The Houston Texans went aggressive early in the NFL Draft in selecting players to help C.J. Stroud's development. The Texans spent a second-round pick on the offensive line, in Aireontae Ersery, despite having significant turnover there in the offseason. Despite utilizing six of their nine draft picks on the offensive side of the ball, that was the only time they drafted along the offensive line.
It was a gamble to not address the line again. Blake Fisher, Ed Ingram, and Juice Scruggs are all recent investments, but none are breaking through to the starting lineup just yet. Instead, the Texans addressed the line by signing Cam Robinson and Laken Tomlinson. While both are serviceable, Robinson has never lived up to his potential, and both are only signed for a year.
While they did not address the offensive line again, some of the picks did end up having a rationale behind them. The third round selection of Jaylin Smith has turned out to be much-needed depth and has position flexibility. RB Woody Marks may need to step in quickly if Joe Mixon isn't ready and Nick Chubb struggles coming off his injury. The selection of QB Graham Mertz was a bit of a head-scratcher, but having a longer-term developmental backup with Davis Mills being in his final year of his contract made sense.
Mertz woefully underperformed in his first NFL experience, going 7-of-14 and throwing three interceptions...in a row. Mertz and Kedon Slovis are locked into a battle for the third-string quarterback position. Slovis looked much better in his time on the field. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is giving both Mertz and Slovis equal playing time to prove they belong, and early returns would give the impression that Mertz is- at best -destined for the practice squad.
Jonah Monheim, Chase Lundt, and Ajani Cornelius were all selected after the Texans selected Graham Mertz with the 197th pick. https://t.co/gAQE0Myjz2
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) August 11, 2025
The Graham Mertz Decision Already Looks Like a Wasted Draft Pick
Combining Mertz's performance and the long-term needs elsewhere on the roster, Mertz is looking like a blown opportunity to add a viable roster addition. There are plenty of examples of late-round offensive linemen who end up as Pro Bowlers, including former Texans center Chris Myers and Super Bowl champion Jason Kelce.
Compounding this, in week one of the preseason, Mertz was outperformed by several of his sixth-round peers. The 33rd Team tracked rookie offensive lineman with 20+ snaps and zero pressures. Of them, as Cody Stoots point out, three were selected after Mertz. While this is preseason and some of the players these linemen are facing will not be in the NFL in three weeks, this is alarming.
Skeptics could say that these linemen may not have been as successful or have had the opportunity with the Texans, and there is always the saying that "it's just the preseason." However, Mertz' performance was abhorrent and even against lesser competition, allowing no pressure when competing for a job as a late-round draft pick shows something.
Mertz is going to have to turn it around quickly. Week 2 of the preseason is when starters tend to get more reps, but he may not even get a chance to show potential improvement. The draft isn't a perfect science, and teams will always make a bad draft pick, but to have a glaring need and have multiple linemen who were available outshine Mertz in week one makes the decision look that much worse.