The Houston Texans are ready for the 2026 NFL Draft. Houston enters the draft with eight total selections, including the 28th overall pick. One national analyst has the Texans making a bold trade to further upgrade their offensive line during the first round.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager released his final mock draft one day before the first round. He has the Texans trading up with the Panthers to grab Clemson’s Blake Miller.
“With three offensive tackles already off the board and a few OT-needy teams coming up, Houston can flip its early Round 3 pick to move up nine spots in Round 1 and get an experienced, reliable right tackle. Miller is steady. And after another OL remake for the Texans, that’s what they need. Miller is an immediate starter who can help open run lanes and keep C.J. Stroud clean.”
In this scenario, Houston traded away the 69th overall pick to move all the way up to 19 with Carolina.
The Texans might feel pressure to make such a move if they fear no offensive linemen will fall to them at pick 28. In Schrager’s mock, the Browns selected Spencer Fano with pick six and the Dolphins grab Francis Mauigoa at pick 11. The Lions also trade up to 13 with the Rams for Kadyn Proctor.
It is easy to imagine worrying about missing out on the top linemen in the draft if they do not trade up. That could easily play out in real life, too.
If Houston did not trade up in Schrager’s mock, they would have missed out on Monroe Freeling, Max Iheanachor, and Caleb Lomu as well. In essence, not trading up would have been a disaster for Houston.
It will be fascinating to see how aggressively the Texans target their o-line during the draft later this week.
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