The Houston Texans have drafted well over the last 15 years and have impressed recently with the addition of players like C.J. Stroud.
Stroud has become one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, having been taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft. Right after him in that same draft was defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who has left his mark on the franchise already as well. More recently, the Texans drafted wide receiver Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, both of which were quality selections for their position in the draft.
That said, Ben Solak broke down the best player taken at each draft slot over the existence of the league. The Texans were a well-represented franchise.
Here's what ESPN's Solak wrote on J.J. Watt, who was seen as the best player ever taken at No. 11.
"It was a little tricky to take Watt over Hall of Famers such as Michael Irvin and Patrick Willis -- until you remember that Watt will be a first-ballot lock. Injuries robbed us of a real race between Watt and Aaron Donald for best modern defensive player. From 2012 to 2015, Watt earned four consecutive first-team All-Pro nods and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was building an all-time résumé and should be remembered as an all-time player," he said.
Watt was a five-time Pro Bowl defensive end with all of those appearances coming with the Texans and was also elected to the All-Pro roster five times. He led the league with 20.5 sacks in 2012 and had 17 or more sacks in three of his first five seasons in the NFL before eventually ending his career with the Cardinals. That's incredibly impressive, and it should earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame eventually, but that is still yet to be seen.
Texans fans will know Matt Schaub well, and he was seen as the best pick at No. 90, taken in the 2004 draft.
