B-
Houston Texans
The Texans won the night they stopped Nelson from sliding. Grade: B-.
by jaytex ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Jack Nelson, the No. 169 name on the board, stolen at the 243rd pick. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
Reaching for Thornton Jr. left real value on the table behind him. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. They left with running back solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 25 they get an anchor for the offensive line, even if it was a touch early. A real need, handled.
Isaiah Bond in Round 2, Pick 26 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Dylan Fairchild at slot 89 squarely in line with his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at pick 127 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Jordan James here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jack Nelson in the 243rd pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.