Texans May Have Been Saved From Big Trade Mistake During Draft

The Houston Texans came away with a haul in last weekend’s NFL Draft. They were able pick up Iowa State wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to give C.J. Stroud more targets. Houston also selected Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery to make sure he stayed upright long enough to get the ball to them.

USC cornerback Jaylin Smith, USC running back Woody Marks, Penn State safety Jaylen Reed, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz, Rutgers defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton and Iowa tight end Luke Lachey made up the rest of Houston’s draft class. But it almost didn’t happen with the Texans’ reported desire to trade up from the 25th overall pick.

NFL Insider Believes Texans Tried to Trade Up for Colston Loveland in NFL Draft

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport went through his observations from the draft on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday morning and discussed the rumor that the Texans and Denver Broncos were looking to move up in the first round of the draft. While Rapoport admitted he heard buzz, he also revealed that it stopped when Michigan tight end Colston Loveland went to the Chicago Bears with the 10th overall pick.

“The Bears take Colston Loveland at 10 and a bunch of the calls stopped. And I was like ‘Wow, like maybe he was the guy,’” Rapoport said. “I don’t know specifically, those teams are trying to trade up for him, because I think there were some others…but like, I didn’t know this. We all thought Tyler Warren was the dude, but it seems like Loveland was.”

There’s a case to be made why the Texans would have wanted to trade for Loveland. While Warren had elite production, Loveland was a versatile threat who played in a pro-style scheme for the Wolverines. He also played with Darris Warren, Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle, who all struggled mightily at quarterback last season. Adding Loveland would have been an upside gamble playing with a better quarterback in Stroud and would provide a potential upgrade over Dalton Schultz, who has been disappointing after signing a three-year, $36 million contract in free agency last spring.

But while there’s a good argument, you could also say the Texans had more glaring needs. Houston’s offensive line still looks shaky after an overhaul that has included getting rid of Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green and bringing in Laken Tomlinson, Cam Robinson and Ed Ingram to replace them. If the Texans targeted Loveland in a trade up, it would have meant less picks to improve that group, potentially robbing them of the chance to take Ersery.

There were also plenty of prospects available that could have helped the Texans. Houston was rumored to be interested in Texas offensive tackle/guard Kelvin Banks, but he went ninth overall to the New Orleans Saints. Alabama guard Tyler Booker went to the Dallas Cowboys with the 12th overall pick, while North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel and Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson were all off the board before Houston was on the clock with the 24th overall pick.

There’s also the chance that prices were sky high going into the draft. Houston received the 34th and 99th overall picks from the New York Giants in exchange for the 25th overall pick and a 2026 third-round pick in the Jaxon Dart trade. But the Atlanta Falcons raised the bar, coughing up the 46th and 242nd overall pick and a 2026 first-round selection in exchange for the 26th and 101st overall picks in the draft in the James Pearce trade.

Even the Travis Hunter trade saw the Jacksonville Jaguars give up their 2026 first-round pick to move up three spots to take the Colorado superstar, meaning the Texans could have had to give up premium draft capital just to get their man.

Whether it was Loveland or an offensive lineman, it didn’t appear to be worth the risk, leaving the Texans to let the draft come to them and perhaps saving them from themselves.

More Houston Texans News & Rumors: