Houston Texans: Is Trading Up Worth It?
The Texans have valuable draft capital due to previous trades, such as Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders for picks 38 and 106, and allowing the New York Giants to trade up in last year’s draft for pick 69. Houston could see a number of the best players go off the board before their first pick at 28, and could use this extra capital to move up.
The Texans’ biggest needs are interior offensive and defensive line, linebacker, and tight end, all positions expected to see their top prospects gone before Houston is ever on the clock. For a team with fewer holes, consolidating capital for better players, such as guard Olaivavenga Ioane, tight end Kenyon Sadiq, or their preferred defensive tackle, could be more valuable than extra picks.
Given where the Texans’ picks are and the potential needs of the teams in front of them, Houston should let the board come to them. They may not get the consensus best player at every position of need, but sticking and picking allows them to address all of their biggest needs early in the draft. Walking away from the draft with the second or third best player at every position of need, rather than the best player at just one or two, makes the Texans a more complete team next season.
