26% chance <\/a>to make the playoffs according to NFL.com. That probability was at 45% chance before the loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. With such low odds and a grueling schedule left to play, it\u2019s time to peer into the future and look into the future state of the Houston Texans.<\/p>\nTheir top needs heading into the offseason are OG, OC, S, RB, DT, and TE<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the Texans can address their six greatest needs within the first four picks in next year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n
These picks are based on where the Texans would be drafting if the season ended today. Obviously, the picks will change over time, but for now the Texans are slotted into the below picks.<\/p>\n
Round 1, Pick 13: Vega Ioane, OG – Penn State<\/p>\n
Current starter: Juice Scruggs<\/p>\n
If getting stalled at the goal line twice against the Broncos wasn\u2019t enough to jolt Nick Caserio and staff into addressing this issue, nothing will. Get used to Ioane\u2019 name in connection with the Houston Texans. While Penn State is an equal if not worse dumpster fire, 6\u20194\u201d, 328-pound left guard is athletic, battle-tested, and a road-grader. The standout offensive lineman brings tenacity and power to a unit in desperate need of a boost.<\/p>\n
Round 2, Pick 42: Connor Lew, OC – Auburn<\/p>\n
Current starter: Jarrett Patterson<\/p>\n
The three-year starting center at Auburn had a poor outing against a ferocious Texas A&M pass rush, but he\u2019s the type of plug-and-play center the Texans have been searching for since Ben Jones. With the selection on Lew, the Texans can spend the rest of the draft on skill positions to surround C.J.Stroud with the best arsenal of weapons possible Nick Caserio has yet to double down on early offensive line picks, but if there\u2019s a year to do it, it\u2019s this draft class.<\/p>\n
Round 2, Pick 45 (from WAS): Jonah Coleman, RB – Washington<\/p>\n
Current starter: Nick Chubb<\/p>\n
This pick I designate as the \u201cfun pick.\u201d It\u2019s the most valuable asset from the trade with the New York Giants and lands the second-best running back in the draft. With Joe Mixon\u2019s future in doubt, the Texans need a long-term prospect to pair with Woody Marks. Coleman only stands 5\u20199\u201d, but he\u2019s dense and packs an absolute punch that will translate to the NFL level. He\u2019ll be a fantastic foil to Marks, secure the position moving forward, and provide more talent around Stroud.<\/p>\n
Round 3, Pick 69 (from NYG): Keon Sabb, S – Alabama<\/p>\n
Current starter: M.J. Stewart<\/p>\n
Houston needs to tidy up their secondary with a legitimate starter to pair with Calen Bullock. Adding Sabb, who has been on a tear for the Crimson Tide, would finish off a young, dynamic and fun secondary. While a new DT is more needed, the Texans have always valued secondary over DTs in the draft and won\u2019t waver here. Sabb played two years at Michigan before transferring to Alabama.<\/p>\n
Houston needs to tidy up its secondary with a legitimate starter to pair with Calen Bullock. Adding Sabb \u2014 who has been on a tear for the Crimson Tide \u2014 would complete a young, dynamic, and exciting secondary. While a new DT is arguably a bigger need, the Texans have historically valued the secondary over the interior defensive line and won\u2019t waver here. Sabb played two years at Michigan before transferring to Alabama.<\/p>\n
From NFLDraftBuzz.com on Keon Sabb: \u201cDay two draft capital would represent a bet on Sabb\u2019s developmental ceiling rather than his current floor. Teams valuing length, physicality and collegiate pedigree at premium programs will be more bullish on his prospects than those prioritizing movement skills and man coverage versatility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Round 4, Pick 110 (from WAS): Joe Royer, TE – Cincinnati<\/p>\n
Current starter: Dalton Schultz<\/p>\n
In future iterations, tight end will be higher up pick in the draft due to the need incurred by injuries this season. It\u2019s so bad that Houston has resorted to playing Blake Fisher at TE in blocking packages. Royer splits time roughly 50\/50 between inline and slot snaps for a good Bearcats offense. He ranks second on the team in catches, third in yards, and averages a healthy 15.2 yards per reception.<\/p>\n
Royer needs to add bulk to his 6\u20195\u201d frame, but he plays a versatile role that would slot in nicely in Houston\u2019s offense in dire need of multiplicity.<\/p>\n
Round 4, Pick 113: Albert Regis, DT – Texas A&M<\/p>\n
Current starter: Tim Settle Jr. <\/p>\n
Working down the board, defensive tackle is the next long-term need Houston should fill. It isn\u2019t a glaring hole since it\u2019s currently manned by veterans on short-term contracts, but an interior pass rusher to complement the defensive ends would be a valuable addition.<\/p>\n
There were plenty of DTs available, but Regis best fits Houston\u2019s mold. He\u2019s statistically one of the best run-stoppers in college football and among the lowest-graded pass rushers. That would be a major red flag in other systems, but the Texans rotate their tackles so frequently that they don\u2019t need Regis to be a premier pass rusher. Adding a bull in the center of this defense would elevate the entire system.<\/p>\n
Honorable mention: Tim Keenan II (Alabama), who continues to impress and get healthy after missing several games.<\/p>\n
What position do you think the Texans need to add early in this draft? Comment below. And if you have a favorite player in college add them and I\u2019ll do a report on them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Houston Texans 2025 season is a dumpster fire. C.J. Stroud is in concussion protocol, the offensive line…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57,22816,22817],"class_list":{"0":"post-36069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-houston-headlines","10":"tag-houston-news","11":"tag-houston-texans-draft","12":"tag-houston-texans-mock-drafts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}