Maria'S MOCK DRAFT

Maria'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON FEB 13, 2026

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  • Maria DRAFTING FOR THE
    Texans
Draft Selections
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (HOU)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Christen Miller Head Shot
PICK: 38 RND: 2 (HOU)
Christen Miller
DL Georgia
Jake Slaughter Head Shot
PICK: 59 RND: 2 (HOU)
Jake Slaughter
C Florida
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 69 RND: 3 (HOU)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 106 RND: 4 (HOU)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Michael Trigg Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (HOU)
Michael Trigg
TE Baylor
Xavier Nwankpa Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (HOU)
Xavier Nwankpa
S Iowa
Jacobe Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 243 RND: 7 (HOU)
Jacobe Johnson
CB Oklahoma
Haynes King Head Shot
PICK: 244 RND: 7 (HOU)
Haynes King
QB Georgia Tech
Draft Grade — Texans
Overall B
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
No fireworks, just a tidy B for the Texans.

There is a lot to like until you notice wide receiver is still a hole. The Texans never got to the one that mattered most.

Slaughter at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. They left with running back solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.

Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.

In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.

Pick Analysis
Pick28 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
In slot 28 they get a long-term starter on the line. A real need, handled.
Pick38 Rnd2 Christen Miller
They paid sticker price for Christen Miller in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick59 Rnd2 Jake Slaughter
Jake Slaughter slipping to Round 2, Pick 27 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick69 Rnd3 Jake Golday
Jake Golday at pick 69 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the edge rusher. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick106 Rnd4 Nicholas Singleton
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Nicholas Singleton in the 106th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick128 Rnd4 Michael Trigg
Fair-plus on Michael Trigg, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick165 Rnd5 Xavier Nwankpa
By-the-book stuff, Xavier Nwankpa at pick No. 165 squarely in line with his ranking. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick243 Rnd7 Jacobe Johnson
No edge and no loss on Jacobe Johnson in No. 243; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pick244 Rnd7 Haynes King
A straight-up fair deal on Haynes King at pick No. 244, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.