B-
Houston Texans
No fireworks, just a tidy B- for the Texans.
by Levin33 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Texans looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Trace Ford at the 146th overall pick regardless, 195 picks early.
The Smith-Wade value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it.
Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Good work on the whole, with running back the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
A clean, defensible pick in pick 27 with a little surplus value in Amarius Mims. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No drama and no debate, Christian Haynes went about where he belonged in the 79th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Zach Frazier in slot 88, just ahead of his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Roman Wilson at pick No. 96 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach on Dallin Holker in No. 121; the board had better options right there. It fills a real need, too.
A wild overpay on Trace Ford in the Round 5 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for MJ Sherman, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. This was not a hole anyone had circled.
Somehow Chau Smith-Wade was still sitting there in pick No. 186, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Gabe Hall at Round 6, Pick 20 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
You do not let a linebacker like Jordan Magee reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Demani Richardson in No. 242 is fair value, right on his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.