B-
Houston Texans
Grand theft in the 241st pick: the Texans steal Stowers and grade out a B-.
by Powerful ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Eli Stowers got past him. The Texans do not have to explain a thing at slot 241.
If Nwankpa pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it.
They went 3 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get a run-stuffing presence up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Donovan Jackson this early at the 58th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a tight end like Tyler Warren reach the 89th pick and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Steal is underselling it; Andrew Mukuba at pick 126 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor itch, scratched.
Xavier Nwankpa in No. 164 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Eli Stowers at slot 241 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.