Texans Reportedly 'Sniffing Around' on a Trade Up in 2025 NFL Draft

The Houston Texans are reportedly "sniffing around" a trade up in the NFL draft, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

"Speaking of linemen, we have another team that has at least started sniffing around on a trade up, and that’s the Houston Texans," Breer wrote. "It’s no secret that Houston needs offensive line help, and I’d expect the Texans to target strong-character players as they continue to remake that room."

Quarterback C.J. Stroud took 52 sacks last year. Houston would obviously like to keep its franchise cornerstone player off the ground, so the team needs to make some more investments in its offensive line. The Texans also traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders last March, bringing about the need for more help.

As Breer noted, Houston now has three Day 2 picks (Nos. 58, 79 and 89) for a potential trade-up. The Texans are without fourth- and sixth-rounders this year, though.

Houston's top choice is currently No. 25 overall. Per Breer, it's possible the top three offensive linemen available (Will Campbell, Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr.) are gone in the top 10. Breer wrote that may possibly mean "the next group of linemen could get moved up the board a bit."

He then added:

"I could see where that sets up for a short move up, potentially to try to land someone like [Grey Zabel]; or, if they’re feeling froggy and include 2026 picks, maybe a more significant move up for Banks. One player I’ve heard the Texans have done plenty of work on is [Donovan] Jackson. Again, right now, this is just sniffing around. But it’s notable because there aren’t a lot of teams looking to climb in the draft order this year, and Houston has a pretty specific reason to at least explore doing it."

The Texans recently made a seismic move up the 2023 draft, going from 12th to third overall to take edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. following a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Houston traded No. 12 overall, No. 33 overall, a 2024 first-rounder and a 2024 third-rounder while getting No. 3 and No. 105 back.

It's clear Texans general manager Nick Caserio isn't afraid of making a big move to take a prospect, and that trade certainly worked out for the team with Anderson earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 and Pro Bowl honors in 2024.

We'll see soon enough what the Texans do with the draft starting Thursday.