The Houston Texans selected nine rookies in the 2025 NFL Draft despite not having a first-round pick. Drafting two wide receivers and a running back in the first four rounds of the draft understandably received a lot of attention, making it clear what the front office's priorities were ahead of the 2025 season. What went under the radar in the process was that the Texans also drafted a backup quarterback in the sixth round, Florida's Graham Mertz.
This was the first quarterback the Texans drafted since C.J. Stroud in 2023. Since Davis Mills has been the backup for Stroud for the past two seasons, there wasn't a desperate need to add more to the QB pipeline.
Now that Mills is set to become a free agent in 2026, it's up to Mertz to prove his worth and secure the QB2 spot going forward. To do that, he needs to show that he is back to his collegiate form once he recovers from his ACL injury.
Texans QB Graham Mertz Must Prove His Worth in His Rookie Season
This will immediately put some pressure on Mertz. The former Florida star suffered a season-ending ACL tear in October, limiting him to only five games in his final collegiate season. There is no clear timetable for his return, but he hasn't been put on the PUP list or placed on the injured reserve list just yet.
In order for the Texans to fully trust him as their backup quarterback, Mertz needs to at least show flashes. GM Nick Caserio had nothing but praise for the 24-year-old, calling him "as advertised" and a "type of player that has traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with", per The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Alexander.
While this is a good start for Mertz, he is facing an uphill battle to beat Mills in the QB2 competition. It's not like Mills is an elite backup option who will be impossible to leap over in the depth chart, but being a rookie QB coming off an ACL tear going up against an NFL veteran with 26 starts under his belt can not be easy.
How Mertz does at training camp and ahead of the season, while trying to rehab his injury, will determine where the Texans are headed in the QB room.