Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Houston Texans hold eight selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, including four picks in the Top 100, aiming to inject youth into their roster.
- General manager Nick Caserio is reportedly evaluating several aging veterans for potential replacements with draft capital this April.
- These moves could significantly impact C.J. Stroud's support system and the team's offensive and defensive strategies for the upcoming season.
Fans of the Houston Texans were disappointed in quarterback C.J. Stroud's performance in 2025, as the 2023 first-round selection's passing totals declined for a third straight campaign. The fact that he ended the year with an all-time awful performance against the New England Patriots in the playoffs just cranked up the heat on his job even further. However, the team picked up Stroud's fifth-year option, so any talk of drafting his replacement will be delayed for at least another year.
That being said, the Texans' front office has eight selections to play with in April's draft and can really bolster the roster with some youthful additions. The team has four picks in the top 100, which could turn into multiple long-term contributors.
There are several positions where general manager Nick Caserio can begin planning to replace aging veterans. Let's take a look at a few and evaluate how he'd go about doing so.
TE Dalton Schultz
The 29-year-old is now a long way off from his days as a fantasy football league winner with the Dallas Cowboys. The 2025 season was actually his best in terms of targets (106) and receiving yards (777) since 2023, but the sustainability of that level of production is questionable. Houston drafted Cade Stover in 2024 presumably to see if he could succeed Schultz, but the former Ohio State Buckeye has fallen to TE3 on the depth chart.
If Caserio wants to get very aggressive, he could find a way to trade up for Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq and secure another high-quality weapon for Stroud. That's highly unlikely, though, so the more prudent move would be to snag a guy like Baylor's Michael Trigg on Day 3. He's a vertical threat like Schultz with a high ceiling on the field and a lower risk.
DT Sheldon Rankins
The 32-year-old is on his second stint with the Texans and is still a powerful force up front, considering his 73.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season ranked him 18th out of 134 linemen. However, it's just a matter of time until the twilight of his career hits, and Caserio needs to be prepared with a cost-effective replacement before exploring free agency.
Georgia's Christian Miller is a prospect Houston will want to target for his size and frame, a pure complement to Rankins before eventually (hopefully) taking over for him down the line. Miller has reportedly had multiple meetings with the team during the pre-draft process, which suggests Caserio could have him in his crosshairs as early as picks No. 28 (round one) or No. 38 (round two).
OT Evan Brown
Brown is a seventh-year journeyman in the league who just signed with Houston this offseason. Unless the 29-year-old can protect Stroud and open up the run game at an elite level, he's probably not destined for a long tenure. That's where Caserio's foresight needs to come in, and some mock drafters see the Texans prioritizing the offensive line as early as night one.
Alabama's Kadyn Proctor could slip to Houston at No. 28, and if he does, Caserio needs to leap at the opportunity to grab him. Regardless of whether he's better at tackle or guard in the NFL, Proctor is an elite talent that simply cannot be replicated with a second- or third-round pick. The 6-foot-7, 350-plus pound behemoth would keep pass rushers off Stroud's back and allow the run game to flow more freely.
C Jake Andrews
This will only be Andrews' fourth year in the league, but he was originally drafted by the New England Patriots and didn't manage to secure a long-term home there. After a single season in Houston, his role as the starter is still anything but guaranteed, which is why Caserio needs to search for a low-risk, high-reward challenger in the draft.
Enter Auburn's Connor Lew. His draft stock has fallen considerably after an ACL tear shortened his 2025 season, but he's still a worthy investment if available in Round 3. Lew doesn't have to win the starting job from Andrews right away, either; the team can afford to let him heal up fully and then make a decision on whether to bench Andrews to see what Lew can do. It would be no surprise if the latter half of the 2026 season featured Lew snapping the ball over Andrews.