B+
Houston Texans
The Texans fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by claywhorton ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
The Texans ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided.
It is not that Smith is a bad player; it is that the Texans had louder needs to answer first. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want.
King falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 27 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Kalen King slid further than he should have, and No. 58 is lovely value for the cornerback. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Nice patience on Cooper Beebe, who had no business lasting to pick 90. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose DT-EDGE. Maason Smith in pick No. 97 leaves interior defensive lineman and quarterback for later.
Beau Brade in the 123rd pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No edge and no loss on Darius Robinson in the Round 4 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
By-the-book stuff, Jaheim Bell at slot 137 squarely in line with his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Ty'Ron Hopper at the 157th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A straight-up fair deal on Jaylen Wright at the 163rd pick, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in pick 221: Christian Jones for less than the market said. It fills a real need, too.
Jalen Green at the Round 7 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Isaiah Neyor in Round 7, Pick 27. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.