B+
Houston Texans
Grand theft in the Round 5 slot: the Texans steal Belton and grade out a B+.
by GMaster ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Anthony Belton slides to the 167th pick, you do not overthink it, and the Texans did not. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Mukuba pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots still on the board.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a downhill hitter at safety. Need was not the driver here.
Emeka Egbuka at Round 2, Pick 26 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They robbed the room for Dylan Sampson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick 90 on Andrew Mukuba with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots unsolved.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Jordan Phillips in the 127th overall pick, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Somehow Anthony Belton was still sitting there in No. 167, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Isaac TeSlaa at the 243rd pick is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.