The Houston Texans won’t be working with a lot of high draft picks in 2024.
A year after Houston picked No. 2 and No. 3, the Texans have the 27th-most draft capital, according to Tankathon. The only teams with less draft capital are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys, the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns. The Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears rank No. 1 to No. 3, respectively.
Houston won’t pick until the second round after the team traded away the No. 23 pick (received via the Deshaun Watson trade with Cleveland) to the Minnesota Vikings. The Texans still have eight total picks, but only three in the top 100: Nos. 42, 59 and 86. Houston also picks at Nos. 123, 127, 188, 238 and 247.
Not having a first-round pick isn’t fun for fans, especially after the Texans drafted franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 pick and then traded up to No. 3 to take Will Anderson. They ended up winning NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. But two second-round picks this year and another in 2025 will help build a roster through the draft.
It’s also a good sign when a team is picking in the later portions of the round. That usually means the team went far in the postseason. Just look at the other teams around the Texans: The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the Lions went to the NFC title game and the other three teams made the playoffs.
General manager Nick Caserio has also been good at taking prospects in the later rounds. Wide receiver Tank Dell and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs were taken on Day 2 in 2023, linebacker Christian Harris was a third-round pick in 2022 and wide receiver Nico Collins was a 2021 third-rounder.
The Texans have some glaring needs on their young roster. Houston could use another outside cornerback, safety, interior offensive and defensive linemen and a third wide receiver.