houston Texan in my &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/1/22/24348782/houston-texans-three-round-mock-draft-1-0?_gl=1*1b8k8i9*_ga*OTAwNzE1NjM4LjE3MTIzMzc3NzI.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0MDAxMDgxNy4yOS4xLjE3NDAwMTEzNTcuNDQuMC4w"&gt;three-round mock draft in late January. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  427. &lt;p id="bGlybx"&gt;Every single pick in the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt; 2025 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt; was a result of a trade. The only non-draft day trade pick was Jaylin Noel as the Texans acquired the 79th pick from the &lt;a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/"&gt;Dolphins&lt;/a&gt; in the&lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/3/10/24382570/texans-laremy-tunsilcommanders-free-agency-draft-picks"&gt; deal for Laremy Tunsil. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  428. &lt;p id="F0sjLb"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/26/24417807/live-houston-texans-draft-day-big-board-day-three"&gt;Tracking the chaos&lt;/a&gt; that was this past weekend’s seven trades takes clairvoyance only the Three Eyed Raven (Game of Thrones reference for the uneducated) possesses. Or, enough spare time on your hands to chart out how each move led to the nine selections Caserio did make in the draft... that’s what I have. &lt;/p&gt;
  429. &lt;p id="ZalXhY"&gt;Here is a well-organized chart of every trade and how it led to each pick. It actually wraps up quite nicely. &lt;/p&gt;
  430. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  431.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7Yno9eSbphswiSpoTf865_teuU0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975084/Screenshot_2025_04_29_at_12.13.40_AM.png"&gt;
  432.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  433. &lt;h4 id="WyH3ED"&gt;Original Picks:&lt;/h4&gt;
  434. &lt;p id="xYmXeX"&gt;Round 1, Pick 25&lt;/p&gt;
  435. &lt;p id="EuEJgD"&gt;Round 2, Pick 58 &lt;/p&gt;
  436. &lt;p id="ONWyxW"&gt;Round 3, Pick 79 (originally from MIA in trade for Laremy Tunsil)&lt;/p&gt;
  437. &lt;p id="HBIoqT"&gt;Round 3, Pick 89&lt;/p&gt;
  438. &lt;p id="57pFWE"&gt;Round 5, Pick 166&lt;/p&gt;
  439. &lt;p id="WCWN14"&gt;Round 7, Pick 236&lt;/p&gt;
  440. &lt;h4 id="YlGNsD"&gt;ALL TRADES IN ORDER OF WHEN THEY OCCURRED: &lt;/h4&gt;
  441. &lt;h2 id="F4LcKu"&gt;1. Texans trade down with the Browns in Round 5&lt;/h2&gt;
  442. &lt;p id="o8zYOs"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/"&gt;Browns&lt;/a&gt; receive: Picks 166, 2027 fifth-round pick&lt;/p&gt;
  443. &lt;p id="JlIorn"&gt;Texans receive: Picks 179 (traded), 216 (traded), 255 (Luke Lachey, TE - Iowa)&lt;/p&gt;
  444. &lt;h2 id="gKP0CK"&gt;2. Texans trade down with the Giants in Round 1&lt;/h2&gt;
  445. &lt;p id="trr8Hu"&gt;Giants receive: Pick 25&lt;/p&gt;
  446. &lt;p id="tlTQhW"&gt;Texans receive: Picks 34 (Jayden Higgins, WR - &lt;a href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com/"&gt;Iowa State&lt;/a&gt;), 99 (traded), 2026 3rd round selection (traded)&lt;/p&gt;
  447. &lt;h2 id="vnYR0U"&gt;3. Texans trade up with the Raiders in Round 2&lt;/h2&gt;
  448. &lt;p id="leEEqv"&gt;Texans receive: Pick 48 (Aireontae Ersely, OT - Minnesota)&lt;/p&gt;
  449. &lt;p id="jW9SlZ"&gt;Raiders receive: Picks 58, 99&lt;/p&gt;
  450. &lt;h2 id="NcfLAg"&gt;4. Texans trade down with the Jaguars in Round 3&lt;/h2&gt;
  451. &lt;p id="ylz6gP"&gt;Jaguars receive: Picks 89, 236&lt;/p&gt;
  452. &lt;p id="iWlbWk"&gt;Texans receive: Picks 102 (traded), 142 (traded)&lt;/p&gt;
  453. &lt;h2 id="WOh2kv"&gt;5. Texans trade up with the Vikings in Round 3&lt;/h2&gt;
  454. &lt;p id="mQjq5p"&gt;Texans receive: Pick 97 (Jaylin Smith, CB - USC), 187 (Jaylen Reed, CB - Penn State)&lt;/p&gt;
  455. &lt;p id="L5sDwn"&gt;Vikings receive: Pick 102, 142&lt;/p&gt;
  456. &lt;h2 id="8tNbLx"&gt;6. Texans trade up with the Dolphins in Round 4&lt;/h2&gt;
  457. &lt;p id="b8qsgY"&gt;Texans receive: Pick 116 (Woody Smith, RB - USC), 224 (Kyonte Hamilton, DT - &lt;a href="https://www.onthebanks.com"&gt;Rutgers&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;
  458. &lt;p id="FNI5Ag"&gt;Dolphins receive: Pick 179, 2026 third-round pick&lt;/p&gt;
  459. &lt;h2 id="wrfNrY"&gt;7. Texans trade up with the Broncos in Round 6&lt;/h2&gt;
  460. &lt;p id="S6N3p3"&gt;Texans receive: Pick 197 (Graham Mertz, QB - Florida)&lt;/p&gt;
  461. &lt;p id="rzzkK7"&gt;Broncos receive: Pick 216, 241&lt;/p&gt;
  462. &lt;h4 id="m7XOdG"&gt;HOUSTON TEXANS DRAFT PICKS:&lt;/h4&gt;
  463. &lt;p id="OBmjrW"&gt;Round 2, No. 34 - Jayden Higgins, WR - &lt;a href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Iowa State&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  464. &lt;p id="rMMO5l"&gt;Round 2, No. 58 - Aireontae Ersely, OT - Minnesota&lt;/p&gt;
  465. &lt;p id="NouOpE"&gt;Round 3, No. 79 - Jaylin Noel, WR - &lt;a href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com"&gt;Iowa State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  466. &lt;p id="4eGMc9"&gt;Round 3, No. 97 - Jaylin Smith, CB - USC&lt;/p&gt;
  467. &lt;p id="D8iXp2"&gt;Round 4, No. 116 - Woody Smith, RB - USC&lt;/p&gt;
  468. &lt;p id="XdpcDB"&gt;Round 6, No. 187 - Jaylen Reed, CB - Penn State&lt;/p&gt;
  469. &lt;p id="ikqMc8"&gt;Round 6, No. 197 - Graham Mertz, QB - Florida&lt;/p&gt;
  470. &lt;p id="aYfy5Z"&gt;Round 7, No. 224 - Kyonte Hamilton, DT - Rutgers&lt;/p&gt;
  471. &lt;p id="Pmkl2N"&gt;Round 7, No. 255 - Luke Lachey, TE - Iowa&lt;/p&gt;
  472. &lt;p id="uAHz4z"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  473.  
  474. </content>
  475.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/30/24418852/mapping-every-houston-texans-trade-in-the-2025-nfl-draft"/>
  476.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/30/24418852/mapping-every-houston-texans-trade-in-the-2025-nfl-draft</id>
  477.    <author>
  478.      <name>Kenneth L.</name>
  479.    </author>
  480.  </entry>
  481.  <entry>
  482.    <published>2025-04-29T12:00:00-05:00</published>
  483.    <updated>2025-04-29T12:00:00-05:00</updated>
  484.    <title>The Day After the Day After (plus a few days): Coda for the Houston Texans and the NFL 2025 Draft</title>
  485.    <content type="html">  
  486.  
  487.    &lt;figure&gt;
  488.      &lt;img alt="Houston Texans fans gather in downtown Houston to watch the 2025 NFL Draft" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AGI0-u1nf25yw35PiqsE87RbUDk=/0x0:6158x4105/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055965/2212455299.0.jpg" /&gt;
  489.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  490.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  491.  
  492.  &lt;p&gt;The 2025 Draft is over. One last revisit before we move forward in the NFL year.  &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="JbrOEU"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Day After the Day After...when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of the 2025 NFL Draft&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  493. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  494.        &lt;img alt="2025 NFL Scouting Combine" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tM3-bKucl1Ku2Bgd8zBY_VWEEQ8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973516/2209658243.jpg"&gt;
  495.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  496.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  497. &lt;p id="4STJFT"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The “Patriots Way” draft strategy, or massive Texans scrambling?: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Seeing the Texans trade out of the 1st round doesn’t seem all that radical on the surface. Caserio effectively did that last year before the draft and when under the Kraft/Belichick regime, he saw a lot trading out of the 1st, especially given that the difference between a late 1st/early 2nd is negligible in draft value and the cap prefers the cheaper 2nd rounder. However, reports indicate that Houston eyed some 1st round talent. Key among them, OL Kelvin Banks. At one point, Caserio tried to trade up to the #12 slot, but Dallas didn’t bite. Just as well, as Banks went to the Saints at #9. Other interior prospects went well before Houston’s #25 slot. One could argue that WR Matthew Golden was &lt;em&gt;the one&lt;/em&gt;, especially as Houston executed its trade with the Giants right after Green Bay snagged him. We may never know for sure. &lt;/p&gt;
  498. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  499.        &lt;img alt="Kansas State v Iowa State" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YzkFNMpU7RFXEl-l0pxFdj18pg0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973519/2187703931.jpg"&gt;
  500.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  501.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  502. &lt;p id="puhBlY"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Iowa State, WR-U:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; When you think of “WR-U”, perhaps the Hairless Nuts of Ohio State come to mind. Maybe some of the other blue-chip programs, like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, etc...that take multi-star recruits and turn them into All-Pro prospects. Yet, you probably didn’t figure that Iowa State was up there. Perhaps that is not a commonly-held opinion, but Houston clearly saw something in the ISU receiving room. Of their four Day Two picks, two went to ISU receivers (Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel). Taken by themselves, they were not bad picks. Higgins was high on many team’s draft boards, as both the Titans and Raiders (right behind Houston in the 2nd round) traded out of their picks when he went off the board. Noel likely replaces Tank Dell, who is not assured of returning in 2025. &lt;/p&gt;
  503. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  504.        &lt;img alt="AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Los Angeles Chargers v Houston Texans" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/702kh6pwtg5t_z2yphR_aEJAtl4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973521/2194274794.jpg"&gt;
  505.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  506.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  507. &lt;p id="7b9Hm4"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Up: current IOLs, Stock Down: incumbent WRs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;: Going into the draft, the thought was that Houston would get as many O-lineman as possible. Yet, they did not use their 1st round pick on a lineman, and took only one OL prospect all draft. Perhaps Houston got pre-empted on certain players or their staff saw something that us outsiders didn’t, but the expected flood of new lineman never materialized. This indicates Houston thinks players like Scruggs and Patterson can still evolve, that Howard can lock down a guard spot and that Robinson and Fisher can hold down the tackle spots, and that their various depth signing in free agency, along with new coaching, will improve the offensive line. &lt;/p&gt;
  508. &lt;p id="mPM3OU"&gt;Yet, the drafting of the ISU WR room indicates that Metchie and Hutchinson (another ISU alum) are on borrowed time. Most think well of Metchie the man, but he was a 2nd round pick, and he’s never lived up to that billing. Hutchinson didn’t have the same pressures as Metchie, but he also didn’t up his game when the chance presented itself. Likely one or both may start the 2025 regular season on different rosters. &lt;/p&gt;
  509. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  510.        &lt;img alt="US Dollar Banknotes" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QUHQiB6dU3OGjz1tesLamTZfDv8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973522/2211399752.jpg"&gt;
  511.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  512.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  513. &lt;p id="NRT0EB"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Salary Cap and 2026:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; While draft day dealing is a Caserio hallmark, one cannot discount a financial motivation for the trades this season. Houston’s salary cap got tight this offseason, and that doesn’t look to change much in the years ahead. The cap next year gets extremely complicated. Figure on anywhere between $80M and $100M of future annual cap space going towards the extensions for DE Will Anderson, Jr and QB CJ Stroud. Factor the extension for Stingley signed this past offseason, as well as other free agents and extensions for other evolving players, and Houston must depend on cheaper talent to fill out the roster. Enter the draft. Four picks between Day 1 and Day 2 in 2026 should yield some starting-caliber players. Future roster building for Houston depends on those draft picks. &lt;/p&gt;
  514. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  515.        &lt;img alt="2025 NFL Draft - Round 1" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Qatm06eyQIn4i2u4qep6CeKI_X0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973528/2211863433.jpg"&gt;
  516.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  517.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  518. &lt;p id="5gQQVv"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FUN WITH NUMBERS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  519. &lt;p id="0xepHV"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6, 13, 14:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Number of Trades/Picks Dealt/Picks Received by the Houston Texans in the 2025 Draft: &lt;/strong&gt;If it seemed like Houston led off a lot of trade updates, well, it was because they did a lot of trading. These numbers don’t include the trade of Tunsil to the Commanders at the start of free agency. Still, Caserio’s tenue as Texans’ GM is defined by extensive draft day trades. More often than not, they’ve worked out fairly well for Houston. Still, you are only as good as your last draft. How 2025 pans out? TBD. &lt;/p&gt;
  520. &lt;div id="MY6ju2"&gt;&lt;div style="max-width: 1598px;"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 150.1502%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fisuni.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2023%2F2%2F16%2FPauley__Noah23.jpg%3Fwidth%3D300&amp;amp;key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  521. &lt;p id="T8n0xR"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GAME BALLS: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  522. &lt;p id="vQxznB"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ISU WR Coach Noah Pauley:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; With two WRs drafted in the 1st three rounds by Houston, imagine the recruiting pitch the WR staff can levy in their recruiting efforts? “We want you to play for us. You play for us, we can get you to the NFL. [KITTEN], we might get you all to go to the same team!” No doubt Matt Campbell and the Cyclone NIL collectives are just ecstatic about that. If those guys end up balling out...the Q-rating for Pauley will go through the roof.&lt;/p&gt;
  523. &lt;p id="ObVAgB"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;West Columbia High School Football:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; Not too far from my hometown, West Columbia just got a major PR boost with the drafting of Cam Ward. Ok, he went to the vile BE-SFs, but still, he’s the #1 overall pick from little ol’ West Columbia, and that after playing his high school ball in a Wing-T Offense. Now, when Roughneck QBs complain about not throwing the ball, the coaches can say “Cam Ward”, invalidating all whining. &lt;/p&gt;
  524. &lt;p id="ppuJas"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NBA Playoffs:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; Not only are the Rockets back in the playoffs for the first since 2020, but so are the Knicks. This is important, as it spared us wall-to-wall coverage of the smartest dumb[KITTEN] in sports, Stephen A. Smith, bloviating during the Draft coverage. ESPN has more than enough of that (see later). &lt;/p&gt;
  525. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  526.        &lt;img alt="14th Annual NFL Honors - Arrivals" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jFxrWmxI3nuCEx6_9AbDQ_c-SE4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25973536/2197486352.jpg"&gt;
  527.      &lt;cite&gt;Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  528.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  529. &lt;p id="SdTSvr"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SHOULD BE FORCED TO CLEAN UP ALL THE SPILLED BEER AND RANCID CHEESE REMAINS WHILE LISTENING TO A MIXED TAPE OF STEPHEN A. SMITH AND MEL KIPER, JR. ON AUTOREPEAT AFTER THE DRAFT: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  530. &lt;p id="0hWc0I"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Sanders Empire: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Not that Houston was going to draft him, but talk about a major kick-in-the-groin-egowise for Shedeur Sanders and the Sanders family? How bad did the interview process go for that young man? Teams always need QBs, but the intangibles must be among the worst in history to take what some thought might be a #1 overall pick to being skunked on the 1st two days of the draft, falling to the 5th round. Sure, you can point to the two best QBs in history and see that Johnny Unitas was a 9th rounder and Tom Brady was a 6th rounder. Still, this was a horrid outcome for the Sanders family.  &lt;/p&gt;
  531. &lt;p id="eo5RnM"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jax Ulbrich: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Whatever you think of the Sanders family, that prank call…major foul…and the dumb[KITTEN] tweeted himself doing this?! Also, for his father, Jeff Ulbrich, aka the Defensive Coordinator for the Falcons, well, maybe he won’t face external discipline from the league, but will anyone ever trust him with sensitive information like a prospect’s private phone? Jax, the internet is forever. Good luck explaining that in all of your future job interviews. &lt;/p&gt;
  532. &lt;p id="NYnjxX"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mel Kiper Jr.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;: Kiper’s salivating about Shedeur Sanders was so over the top that it drove many, like this commentator, away from ESPN for the entirety of the draft. Was the NFL Network perfect? No, but compared to ESPN…Sure, ESPN got their ratings, but the sooner Kiper disappears from the draft, the better.  &lt;/p&gt;
  533. &lt;p id="lqNabW"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Texans’ Fans Trying to Predict this Draft:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; So many Texans’ fans did their mock drafts, all with good analytic techniques and genuine hope and concern for the team, especially to reinforce the interior of the O-line. To that, the Houston Texans said: “[KITTEN] your mock drafts!” True, one cannot always listen to the fans, but you hope that the Texans’ brain trust proves more right than the fans. &lt;/p&gt;
  534. &lt;p id="3o6czV"&gt;With the draft concluded, we now all await the next big moment on the NFL calendar: The schedule release. Come May 14th, we’ll learn when Houston faces off against its foes in the quest to finally deliver a Super Bowl. See you then.  &lt;/p&gt;
  535. &lt;p id="uNNXWD"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  536.  
  537. </content>
  538.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/29/24417632/the-day-after-the-day-after-plus-a-few-days-coda-for-the-houston-texans-and-the-nfl-2025-draft"/>
  539.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/29/24417632/the-day-after-the-day-after-plus-a-few-days-coda-for-the-houston-texans-and-the-nfl-2025-draft</id>
  540.    <author>
  541.      <name>l4blitzer</name>
  542.    </author>
  543.  </entry>
  544.  <entry>
  545.    <published>2025-04-29T08:00:00-05:00</published>
  546.    <updated>2025-04-29T08:00:00-05:00</updated>
  547.    <title>Texans Fail to Address Interior Offensive Line in NFL Draft</title>
  548.    <content type="html">  
  549.  
  550.    &lt;figure&gt;
  551.      &lt;img alt="Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RBJPQIhbqX4hM5Dmwj-SkvbPj88=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055447/2191237823.0.jpg" /&gt;
  552.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  553.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  554.  
  555.  &lt;p&gt;Battle Red Blog writers collectively frustrated but trusting in Caserio&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="message-content-1365826825065988206"&gt;It was a wild — yet typical — Nick Caserio &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt; weekend. Houston completed &lt;strong&gt;seven&lt;/strong&gt; trades throughout the draft and added nine prospects to form the &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Texans&lt;/a&gt;’ 2025 draft class. None of which answered the Texans biggest positional need heading into the draft: center and guard. Houston “addressed” the position via free agency, but those players as mentioned by several of the writers below are debatably mediocre at best. &lt;/p&gt;
  556. &lt;p id="6eCLD7"&gt;I asked the writers to air their frustration and provide their thoughts on why Nick Caserio didn’t address the position in the draft: &lt;/p&gt;
  557. &lt;h3 id="4pGxbx"&gt;
  558. &lt;strong&gt;The &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Texans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; didn’t draft a single interior offensive lineman in the 2025 NFLDraft. How concerned are you about protecting Stroud this next season?&lt;/strong&gt;
  559. &lt;/h3&gt;
  560. &lt;h3 id="60XfRr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/users/VBallRetired?_gl=1*1rcw5wo*_ga*OTAwNzE1NjM4LjE3MTIzMzc3NzI.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0NTgyMDA4OC4xNDAuMS4xNzQ1ODIxMTg3LjQ5LjAuMA.."&gt;VBallRetired:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  561. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="message-content-1365827672399282176"&gt;I’m in wait and see mode. I have to hope they know something we don’t. Either they like the internal options more than we do or didn’t like the options in the draft. Crying over it won’t do any good. My fear is that neglecting it will force a Laremy Tunsil type desperation move like in 2019. It’s definitely not a good look but they get paid to do this and I don’t.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  562. &lt;h3 id="l0ALT4"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/users/l4blitzer?_gl=1*14nk2oq*_ga*OTAwNzE1NjM4LjE3MTIzMzc3NzI.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0NTgyMDA4OC4xNDAuMS4xNzQ1ODIxMTg3LjQ5LjAuMA.."&gt;l4blitzer:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  563. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  564. &lt;p id="message-content-1365829805341282457"&gt;One might argue that even if Houston brought in 2-3 IOL prospects, the line might not be any more effective this year than last. That Houston only drafted ONE OL prospect period, and that an OT, indicates that Houston is likely okay with the various depth signings they made in free agency, as well as maintaining faith in incumbent Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson to hold down the interior.&lt;/p&gt;
  565. &lt;p id="zaj3It"&gt; Likely they will keep Howard at guard (never mind he is better at Tackle, but Houston is [KITTEN]-bent on keeping him there) and they figure that Cam Robinson, Blake Fisher and maybe Aireontae Ersery can hold down the tackle spots. Maybe they hope that something emerges from the UDFA pool. If nothing else, hopefully Stroud was working on his running abilities like he said he would after the Division Round loss at Kansas City.&lt;/p&gt;
  566. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  567. &lt;p id="T8AMht"&gt;Kenneth L. &lt;/p&gt;
  568. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="VBHP8F"&gt;As I posted on Twitter/X, I thought Nick Caserio was going to address offensive line early and often, but instead drafted more QBs than guards or centers. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  569. &lt;div id="wPipar"&gt;
  570. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  571. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;If you told me the Houston Texans would draft more quarterbacks than interior offensive lineman in the NFL Draft I'd tell you to see your local physician&lt;/p&gt;— Kenneth Levy (@Texans_Kenneth) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Texans_Kenneth/status/1916267757240283401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 26, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  572. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  573. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  574.  
  575. &lt;/div&gt;
  576. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  577. &lt;p id="YYGvW0"&gt;Ersery is a true tackle who I doubt can transition to guard due to his 6’6 frame. I don’t trust Jarrett Patterson to develop into a starting center nor has Juice Scruggs shown anything close to his second round selection. &lt;/p&gt;
  578. &lt;p id="a2tJqU"&gt;While “Best Player Available” is a fine strategy, Houston had two critical needs: protect C.J. Stroud and add weapons around C.J. Stroud. They added weapons, sure... but Stroud won’t have time to throw to them if he is running for his life. &lt;/p&gt;
  579. &lt;p id="UVELk9"&gt;If this season goes wrong and Stroud is the most sacked QB in the league, the only person you can point to is Caserio for not doing his job &lt;/p&gt;
  580. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  581. &lt;h3 id="KXIvuS"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/users/FizzyJoe?_gl=1*jpr8z8*_ga*OTAwNzE1NjM4LjE3MTIzMzc3NzI.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0NTgyMDA4OC4xNDAuMS4xNzQ1ODIxMTg3LjQ5LjAuMA.."&gt;FizzyJoe:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  582. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  583. &lt;p id="message-content-1365885954484736072"&gt;Very confused by it. I can understand trading out of the first round, and I can understand taking receivers and a tackle in the second round, but to pass up on ALL of the options on day three? I know that there was a lot of controversy surrounding some of the guards and tackles available in day three, but I don’t understand refusing to take a chance on even one of them when your current starters are Laken Tomlinson and Juice Scruggs/Tytus Howard.&lt;/p&gt;
  584. &lt;p id="X3k3M7"&gt;There is a possibility free agent signing Ed Ingram becomes the starting guard, but since he got benched in the middle of the season last year, I have my doubts. Moving Howard to guard will require Trent Brown/Blake Fisher/Aireontae Ersery to be starting-caliber at RT, which is a bet I’m honestly afraid to take. &lt;/p&gt;
  585. &lt;p id="XBOtQI"&gt;I personally prefer trying to draft players at the position they’ve played most of their lives instead of bouncing tackled and centers around the line like musical chairs, but I’m no expert. Maybe Jaylin Smith will provide more value to the team than Marcus Mbow or Miles Frazier, but as of right now, I sincerely doubt it.&lt;/p&gt;
  586. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  587. &lt;h3 id="MuCzOE"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/users/Patrick.H?_gl=1*jpr8z8*_ga*OTAwNzE1NjM4LjE3MTIzMzc3NzI.*_ga_2M5GYNY1YS*MTc0NTgyMDA4OC4xNDAuMS4xNzQ1ODIxMTg3LjQ5LjAuMA.."&gt;Patrick.H:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  588. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  589. &lt;p id="message-content-1366129665718091848"&gt;Of course I’m concerned. If you aren’t at least a little concerned, I’d think you weren’t paying all that close attention to the Texans last year.&lt;/p&gt;
  590. &lt;p id="8odCl1"&gt;However, I try to take a Socratic approach to it. The only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing... at least as far as the Texans are concerned. &lt;/p&gt;
  591. &lt;p id="uotoIk"&gt;At the moment, there’s still a bit of goodwill built up - I think - between Texans fans and the DeMeco Ryans/Nick Caserio regime, so I’m way more willing to see where this goes. They know more about the team than I do, than pretty much anyone that isn’t directly employed by the team does. Maybe Nick Caley and Cole Popovich sees something in the Scruggs/Patterson/Howard combination that Slowik and Strausser missed last year. Lord knows it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to think those two last year might not have gotten the full potential out of those players that they could have. &lt;/p&gt;
  592. &lt;p id="995icv"&gt;The thing I keep coming back to with Scruggs/Patterson is that you could see flashes of potential in their rookie years that would lead you to believe that they could be the answer that just weren’t there last year. So it if was just bad coaching (and at the moment we have every reason in the world to think that’s the case), then this line might be way better off than we might think. &lt;/p&gt;
  593. &lt;p id="nDOQMh"&gt;Either that or Nick Caley subscribes to the Mike Martz school of offensive coordinating and they’re going to let Stroud get annihilated to run a new Greatest Show On Turf knock off, in which case everybody needs to be fired immediately. But again, all I know is I know nothing, but this will be the first test of the team’s newly re-established goodwill. They better know what they’re doing.&lt;/p&gt;
  594. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  595. &lt;p id="WdALmn"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  596.  
  597. </content>
  598.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/28/24419217/texans-fail-to-address-interior-offensive-line-in-nfl-draft"/>
  599.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/28/24419217/texans-fail-to-address-interior-offensive-line-in-nfl-draft</id>
  600.    <author>
  601.      <name>Kenneth L.</name>
  602.    </author>
  603.  </entry>
  604.  <entry>
  605.    <published>2025-04-28T18:03:19-05:00</published>
  606.    <updated>2025-04-28T18:03:19-05:00</updated>
  607.    <title>Former Texan WR Woods Signs With Steelers</title>
  608.    <content type="html">  
  609.  
  610.    &lt;figure&gt;
  611.      &lt;img alt="Houston Texans v Dallas Cowboys" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xbUeVIbFU4aswY0BcJ8KGmqU5eU=/0x0:6504x4336/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74054700/2185790677.0.jpg" /&gt;
  612.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  613.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  614.  
  615.  &lt;p&gt;Robert Woods has officially moved on! What does that mean for the Texans?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="jFC9EJ"&gt;Even though the 2025 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt; has come and gone, free agency persists! Former &lt;a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt;, free agent wide Robert Woods has just signed with the &lt;a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/"&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/a&gt; on a one-year $2 million deal, per Ian Rapoport:&lt;/p&gt;
  616. &lt;div id="Q7IgrW"&gt;
  617. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  618. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Source: The &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Steelers&lt;/a&gt; are signing veteran WR Robert Woods to a 1-year, $2M deal. A new target and big-time locker room presence for… whoever their QB ends up being. The former &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Texans&lt;/a&gt; WR lands in a great spot. &lt;a href="https://t.co/19YldvwvsI"&gt;pic.twitter.com/19YldvwvsI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1916974860137599358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 28, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  619. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  620. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  621.  
  622. &lt;/div&gt;
  623. &lt;p id="TNiD4n"&gt;Woods, once a star for the prolific &lt;a href="https://www.turfshowtimes.com/"&gt;Los Angeles Rams&lt;/a&gt; offenses of the early Sean McVay era, has now turned journeyman wide receiver. He spent the last two seasons with Houston on a two-year $15.25 million contract and largely in a reserve role. His career stats in Houston are:&lt;/p&gt;
  624. &lt;ul&gt;
  625. &lt;li id="3UsaDB"&gt;29 Games (15 Starts)&lt;/li&gt;
  626. &lt;li id="vaLthZ"&gt;60 Receptions on 105 Targets &lt;/li&gt;
  627. &lt;li id="DamLym"&gt;57.1 Catch %&lt;/li&gt;
  628. &lt;li id="Tk3e7a"&gt;629 Yards (10.5 Y/R)&lt;/li&gt;
  629. &lt;li id="Z5Hidj"&gt;1 Touchdown&lt;/li&gt;
  630. &lt;/ul&gt;
  631. &lt;p id="E3Q2Ju"&gt;Woods had spent much of his career as a smooth route runner and speedster to many great offenses of the 2010s. But after his &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt; campaign with the Rams in 2021, “Bobby Trees” separated from Los Angeles and joined the &lt;a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/"&gt;Tennessee Titans&lt;/a&gt; for one, fairly forgettable 2022 tenure where he tallied 53 Receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns. His production continued to go down in both years in Houston, garnering 426 yards in 2023 and then just 203 yards last year. &lt;/p&gt;
  632. &lt;p id="aKLaUL"&gt;Woods is still a very fast player with exceptional skills in footwork, but he’s less effective than he was in the past. It made sense for general manager Nick Caserio to move on from Woods and make room for younger receivers, but…it’s still hard to see him go. Woods became known for being an exceptional locker room presence and “glue guy” for the teams he’s been on. And to me, personally, even though he was just a rotational receiver, Woods became one of the icons of the Texans resurgence in quarterback C.J. Stroud’s rookie and sophomore seasons. He was not flashy and was never expected to be a long-term player for the Texans, but Woods made big plays when needed and was a safety valve for a rookie quarterback. Now that he’s gone to Pittsburgh, more expectations will be placed on Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie, or rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jalin Noel.&lt;/p&gt;
  633. &lt;div id="YKdRxD"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rl06FLoNNTc?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  634. &lt;p id="cz1gkM"&gt;What do you think of this signing by the Steelers? Should the Texans have brought Woods back, or were they right to let him go? Let us know in the comments below!&lt;/p&gt;
  635. &lt;p id="tuubSG"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  636.  
  637. </content>
  638.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/28/24419861/former-texan-wr-woods-signs-with-steelers"/>
  639.    <id>https://www.battleredblog.com/2025/4/28/24419861/former-texan-wr-woods-signs-with-steelers</id>
  640.    <author>
  641.      <name>FizzyJoe</name>
  642.    </author>
  643.  </entry>
  644.  <entry>
  645.    <published>2025-04-28T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  646.    <updated>2025-04-28T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  647.    <title>Poll: Which 2025 Houston Texans draft pick excites you the most?</title>
  648.    <content type="html">  
  649.  
  650.    &lt;figure&gt;
  651.      &lt;img alt="Syndication: Green Bay Press-Gazette" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/08ApxjonXBIXTP0c2kUbpycX3uw=/0x155:4899x3421/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74053239/usa_today_26018777.0.jpg" /&gt;
  652.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  653.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  654.  
  655.  &lt;p&gt;Hint: It wasn’t a center or guard cause they didn't pick one...&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="IxnHPS"&gt;For all the trading, shuffling up/down and other “excitement” out of the Houston Texans draft room, it’s hard to tell if they hit a home run in any of the rounds. Well, they definitely didn’t in the 1st, since general manager Nick Caserio traded back when the time came. However, lots of reasons exist to get excited about this draft class, even if none of them play interior offensive line. &lt;/p&gt;
  656. &lt;p id="ZKfGEN"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-final-snap-grades-for-all-32-teams"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL.com &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  657. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  658. &lt;p id="sD3HJW"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grade: A-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  659. &lt;p id="rrQS9E"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 2 (No. 34): &lt;/strong&gt;WR &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jayden-higgins/32004849-4722-8409-9777-0ef748df904a"&gt;Jayden Higgins&lt;/a&gt;, Iowa State&lt;/p&gt;
  660. &lt;p id="r4ElgO"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 2 (No. 48): &lt;/strong&gt;OT&lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/aireontae-ersery/32004552-5341-5291-e2d1-67b4a003c74d"&gt; Aireontae Ersery&lt;/a&gt;, Minnesota&lt;/p&gt;
  661. &lt;p id="CIPqHU"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 3 (No. 79):&lt;/strong&gt; WR &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jaylin-noel/32004e4f-4537-8255-74e9-bfa22151ef3a"&gt;Jaylin Noel&lt;/a&gt;, Iowa State&lt;/p&gt;
  662. &lt;p id="xNfvTY"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 3 (No. 97):&lt;/strong&gt; CB &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jaylin-smith/3200534d-4939-0278-5197-ec678009c1ef"&gt;Jaylin Smith&lt;/a&gt;, USC&lt;/p&gt;
  663. &lt;p id="sr5nHU"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 4 (No. 116):&lt;/strong&gt; RB &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/woody-marks/32004d41-5226-2884-e765-cb430266e649"&gt;Woody Marks&lt;/a&gt;, USC&lt;/p&gt;
  664. &lt;p id="yE1ij3"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 6 (No. 187): &lt;/strong&gt;S &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jaylen-reed/32005245-4526-4482-5957-ff5b3dd2af50"&gt;Jaylen Reed&lt;/a&gt;, Penn State&lt;/p&gt;
  665. &lt;p id="THdXcA"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 6 (No. 197):&lt;/strong&gt; QB &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/graham-mertz/32004d45-5278-3922-ed3e-b76b8ef413b4"&gt;Graham Mertz&lt;/a&gt;, Florida&lt;/p&gt;
  666. &lt;p id="KabueY"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 7 (No. 224):&lt;/strong&gt; DT &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kyonte-hamilton/32004841-4d24-7756-9e2d-9acc3dd5188b"&gt;Kyonte Hamilton&lt;/a&gt;, Rutgers&lt;/p&gt;
  667. &lt;p id="OqlrhZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Round 7 (No. 255):&lt;/strong&gt; TE &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/luke-lachey/32004c41-4337-5737-332b-49b3eb218fa0"&gt;Luke Lachey&lt;/a&gt;, Iowa&lt;/p&gt;
  668. &lt;p id="mTgzlV"&gt;Analysis: &lt;/p&gt;
  669. &lt;p id="tvKX9e"&gt;The Texans did well to add two more Iowa State Cyclones to their receivers room, with Higgins and Noel joining former teammate &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/players/xavier-hutchinson/"&gt;Xavier Hutchinson&lt;/a&gt; to support &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/players/c-j-stroud/"&gt;C.J. Stroud&lt;/a&gt;. I thought they might take Ersery in the first round, so &lt;a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-trade-tracker-full-details-on-every-draft-related-move-since-start-of-new-league-year"&gt;the trade up&lt;/a&gt; for him in Round 2 made sense to me, as did the swap that led to the acquisition of the versatile and tough Smith in Round 3. &lt;/p&gt;
  670. &lt;p id="pXTiVq"&gt;Marks is not just a strong runner but can be another target for Stroud as a receiver. We’ll see if patience would have been wiser than giving up a third-round pick next year to move into Round 4 for him. Mertz has some positive attributes but was inconsistent and suffered injuries in college. Hamilton meets a need for young depth at tackle. Lachey lost a step due to injury but could prove to have been a steal in the seventh.&lt;/p&gt;
  671. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  672. &lt;div id="V9MUBU"&gt;
  673. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  674. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The Texans had the strongest day 2. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Reuniting Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins on top of snagging a BEAST of a developmental OT in Aireontae Ersery.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;There is a lot to be excited about in Houston… &lt;a href="https://t.co/It5DRLsJiS"&gt;pic.twitter.com/It5DRLsJiS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1916523305474883751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 27, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  675. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  676. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  677.  
  678. &lt;/div&gt;
  679. &lt;h2 id="7wb56l"&gt;Houston Texans draft Jayden Higgins&lt;/h2&gt;
  680. &lt;div id="eLH9cw"&gt;
  681. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  682. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;CJ Stroud gets another STUD weapon in Jayden Higgins  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Texans WR room is looking scary   &lt;a href="https://t.co/7cD4EC6Umj"&gt;pic.twitter.com/7cD4EC6Umj&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/brgridiron/status/1915909023309959464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  683. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  684. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  685.  
  686. &lt;/div&gt;
  687. &lt;p id="ehoMqR"&gt;With the #34 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Jayden Higgins, wide receiver from Iowa State. The 6’4” 214lbs receiver ran a 4.47 40 at the NFL combine. His 10-yard split, 1.53 seconds. 39” vertical jump, 10’ 8” broad jump. NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats had him as the 5th best receiver in the draft. &lt;/p&gt;
  688. &lt;p id="hzAQoT"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641847&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2FPFF.com&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.battleredblog.com%2F2025%2F4%2F28%2F24419266%2Fpoll-which-2025-houston-texans-draft-pick-excites-you-the-most" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;PFF.com&lt;/a&gt; gave Higgins a 90.3 overall grade in 2024. During his last season in the NCAA, he only had 2 drops, forced 12 missed tackles, had 8 deep catches, completed 14 contested catches, gained 229 yards on deep routes, 364 from the slot and 20 via screen pass. &lt;/p&gt;
  689. &lt;p id="OyGZuf"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641847&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnfl%2Fplayers%2FJayden-Higgins%2F150240%2Fdraft-profile&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.battleredblog.com%2F2025%2F4%2F28%2F24419266%2Fpoll-which-2025-houston-texans-draft-pick-excites-you-the-most" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PFF.com &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  690. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="p1IFqY"&gt;Higgins was one of the few receivers at the top of this draft class with ideal ‘X’ receiver size at 6’4” and 215 pounds, and he added to that physical profile with strong testing across the board at the NFL Combine. He profiles as a reliable possession receiver who dropped just three of his 209 targets over the past two seasons at &lt;a href="https://premium.pff.com/ncaa/teams/2024/REGPO"&gt;Iowa&lt;/a&gt; State. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  691. &lt;p id="xMlpsk"&gt;Expect Higgins to land in the day 1 starting depth chart along with Nico Collins. &lt;/p&gt;
  692. &lt;p id="ojV0bO"&gt;While that seems like Caserio hit on a need, providing more receiver options for C.J. Stroud, you could easily make the argument that offensive line was a far more pressing concern. And 1 the Texans didn’t really address much. &lt;/p&gt;
  693. &lt;h2 id="x6pDb1"&gt;Houston Texans draft Aireontae Ersery&lt;/h2&gt;
  694. &lt;p id="uwaMZr"&gt;With the #34 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Aireontae Ersery, offensive tackle from Minnesota. By this point, the “flashy” tackle choices were off the board. &lt;a href="http://NFL.com"&gt;NFL.com&lt;/a&gt; has Ersery rated as an eventual “average starter”. Guess that’s an upgrade from the below average play of the overall line in 2024. Others are far higher on this 6’6” mountain of a man. &lt;/p&gt;
  695. &lt;div id="QkkSwZ"&gt;
  696. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  697. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Aireontae Ersery posted an INSANE 9.89 RAS, including a 5.01 40 at 6’6, 331lbs  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;But how’s the tape? Well…&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;➖ POWERFUL hands&lt;br&gt;➖ initial quickness&lt;br&gt;➖ strong anchor&lt;br&gt;➖ solid vertical pass sets&lt;br&gt;➖ skilled combo blocker&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Likely a 2nd round pick &lt;a href="https://t.co/nlmikC5Hb8"&gt;pic.twitter.com/nlmikC5Hb8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DF/status/1900578468602998985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 14, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  698. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  699. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  700.  
  701. &lt;/div&gt;
  702. &lt;p id="DsVY3O"&gt;PFF is definitely more optimistic, too. &lt;/p&gt;
  703. &lt;p id="MZcjli"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641847&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fdraft-grades-for-all-32-teams-2025-nfl-draft%23hou&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.battleredblog.com%2F2025%2F4%2F28%2F24419266%2Fpoll-which-2025-houston-texans-draft-pick-excites-you-the-most" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PFF.com &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  704. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="rJazvx"&gt;The Texans’ offensive line offseason overhaul continues here with the Ersery addition. Over the last two seasons, Ersery showcased an explosive first step and quick feet, allowing him to significantly impact zone-blocking schemes, where his 89.5 PFF grade charted in the 84th percentile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  705. &lt;p id="fOAU98"&gt;His 2023 PFF grade was a very respectable 84.0, which backslid to a 77.5 in 2024. Ersery excelled against UCLA, Iowa and Maryland last season, but struggled mightily against Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. &lt;/p&gt;
  706. &lt;p id="6pNwjl"&gt;Hopefully Caserio has his eyes on another veteran tackle, as Ersery may not be a day one starter. &lt;/p&gt;
  707. &lt;h2 id="urwNUD"&gt;Houston Texans draft Jaylin Noel&lt;/h2&gt;
  708. &lt;p id="1gZu2t"&gt;With the #79 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Jaylin Noel, wide receiver from Iowa State. Noel ranked as the #7 overall receiver per Next Gen stats, only 2 behind former Iowa State teammate turned Texans draft pick Jayden Higgins. Noel, however, is an entirely different sort of pass catcher than the big possession man H-Town took with their 1st overall pick. &lt;/p&gt;
  709. &lt;p id="GHYmwF"&gt;Noel ran a 4.39 40, 1.51 split, a 6.82 3-cone drill and a 4.17 20-yard shuttle. His 41.5” vertical and 11’2” broad jump rounded out his fleet-footed stats. Iowa State primarily used Noel from the slot, but he did enter the Arkansas State game as a right WR and the Houston game as a left WR, showing his versatility. &lt;/p&gt;
  710. &lt;p id="xPOKM5"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641847&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fdraft-grades-for-all-32-teams-2025-nfl-draft%23hou&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.battleredblog.com%2F2025%2F4%2F28%2F24419266%2Fpoll-which-2025-houston-texans-draft-pick-excites-you-the-most" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PFF.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  711. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="P1KjMt"&gt;Noel brings strength and athleticism to the slot for the Texans. He earned an 81.7 PFF receiving grade with 2.62 yards per route run in 2024, showing good body control on off-target passes and looking explosive with the ball in his hands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  712. &lt;div id="BwBa21"&gt;
  713. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  714. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Jaylin Noel 2025 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReceptionPerception?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#ReceptionPerception&lt;/a&gt; Prospect Profile  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Some highlights:&lt;br&gt;- 74.1% success rate vs. man coverage (84th percentile)&lt;br&gt;- 81.8% success rate vs. zone coverage&lt;br&gt;- 80% contested catch rate in the sample&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Guy is a baller, and I can easily see how he's going to help an NFL… &lt;a href="https://t.co/An5TFWU53c"&gt;pic.twitter.com/An5TFWU53c&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/1910009871065325832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 9, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  715. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  716. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  717.  
  718. &lt;/div&gt;
  719. &lt;p id="ObK2eR"&gt;Beyond those 3, the Houston Texans draft was seemingly all about depth and special teams. USC cornerback Jaylin Smith will have a very tough time breaking into the starting lineup, but can make an impact on kickoff/return plays. Running back Woody Marks, also from USC, is more a scat back, but likely to see the field on kick/return plays as well. &lt;/p&gt;
  720. &lt;p id="c49ZYw"&gt;And if Florida quarterback Graham Mertz sees the field on gameday we have bigger problems. &lt;/p&gt;
  721. &lt;p id="17kCuw"&gt;However, the fun of rookies is you don’t know til they show. Lots of draft analysts high on some, low on others and vice versa. Just remember, people didn’t expect much of anything from Arian Foster... &lt;/p&gt;
  722. &lt;p id="h1lpI2"&gt;Which of these players got you most excited for the 2025 NFL season and beyond? &lt;/p&gt;
  723. &lt;div id="tB65Xd"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12609025"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  724. &lt;p id="JFo5bx"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  725.  
  726. </content>
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  729.    <author>
  730.      <name>Mike Bullock</name>
  731.    </author>
  732.  </entry>
  733. </feed>
  734.  

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