The Houston Texans dominated the NFL on the defensive side of the ball last season. Defensively, the Texans led the league in yards allowed per game and EPA/play with 277.2 yards per game and -0/18 EPA/Play. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. helped lead the defense, ranking second in the league with 85 quarterback pressures and eighth in sacks with 12. He was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year, $150 million extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Offensively, the Texans were league-average in both running and passing. It led to a playoff berth, but the team lost in the Divisional Round to the New England Patriots, 28-16. Quarterback CJ Stroud had four interceptions, becoming a major talking point after the game. The team will continue with Stroud as the quarterback in 2026, and as they enter the draft, the goal is to get over the Divisional Round hump, as they’ve been eliminated there in the past three seasons (0-7 all-time in the Divisional Round).

For Houston, it’s in an interesting spot. The roster doesn’t have glaring needs going into the draft, but depth and versatility can be added. Here’s my seven-round mock to get the Texans past the divisional round in 2026.

Round 1, Pick 28: OG Emmanuel Pregnon

The Texans were aggressive in free agency to improve their offensive line. They re-signed guard Ed Ingram and brought in free-agent guard Wyatt Teller from the Cleveland Browns on a two-year deal. The team addressed tackle as well, signing right tackle Braden Smith from the Indianapolis Colts. Going into 2026, the line is solid, but beyond that, there’s uncertainty.

Teller is 31 and isn’t the long-term solution at guard. Enter Pregnon. He’s my 33rd-ranked player in this draft and is one of the safer options in this draft. He can be a plug-and-play starter with his strength and lateral quickness to mirror defenders in pass pro. He’s a massive 6-foot-4 and 314 pounds with a hand size of 11 inches. He has the upside to start in 2026, but can be a backup entering the season and eventually taking over.

Round 2, Pick 38: DL Christen Miller

Just looking at the roster, defensive tackle is the Texans’ biggest need. With the potential of Pregnon being gone by pick 38, the Texans went with him in the first round, but will address defensive tackle here. They re-signed Sheldon Rankins to a two-year deal but lost Tim Settle and Mario Edwards to free agency. The projected starter alongside Rakins is Tommy Togiai, who’s not a bad option, but competition should be added.

Miller, to me, is the second-best run defender at defensive tackle in this class (behind Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald). He’s 6-foot-4 and 321 pounds but holds it well. Ranked as my 43rd player in this draft, he has tremendous upside rushing the passer. The Texans have an attacking front, and Miller can play inside nose tackle, but I believe he can slide over to a 3-technique and rush the passer in obvious passing down situations. There were flashes of his quick hands and ability to explode up the field at Georgia this past season.

Round 2, Pick 59: Edge Joshua Josephs

You may be thinking. What edge? Don’t the Texans have Anderson and Danielle Hunter, who are two of the best pass rushers in the league? Well, yes, they do, but outside of them, there really is no one. Josephs enters the room at 6-foot-3 and 242 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms. He’s a raw prospect, but looking at it from that angle, it’s the perfect situation to enter.

There’s no pressure for Joseph to contribute heavily in his rookie year with the team having Anderson and Hunter. He can develop and learn to rush the passer effectively. There were flashes in his tape at Tennessee. Reps where he’d use his explosive first step and longer arms to take advantage of tackles. It was rare for everything to come together for him in college, but the upside is there, and the culture in Houston is there for him to develop into something special.

Round 3, Pick 69: LB Anthony Hill Jr.

The Texans have a linebacker room of Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. The unit proved last year that they can be dominant together, but good teams stay ahead of potential needs. They both have experience contracts entering the 2026 NFL season. The depth behind that includes E.J. Speed (signed a one-year contract with the team) and Jamal Hill.

General manager Nick Caserio has to keep this in mind and will pick a linebacker at some point in the 2026 NFL draft. Hill is an experienced college linebacker, having logged over 1,900 snaps and totaled 171 tackles and 107 run stops with Texas. He dealt with injuries in 2025 but overall looked like the complete linebacker who had first-round buzz going into the 2025 season.

Round 4, Pick 106: OT Kage Casey

Again, the Texans heavily addressed the offensive line in free agency, but health is never guaranteed. In the middle rounds, it wouldn’t hurt to add more offensive line depth, and the team does so here with Casey. Some may view him as a guard entering the draft with his shorter arms (32 3/4), but I view him as a versatile option that can play all five positions along the line.

He’s a fluid mover and has good size to compete at the NFL level. It’s another dart throw for the Texans to potentially land a lineman of the future, and he can plug-and-play anywhere along the line in case of injury.

Round 5, Pick 141: TE Eli Raridon

The tight end room for Houston has solid depth with Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover and free-agent addition Foster Moreau. It’s a solid room, but a younger option could be added later in the draft. In a class full of tight end depth, the Texans opt for Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon, who’s my 77th-ranked player. He didn’t have that much volume in his last year, 32 catches for 482 yards, but at his 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame, he has tremendous ball tracking skills that showed up when he was targeted.

He’s ready to contribute from Day 1 with his elite blocking ability in-line. He primarily lined up in-line at Notre Dame and consistently had to block edges and backers in the run game. He showed he can do it at a consistent level, which should raise his stock on NFL draft boards.

Round 5, Pick 167: RB Demond Claiborne

The running back room for Houston consists of newly acquired David Montgomery and Woody Marks, who impressed as a rookie. It’s not bad, but a change of pace back should be added. Claibrone didn’t make my final top-100 big board, but I still loved the tape and his talent.

He doesn’t have starting running back upside, but for what the Texans already have, he’s the perfect complement. He’s 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds and ran a 4.37 40 at the combine. Once he sees daylight, he just explodes down the field with his long speed. Struggled in between the tackles and fumbled the ball five times in 2026, but as a late-round option, he makes sense.

Round 7, Pick 243: DL Tyler Onyedim

I doubt Onyedim is here at pick 243, but PFF had him available here; don’t blame me. He’s a smaller-sized defensive tackle at 6-foot-3 and 292 pounds, but offers the ability to be a one-gap penetrator. He’ll likely be more of a rotation piece in his NFL career, but in a defensive system like Houston’s, where they consistently attack upfield and penetrate, I couldn’t think of a better fit for Onyedim at the NFL level.

He finished with 49 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2025 for Texas A&M.