Poll: Which 2025 Houston Texans draft pick excites you the most?

Hint: It wasn’t a center or guard cause they didn’t pick one…

For all the trading, shuffling up/down and other “excitement” out of the Houston Texans draft room, it’s hard to tell if they hit a home run in any of the rounds. Well, they definitely didn’t in the 1st, since general manager Nick Caserio traded back when the time came. However, lots of reasons exist to get excited about this draft class, even if none of them play interior offensive line.

NFL.com

Grade: A-

Round 2 (No. 34): WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Round 2 (No. 48): OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota

Round 3 (No. 79): WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State

Round 3 (No. 97): CB Jaylin Smith, USC

Round 4 (No. 116): RB Woody Marks, USC

Round 6 (No. 187): S Jaylen Reed, Penn State

Round 6 (No. 197): QB Graham Mertz, Florida

Round 7 (No. 224): DT Kyonte Hamilton, Rutgers

Round 7 (No. 255): TE Luke Lachey, Iowa

Analysis:

The Texans did well to add two more Iowa State Cyclones to their receivers room, with Higgins and Noel joining former teammate Xavier Hutchinson to support C.J. Stroud. I thought they might take Ersery in the first round, so the trade up for him in Round 2 made sense to me, as did the swap that led to the acquisition of the versatile and tough Smith in Round 3.

Marks is not just a strong runner but can be another target for Stroud as a receiver. We’ll see if patience would have been wiser than giving up a third-round pick next year to move into Round 4 for him. Mertz has some positive attributes but was inconsistent and suffered injuries in college. Hamilton meets a need for young depth at tackle. Lachey lost a step due to injury but could prove to have been a steal in the seventh.

Houston Texans draft Jayden Higgins

With the #34 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Jayden Higgins, wide receiver from Iowa State. The 6’4” 214lbs receiver ran a 4.47 40 at the NFL combine. His 10-yard split, 1.53 seconds. 39” vertical jump, 10’ 8” broad jump. NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats had him as the 5th best receiver in the draft.

PFF.com gave Higgins a 90.3 overall grade in 2024. During his last season in the NCAA, he only had 2 drops, forced 12 missed tackles, had 8 deep catches, completed 14 contested catches, gained 229 yards on deep routes, 364 from the slot and 20 via screen pass.

PFF.com

Higgins was one of the few receivers at the top of this draft class with ideal ‘X’ receiver size at 6’4” and 215 pounds, and he added to that physical profile with strong testing across the board at the NFL Combine. He profiles as a reliable possession receiver who dropped just three of his 209 targets over the past two seasons at Iowa State.

Expect Higgins to land in the day 1 starting depth chart along with Nico Collins.

While that seems like Caserio hit on a need, providing more receiver options for C.J. Stroud, you could easily make the argument that offensive line was a far more pressing concern. And 1 the Texans didn’t really address much.

Houston Texans draft Aireontae Ersery

With the #34 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Aireontae Ersery, offensive tackle from Minnesota. By this point, the “flashy” tackle choices were off the board. NFL.com has Ersery rated as an eventual “average starter”. Guess that’s an upgrade from the below average play of the overall line in 2024. Others are far higher on this 6’6” mountain of a man.

PFF is definitely more optimistic, too.

PFF.com

The Texans’ offensive line offseason overhaul continues here with the Ersery addition. Over the last two seasons, Ersery showcased an explosive first step and quick feet, allowing him to significantly impact zone-blocking schemes, where his 89.5 PFF grade charted in the 84th percentile.

His 2023 PFF grade was a very respectable 84.0, which backslid to a 77.5 in 2024. Ersery excelled against UCLA, Iowa and Maryland last season, but struggled mightily against Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Hopefully Caserio has his eyes on another veteran tackle, as Ersery may not be a day one starter.

Houston Texans draft Jaylin Noel

With the #79 overall pick, the Houston Texans selected Jaylin Noel, wide receiver from Iowa State. Noel ranked as the #7 overall receiver per Next Gen stats, only 2 behind former Iowa State teammate turned Texans draft pick Jayden Higgins. Noel, however, is an entirely different sort of pass catcher than the big possession man H-Town took with their 1st overall pick.

Noel ran a 4.39 40, 1.51 split, a 6.82 3-cone drill and a 4.17 20-yard shuttle. His 41.5” vertical and 11’2” broad jump rounded out his fleet-footed stats. Iowa State primarily used Noel from the slot, but he did enter the Arkansas State game as a right WR and the Houston game as a left WR, showing his versatility.

PFF.com

Noel brings strength and athleticism to the slot for the Texans. He earned an 81.7 PFF receiving grade with 2.62 yards per route run in 2024, showing good body control on off-target passes and looking explosive with the ball in his hands.

Beyond those 3, the Houston Texans draft was seemingly all about depth and special teams. USC cornerback Jaylin Smith will have a very tough time breaking into the starting lineup, but can make an impact on kickoff/return plays. Running back Woody Marks, also from USC, is more a scat back, but likely to see the field on kick/return plays as well.

And if Florida quarterback Graham Mertz sees the field on gameday we have bigger problems.

However, the fun of rookies is you don’t know til they show. Lots of draft analysts high on some, low on others and vice versa. Just remember, people didn’t expect much of anything from Arian Foster…

Which of these players got you most excited for the 2025 NFL season and beyond?