B
Houston Texans
The Texans worked the phones like thieves and earned a B.
by jaytex ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
The Texans did not so much draft Zavion Thomas as overpay for him, 58 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
On value alone, Lew makes the weekend a net positive. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a red-zone target to build around, outstanding value to boot.
In pick No. 29 they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
A quiet steal in pick 47: Emmanuel Pregnon for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
You do not let an interior defensive lineman like Caleb Banks reach Round 2, Pick 27 and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Mike Washington Jr. in No. 69, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Trey Zuhn III well ahead of where he belonged. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Connor Lew all the way to No. 118, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Chris McClellan. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Zavion Thomas at the Round 5 slot, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Keyshaun Elliott in pick 214 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
TJ Hall in slot 243 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.