25. Houston Texans - Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State
Offensive line and wide receiver should be the primary first-round targets for the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft. Their OL was among the worst in the NFL back in 2024 and the primary reason why this team did not take that next step.
Heck, in 2023 and 2024, they won 10 games, won the AFC South, and won one playoff game. It’s actually impressive how consistent they have been, but that obviously isn’t what they are shooting for here. Grey Zabel is a Day 1 starter along the interior of the offensive line, but they could also take a left or right tackle with this pick.
Houston notably traded Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders this offseason, but they also signed Trent Brown, Cam Robinson, and Laken Tomlinson. GM Nick Caserio is clearly bringing in some new faces to try and fix this OL, but more reinforcements in the 2025 NFL Draft are desperately needed.
I could see Houston grabbing Emeka Egbuka here, reuniting him and CJ Stroud from their days at Ohio State.
26. Los Angeles Rams - Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
The Los Angeles Rams, it feels like, have hit on every single one of their defensive line draft picks over the last few seasons. It’s truly impressive how they have rebuilt this team. It’s not that top-heavy superteam anymore that won the Super Bowl back in 2021.
LA started the year 1-4 back in 2024 but managed to finish with a solid 10-7 record, which was good enough to capture the NFC West title. If the Rams do start off the 2025 NFL Season not dealing with insanely brutal injuries, they won’t start 1-4 and should be able to win 12 or more games this year.
Nic Scourton could be yet another ‘hit’ along the defensive line from the NFL Draft. It’s clear that GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay are still at the tops of their respective games, and there is no reason to believe why that cannot continue.