Year three of the Houston Texans under head coach DeMeco Ryans is the most important one. The first year usually doesn't start with playoff appearances, let alone a win in the postseason, especially not when they won just a few games the year before. You would think that usually, the second year is the year they make an even bigger jump, but more often than not, that's the year where teams finally have some sort of obstacle to overcome.
Year two is when a team is tested the most, and how you respond to that test shows you the real direction you're going in. Despite not going further in the postseason than they did in year one, the Texans showed they can handle any obstacle thrown at them. They still beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs and ended up losing to the dynasty in the Kansas City Chiefs.
Year three is where they could really get over that round-two hump in the AFC, especially if they nail this offseason right. As of right now, they are currently only projected to have around $7 million in cap space. Now, they can always make moves to make that go up, but it's obvious they are working on a tight budget.
Most of the offseason success is going to have to come by way of the 2025 NFL Draft. So, I have put together the perfect three picks to start their 2025 NFL Draft that would greatly help them get over that hump.
Houston Texans 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 25: OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
It's no secret that the Houston Texans needed to do a better job of protecting their franchise guy in C.J. Stroud last season. Stroud was sacked 56 times last year, the second most in the NFL, and hurried 72 times, the most in the NFL according to FantasyPros. Stroud averages 2.98 seconds on time to throw in 2024, a number that is closer to the bottom of the league than it is to the top of the league.
That's unacceptable, especially if you want to capitalize on Stroud being on a rookie contract. After this 2025 season, the Texans will be eligible to give Stroud an extension, but, there's no point in doing that if you're going to allow him to be hit every single game.
Zabel is a tackle in college, but can play that or the guard position in the NFL due to some of his measurables. The Texans could use some help really at every position on the offensive line, whether it be depth or starter material. Drafting Zabel, a guy who was one of the most polarizing offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, would be a smart pick at No. 25.
Round 2, Pick 57: DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State
The Texans have the best pass-rushing duo on the edge in the entire league, and I'm not sure many people would dispute that. Between Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., the Texans had two players in the top seven in pressure rate percentage, Will Anderson at 16.9% and Hunter at 19.1% sitting in third. The two of them combined for 148 pressures, the most of any duo in the league.
But, they need some production in the middle. They need players who can take up space and stop the run, as well as dudes who can push the interior offensive line back and suffocate the pocket. A guy like Farmer would do just that.
At 6'3", 318 pounds, Farmer is the size of a guy who will be used to taking up space in the run game. But, he has the skill set to rush the passer as well. The sack numbers aren't great, but he forced quarterbacks into teammates' sacks plenty of times over the last three years. In three seasons at Florida State, Farmer had 11 total sacks.
Round 3, Pick 89: WR Tre Harris, Ole Miss
With the injury that Tank Dell sustained, and the questions surrounding that, along with Stefon Diggs becoming a free agent, the Texans need a wide receiver, and they need one bad. Many people may argue that it would be smarter to take a wide receiver earlier, and that may be true. But in this mock, I was able to wait it out and get one of the best receivers in the SEC last season.
Harris doesn't have the resume to go in the first round. He has some questions about consistency. But, this last year, he was amazing with Jaxson Dart orchestrating the offense.
Harris finished with over 1,000 yards in eight games last season. The two years before that he played 12 games each, finishing with over 900 receiving yards in each, but one season being with Louisiana Tech. Harris has dealt with some injury issues, too, another reason he could fall to the third round.
Now, it's also likely he will go in the second round. But, for the case of the mock draft, and wanting this to be a situation where everything goes perfectly for the Texans, we will keep him in the third round. The Texans need to make the right three picks to start off their draft if they want to stay ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans in the AFC South.
