Player, position, both?
Now that the 2024 NFL season is officially over, Houston Texans fans can turn their attention towards the pending 2025 NFL Draft, starting on April 24th.
As always happens this time of year, the mock drafts are hard charging, trying to fill the void of actual football news that happens in the 2-week doldrums post Super Bowl.
With the Texans bringing in Nick Caley as the new offensive coordinator and elevating Greg Popovich to offensive line coach (from assistant offensive line coach… ) it might seem that Houston will leverage their 1st round draft capital to land another offensive playmaker.
Meanwhile, the NFL is still a copycat league and once again the NFC East has shown Super Bowl’s are won by a smash-mouth defense that can run roughshod over a high-flying AFC offense. For those who didn’t pay attention, the Philadelphia Eagles defense slapped Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift back into place early and often throughout the big game, ultimately shutting out the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs offense for the entire first half of the contest.
Most, if not all of the other NFL owners, head coaches and general managers paid attention.
Meaning, don’t be surprised if Texans head coach and defensive guru Demeco Ryans is already lobbying for more firepower on the shut down side of the ball.
As of this writing, the Texans own the 25th overall pick.
Round 1, Pick 25
Round 2, Pick 56
Round 3, Pick 89
Round 4, Pick 125
Round 5, Pick 167 (via Buffalo Bills)
Round 7, Pick 243
While many talking heads and football sites scramble to get their mock drafts out into the world, the NFL and a few others are already hip-drop deep into their initial prophesies.
Chad Reuter at NFL.com has Nick Caserio pulling off a draft day trade with former Texans’ offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s new employer, the Miami Dolphins, landing H-Town higher on the board. All to the delight of Ryans.
Pick 13 Jalon Walker
Georgia · LB · Junior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Texans showed they are willing to make a big move for a special player when they traded up for Will Anderson Jr. two years ago. Walker can blitz, play the run at the second level and line up on the edge. Houston sends its first-, second- and third-round selections to Miami for this pick and a fourth-rounder.
Seems like a pretty steep price to pay for one player. And, nothing about this analysis makes me believe he’s a “give up your draft for one piece” sort of defender. Especially when the Texans are a bit more than 1-player away from domination.
Overview
Some see Walker as a “tweener” while others view him as a “hybrid.” Either way, Walker can go. His career snap count is split between edge and linebacker, and his leadership is famous in the Georgia building. He’s still working to fine-tune his instincts and efficiency as an off-ball linebacker but has the take-on and closing burst to become a productive pro at that spot. He’s tough but small as an early down edge rusher, but his athletic talent and suddenness to attack both edges makes him a menace for tackles. The most valuable usage for Walker is likely to come as an early down linebacker who can rush off the edge or match up across the line as a blitzer on passing downs.
Strengths
Hybrid talent who takes snaps as an off-ball linebacker and on the edge.
Drifts downhill to meet blocks and constrict the run lane.
Good length to stack blocks or punch and pass on the move.
Twitched up with an elite closing burst to the football.
Rush attack is highly athletic and very natural.
Varies step cadence and entry angles, creating passivity from tackles.
Slide-and-slap move inside creates sudden pocket heat.
Strong hips drive through redirection blocks as a blitzer.
Weaknesses
Below-average size as a full-time edge defender.
Improved off the ball but still developing his instincts.
Needs to prevent his play-side shoulder from being covered.
Average bend limits his sink and flatten potential at the top.
Gets mauled by size when his rush crowds too close to tackle.
Meanwhile, over at Bleacher Report, they have the Texans going offense. Looking at the 2024 Texans, the games lost were rarely on the defense and often on the O-Line or injury plagued receiver corps.
25. Houston Texans: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden helped himself this past season as much as any other prospect in the 2025 class. Golden wasn’t viewed as a first-round option, let alone WR3 (possibly WR2 depending on which team is drafting) after transferring from the Houston Cougars to join the Longhorns program.
Yet the early entrant went on to lead his new team with 987 receiving yards and nine touchdown grabs. The suddenness seen in Golden’s game is startling. His ability to change gears as quickly as he does makes up for a slight frame, because he’s going to create separation. At the same time, he’s also willing to fight for balls if necessary.
For the Houston Texans, they made the postseason for the second straight season, though the squad clearly took a step back in Year 2 with head coach Demeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud at the helm. The roster needs a further injection of play-making talent.
“Injuries to Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell hampered the 2024 Texans passing attack,” Parson said. “Insert Golden to step in as a WR2 alongside Nico Collins. Golden is dynamic and explosive, with good route-running and space-creating skills. He will command the Z-receiver role while being able to create yards after the catch.”
Staying home with the 25th pick makes a lot of sense, especially if it means keeping more draft capital.
At the end of the day, both John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson failed to shine when given the opportunity to do so. With Tank Dell now the Will Fuller 2.0 and Stefon Diggs facing improbable odds of ever being an elite wide out again, it makes sense to find new targets for C.J. Stroud.
Reuter has Golden going 37th to the Las Vegas Raiders. He has Luther Burden III a big play wideout from Missouri going right after Houston to the Los Angeles Rams.
Overview
[Matthew] Golden works all three levels of the field with similar consistency and productivity. His route-running needs refinement, but he does a decent job of altering tempo and separating at break points. Golden has the ability to play all three receiver spots. He also has the agility and body control to turn near-misses into highlight catches. Focus drops still pepper his play, but he’s a willing participant in traffic and took command of contested catches with better physicality and catch strength in 2024. Golden’s starting-level traits and big leap forward as a go-to playmaker have him primed to become a productive catch-maker with the potential to develop into a WR1 in the future.
Strengths
Meets the moment with big plays in big games.
Adequate linear speed to work past corners on vertical routes.
Agile feet allow quicker gather-and-cut as a route runner.
Good alteration of route tempo in intermediate work.
Shows ability to sink, slow and open quickly from hard vertical push.
Twitchy pluck-and-tuck protects the catch through contact.
Displays body control and focus for highlight reel adjustments and grabs.
Big-play kick return talent with two touchdowns as a sophomore at Houston.
Weaknesses
Routes can be too nonchalant and unfocused.
Takes foot off the gas if he feels like the route is covered.
Pops upright into route breaks, providing coverage a tell.
Needs to play stronger at the top of the route.
Inconsistent working back on throws to protect catch-point.
Poor hand timing causes focus drops underneath.
There’s a lot of time between April 25th and today. And, March 10th signals the start of free agency. Many things can and will happen over the span between now and the draft to alter the Texans landscape. With what we know today, however, wide receiver makes far more sense than a potential defensive project. Seeing how the injury bug bit the 2024 Texans, it simply doesn’t make sense to trade 3 potential contributors for 1, and there really aren’t any “this guy guarantees a championship” players within reach of Caserio’s draft wizardry.