D+
Houston Texans
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Texans a D+.
by Jaybeast17 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Key Lawrence at Round 7, Pick 27. The Texans jumped the board by 206 and dared it to prove them wrong.
That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 2 they get a bell-cow for the offense, a steep price for the projection. The biggest hole, addressed.
Nothing to complain about; Christen Miller went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Drew Shelton in the 69th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Omar Cooper Jr. in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Beau Stephens at pick 141 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jacobe Johnson well ahead of where he belonged. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Value said wait; Key Lawrence in Round 7, Pick 27 says they were not listening. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.