Texans add speed and strength on offense in NBC Sports mock draft

The Houston Texans' 2025 NFL Draft class will be extremely important for the future of the team.

While the Texans have a set of core players on both sides of the ball, Houston revamped its offensive line by trading away Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and offensive lineman Kenyon Green. The Texans also traded for Ed Ingram, signed Cam Robinson and inked a short-term deal with Trent Brown.

What does all this mean? It's putting a bandaid on a wound that needs stitches to properly heal. Healing is what Houston hopes to find in the upcoming NFL draft when on the clock with four top 100 picks.

That's what NBC Sports' Connor Rogers attempted to fix the Texans in his latest mock draft. With four picks at his disposal, the NFL draft analyst made sure to strengthen each minor weakpoint with a major upgrade.

At pick No. 25, the Texans land All-SEC left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. At pick No. 58, he has Houston shoring up the receiver room with Ole Miss' Tre Harris. With two picks in the third round, Rogers has the Texans strengthening both sides of the line with LSU offensive lineman Emery Jones (No. 79) and Florida State defensive lineman Josh Farmer (No. 89).

"Even after signing Cam Robinson as a stopgap for their offensive line, I expect the Texans to take the best one available in the first round. Banks started at left tackle since he was a freshman for Texas, which speaks volumes about the type of player and person he is," Rodgers wrote. "Harris was a contested catch machine for Jaxon Dart, where he bailed out his quarterback with highlight reel catches on multiple occasions. Jones played right tackle for LSU, but I think his lack of foot speed combined with his brawling mentality fits better at guard. While Florida State struggled, Farmer played a hard, rugged brand of football in the trenches without much help around him."

Banks and Harris have been connected to the Texans in recent mock drafts already, especially given that Houston loves to target big-name players from SEC programs. Jones is a new one on Day 2, but he does fit all the qualifiers Nick Caserio loves in mid-round targets.

Harris, a 6-foot-1 target who nearly posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in Oxford, would be an immediate upgrade as the wide receiver No. 3 entering a crucial season for C.J. Stroud and the Texans' passing game. John Metchie is entering the last year of his rookie deal and Tank Dell is expected to miss most, if not all of the 2025 season with a leg injury.

Harris would serve as the "Z" option opposite Christian Kirk in the slot and Nico Collins on the outside. The Texans would also eventually be in a great spot to shift Dell inside to save the injury concerns next season if Harris were to hit as the next Day 2 breakout candidate under general manager Nick Caserio.

The four biggest needs for the Texans are left tackle, interior offensive line, a secondary wide receiver and defensive tackle depth. The mock draft hits all four needs so there's little to complain over entering the final stages of the NFL draft.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans add speed and strength on offense in NBC Sports' new mock draft

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