B-
Houston Texans
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Texans a B-.
by Powerful ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Texans spent Round 7, Pick 28 on Julius Welschof, a name the board had a full 81 spots lower. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Texans indulged a want in Smith while a need in running back, offensive lineman and other spots stayed open.
They banked enough surplus on Taylor III to cover a lot of smaller sins.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 23 they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Edgerrin Cooper. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Maason Smith adds a DT-EDGE and leaves running back, offensive lineman and other spots untouched.
Malik Mustapha at the 123rd overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Value with a capital V on Leonard Taylor III in the Round 4 slot, a genuine coup. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Value said wait; Jared Wiley in the 164th pick says they were not listening. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Xavier Thomas in the Round 7 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Julius Welschof in the 248th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.