Texans looking to bolster roster, not fill holes, in draft

HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans are heading into draft week with a roster that could hypothetically be ready for game day.

Houston feels it has positioned itself to enter the 2026 draft without having many glaring needs over the offseason. With Thursday's opening round quickly approaching, the Texans plan to add to the trenches with young, budding talents in the early rounds.

On Friday, the Texans made 2023 first-round pick Will Anderson Jr. (defensive end) the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, but they still could use long-term answers at defensive tackle and interior offensive line. Coming off their third straight divisional round appearance, the Texans don't believe they're far from making a deep playoff run.

"Philosophically speaking, for us, building a tough, smart [relentless team], that starts in the trenches -- offensive line and defensive line," assistant general manager Chris Blanco said. "As you guys have seen with the players that we've added over the years, it's extremely important for us."

That's not to say the Texans don't already have quality options on the interior of the trenches; they do. Sheldon Rankins, free agent signing Logan Hall, Kyonte Hamilton, Junior Tafuna and Tommy Togiai round up a solid group at defensive tackle. In 2025, Rankins and Togiai combined for 23 starts as Rankins was ninth on the defense in snaps (590) and was tied for fifth in run stuffs (five).

On the offensive interior, the team signed former All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller and re-signed Ed Ingram, while having Jake Andrews at center with free agent signing Evan Brown, who has played center and guard in his career.

Houston could use younger players on cost-effective contracts who could develop into starters on rookie deals.

However, the Texans' roster is set up to permit general manager Nick Caserio to attack the draft by truly selecting the best player available, with their first pick currently slated at No. 28.

"Ultimately, we'll take the best football players, regardless of the position," Caserio said. "That's what we've always done. That's not going to change this year relative to previous years. We're a 'BPA' [Best Player Available] team. That's what we do: take the best player available. There's a reason that we grade the players and put them on the board and stack the board accordingly."

That's been the strategy for Houston even as it typically drafted players at positions of need in recent years. The Texans' top two picks last year -- wideout Jayden Higgins and left tackle Aireontae Ersery -- are prime examples. Houston traded out of the first round and used second-round picks to take both. The pair would go on to become starters in 2025.

Since DeMeco Ryans became the coach in 2023, Houston has produced multiple Pro Bowlers through the draft in quarterback C.J. Stroud, Anderson, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock.

In ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper's latest mock draft, he had Houston selecting Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller in the first round and Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis in the second round (No. 38).

Kiper also had Houston selecting Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds with its other second-round pick (No. 58). Those players most likely wouldn't walk into starting roles, but they would give Houston more competition with potential long-term options.

With Miller, or any young defensive tackle, the goal would be for him to develop into how Ryans envisions the structure of his defense in 2026: playing more light boxes.

With lighter boxes, the Texans can keep a two-high safety shell to protect against explosives in the passing game. Houston had the fifth-fewest snaps with light boxes against the run as it preferred neutral or loaded boxes, according to Next Gen Stats, in 2025.

The ultimate goal for Houston is building a roster capable of winning playoff games, but the draft will be where it refines its roster and can potentially find the franchise some long-term solutions.