Houston Texans 7-Round Mock Draft

PFF tosses out these new additions for H-Town football.

For Houston Texans fans, the 2025 NFL Draft can’t get here fast enough. With just over two weeks until the festivities kick off on April 24th, expect the predictions, mock drafts and wild speculations to ramp up faster than the Dallas Cowboys are eliminated from the playoffs.

Pro Football Focus just dropped their full, 7-Round Mock Draft this week. While most of these rarely play out as predicted, it’s always fun to consider, debate and offer counter-opinions.

Let’s go.

PFF.com

Like their division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans should make this offseason all about surrounding their quarterback with talent. Injuries and depth were major concerns at wide receiver last season, and the interior offensive line needs multiple upgrades.

Expect Houston to target both positions in free agency and the draft while also taking advantage of this year’s deep running back class.

If Houston’s general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans walk away with starters on the offensive line, help in the receiving corps and someone to compliment bell cow Joe Mixon, this draft is a smashing success.

The first pick PFF mocks would likely make us all very, very happy.

ROUND 1, PICK 25: WR MATTHEW GOLDEN, TEXAS

Golden is an excellent route-runner who creates natural separation. Of his 59 receptions in 2024, 26 were explosive plays (gains of 15 or more yards), and he won 60% of his contested targets.

If you pay any attention to football in the great state of Texas, you know who Golden is. Imagine him, Nico Collins, Christian Kirk and an eventually healthy Tank Dell all flying around waiting for C.J. Stroud to hit them in stride. That has the makings of the greatest professional receiving corps in Texas history.

Apparently PFF thinks there’s a high-speed rail from Austin to Houston already in place as they mock another Longhorn to H-Town at #2.

ROUND 2, PICK 58: OL CAMERON WILLIAMS, TEXAS

Williams will be a natural fit and an upgrade at guard for the Texans. Though he had a couple of rough outings in the playoffs—while playing through injury and shifting outside to tackle—he was excellent during the regular season, allowing just two sacks and two hits in pass protection.

Two hits and two sacks? Too bad the Laremy Tunsil led 2024 offensive line couldn’t say the same.

Speaking of complimenting the violent assault of Joe Mixon’s rushing attack, they went to Tennessee for the next newest Texan.

ROUND 3, PICK 89: RB DYLAN SAMPSON, TENNESSEE

Sampson forced 85 missed tackles in 2024 and recorded 39 explosive runs of 10 or more yards.

A runner who evades tackles and has the speed to eat up open field in the blink of an eye would certainly provide a great 1-2 punch to Mixon’s style. If the offensive line can even run block at the league average, this two-headed monster would give opposing defenders nightmares.

If you watch Sampson’s game against Alabama last year, at first glance he doesn’t do so well. Looking deeper, the reason is Tennessee’s o-line is overwhelmed by the Crimson Tide D and Sampson rarely has more than a split second without a defender in his face. But, when he does, he gashes ‘Bama for a big gain. Pay attention Texans’ O-Line.

Not quite sure why PFF has an interior defensive lineman mocked up next, maybe BPA? The fact he’s a Swiss-army knife sort of player might bode well, and he could be a nice addition on special teams.

ROUND 4, PICK 127: DI JJ PEGUES, MISSISSIPPI

Pegues is a dominant interior run-stopper. He tallied 17 run stops in 2024, with an average tackle depth of just 0.18 yards. Expect him to contribute on the other side of the ball as well, as the NFL asked him to work out at fullback during the combine.

If former Battle Red Writer and all-around great guy Brett Kollmann likes him, that’s good enough for me.

Next up we get another offensive lineman. By round five it’s hit or miss if you’re still in starter quality territory, but this is a deep draft for starters. And, round five has produced some NFL legends over the years. Not saying this cat is the next Jonathon Ogden, but quality O-line depth is definitely valuable in the modern, “half the team gets injured during the season”, NFL world.

ROUND 5, PICK 167: T GERAD CHRISTIAN-LICHTENHAN, OREGON STATE

Christian-Lichtenhan transferred to Oregon State from Colorado for the 2024 season and excelled for the Beavers, allowing just three sacks and 12 total pressures—down from 43 the previous year with the Buffaloes.

The Texans’ version of “Mr. Irrelevant” this time around will likely have to fight for a spot through the special teams door. If he can hit his way from Maryland to the NRG, then he might get a shot at game day defensive depth chart status in a year or two.

ROUND 7, PICK 243:S DANTE TRADER JR., MARYLAND

Trader earned an impressive 83.0 run-defense grade in 2024 while posting a 19.2% forced incompletion rate in coverage.