The Houston Texans started out 0-3 in 2025 and finished 12-5, coming within one game of the AFC South title in a marvelous rebound after a brutal start. However, yet again, this team fell short in the playoffs, and for the third year in a row, lost in the Divisional Round.
A Divisional Round loss has been this team's fate in all three years of the CJ Stroud era, and something, one way or another, has to give. Stroud himself really hasn't played all that well since his miraculous rookie season, and some have begun to wonder if Stroud is even the long-term answer for Houston.
What does appear to be clear, though, is that this team got better in the offseason. The major concern was along the offensive line, and to fix that, General Manager Nick Caserio signed guard Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith. All of a sudden, Houston's offensive line is the best it's been in the Stroud era, and the defense is already elite. After this fantastic offseason haul, let's see how the Texans could approach the 2026 NFL Draft.
Houston Texans updated NFL Mock Draft following stellar free agency
28. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
CJ Allen has been seen by many as one of the smartest players in the NFL Draft. He would be capable of wearing the green dot on offense and would insert into an already-elite unit. The rich get richer as some say, as Allen would give the Texans some long-term stability at linebacker, which isn't really something they have at the moment.
38. Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
Again addressing the defense, Houston snags Lee Hunter at pick 38 and improve even more on this side of the ball. Some folks along Houston's interior are getting up there in age, so this pick is simply about ensuring the unit is fortified for depth purposes now and perhaps for starting purposes in the future.
Houston fixing the offensive line in free agency does give them some wiggle room in the NFL Draft, which could allow the front office to put this roster over the top.