C
Houston Texans
The Texans land in the muddy middle: C.
by Reheheheheh ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Texans spent slot 38 on Eli Raridon, a name most had 97 spots down the list. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C in the wash.
Getting Muhammad where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up.
It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.
Pick-by-Pick
They reached into another round for D'Angelo Ponds, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Eli Raridon this early at pick 38. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jack Endries in the 59th overall pick, miles early. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A premium they did not need to pay, Zakee Wheatley a notch or two before his time. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Taking Jacob Rodriguez in Round 4, Pick 6 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Malik Muhammad was still sitting there in slot 141, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Kaleb Proctor in pick No. 167, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Lander Barton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The roster fit checks out.