Here's my annual draft grade disclaimer:
Draft grades, particularly those given before players have taken a single snap, are nothing more than conversation pieces. And most of the draft grades you'll see try to actually grade those players who have never taken a single snap. I try to stay away from grading the player and instead try to grade value and execution of the draft by the GM/team. Granted, value is subjective, but still. With that out of the way, here's what I think of the Texans and GM Nick Caserio's 2026 draft.
It started off hot for the Texans with Caserio making a couple of trade ups with their first 2 picks, jumping ahead of teams thought to be after the players the Texans were interested in, and stealing them away from those teams.
The Texans started the draft slotted at 28 in the 1st round. Caserio worked the phones with the Buffalo Bills to move up 2 spots to 26, where they took Georgia Tech OL Keylan Rutledge, nicknamed "Big Red". The Texans had to swap 3rd rounders with the Bills moving them from the front of the 3rd (#69) to the end of the 3rd (#91), and then give them their 5th round pick at 167 to make it work. Seems a bit hefty to move up 2 spots but there were reports of interest in Rutledge in that area of the draft.
The Texans started the draft slotted at 28 in the 1st round. Caserio worked the phones with the Buffalo Bills to move up 2 spots to 26, where they took Georgia Tech OL Keylan Rutledge, nicknamed "Big Red". The Texans had to swap 3rd rounders with the Bills moving them from the front of the 3rd (#69) to the end of the 3rd (#91), and then give them their 5th round pick at 167 to make it work. Seems a bit hefty to move up 2 spots but there were reports of interest in Rutledge in that area of the draft.
In my Day 1 article I speculated on why the Texans decided to move up 2 spots to get Rutledge. I surmised that 1) the Bills, who the Texans made the trade with, either weren't interested or thought he would still be available at the original Texans spot at 28 since he was a Day 2 projection, or 2) that the 49ers, who were one pick ahead of the Texans original spot at 28, had their eyes on him. Seeing how the 49ers traded back after the Texans swooped in ahead of them gives that some credence.
With the Texans very next pick, scheduled to be the 6th in the 2nd round, Caserio again moves up 2 spots to grab Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald. They give up the pick they got from Buffalo on Day 1 at #91, to the Las Vegas Raiders, and got back the Raiders 4th round pick at #117. Considering McDonald could have and maybe should have been a 1st rounder, this is very good value to grab him here and it really didn't cost a lot. But would he have lasted 2 more picks? Well, the Giants, who were originally ahead of the Texans at #37, had traded their 3 time Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence just last week and were definitely in need of a replacement. McDonald falling out of the 1st and into their lap would have been perfect. That is until Caserio leap frogs them and snatches him away. Another baller mover from Caserio.
The next day there were reports that the Titans were interested in Rutledge and they were trying to trade up ahead of the Texans to get him. Possibly with the Niners who again, were 1 pick ahead of the Texans. So that is what prompted Caserio to move up 2 spots to ensure they got their guy. If any of that is true then it's a baller move by Caserio.
With the Texans very next pick, scheduled to be the 6th in the 2nd round, Caserio again moves up 2 spots to grab Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald. They give up the pick they got from Buffalo on Day 1 at #91, to the Las Vegas Raiders, and got back the Raiders 4th round pick at #117. Considering McDonald could have and maybe should have been a 1st rounder, this is very good value to grab him here and it really didn't cost a lot. But would he have lasted 2 more picks? Well, the Giants, who were originally ahead of the Texans at #37, had traded their 3 time Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence just last week and were definitely in need of a replacement. McDonald falling out of the 1st and into their lap would have been perfect. That is until Caserio leap frogs them and snatches him away. Another baller mover from Caserio.
After what were spot on laser strikes by Caserio with his 1st 2 picks, the Texans, still in the 2nd round round, have the wheels completely fall off with their next pick. With their 3rd pick, 59th overall, 27th in the 2nd, the Texans take Michigan TE Marlin Klein. Klein is 
a raw talent with not a lot of football experience having grown up in Germany playing soccer. Though Michigan wasn't a big pass first type of team, Klein had just 24 catches for 248 yards last season. He also had just 1 TD in his entire collegiate career.
a raw talent with not a lot of football experience having grown up in Germany playing soccer. Though Michigan wasn't a big pass first type of team, Klein had just 24 catches for 248 yards last season. He also had just 1 TD in his entire collegiate career.
The overall consensus on Klein was that he was a Day 3 pick, meaning 4th round or later. There are some that had him rated as high as the late 3rd round, but overall, 4th and beyond was the general thought. And this is where the subjective part comes in. Just because all of the "experts" boards look a certain way doesn't mean that's how actual team's boards look. That said, Klein is generally regarded as a good backup with potential to develop into a starter. And as I try not to grade a player who has never played a down in the NFL, maybe he can develop into a solid NFL player. The problem is, those aren't the type of players you draft in the 2nd round. In the first 3 rounds, specifically moreso in the first 2 rounds, you're looking for starters or players who can have a big impact immediately. You don't draft projects or depth in those rounds.
This was a tremendous reach by Caserio and there's no way I can wrap my head around him being at the top of his board in the 2nd round of the draft. Maybe he was, but it doesn't make a lot of sense from the outside. There was obviously a ton of talent on the board at that point. This was a deep TE draft and most of the TEs still on the board had stats in one season that were better than Klein had in his career. And even if the Texans just wanted a blocking, or "Y" TE, there were top "Y" TEs still on the board, with better stats, as well. I think the Texans could have gotten Klein in the 4th round, or at the very least traded back and got him later while picking up some draft capital that could be used to make moves later. Caserio did mention that they had some deals to trade back in place but they fell through. That tells me they weren't really sold on Klein at that spot. If they couldn't trade back, they should have taken a much higher rated player at 59 and took their chances at getting Klein in the 4th where he was projected, or taken one of the better rated TEs still on the board, some of those who didn't get drafted until the 5th round. Instead they grab a guy 2, possibly 3 rounds higher than where he likely would have fallen. And even if they missed out on him, were they really that high on him if they were trying to trade back? This was nothing but a choke job by Caserio after a red hot start.
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That took care of the first 2 days of the draft. Day 3 didn't have much action and the Texans basically just let the draft fall to them, other than the Chargers calling and asking for the Texans pick at 117. But before that, the Texans had the 6th pick of the 4th round to take care of. With the 106th overall pick the Texans selected Oklahoma OL Febechi Nwaiwu. That last name is pronounced WEE-woo.
Nwaiwu is a guy who played in the SEC, considered the top conference in college football, and he gives up 0 sacks and just 2 pressures in 505 snaps. He can also play anywhere on the line. He was a 4th round projection and the Texans wasted no time grabbing him in the 4th.
Next up was the LA Chargers asking the Texans about their pick at 117. Caserio gave it to them in exchange for LA's pick at 123 and their 6th round pick at 204. This would be 
the first and only move back in the draft by the Texans. It would also be the final draft day trade the Texans would be involved in.
the first and only move back in the draft by the Texans. It would also be the final draft day trade the Texans would be involved in.
With that pick at 123 now, still in the 4th round, the Texans take Wade Woodaz, LB out of Clemson. Woodaz is a safety turned LB who stands 6'3". He spends some time in the oppositions backfield as his 17 tackles for loss the last 2 seasons would attest. A good value pick here considering the Texans picked up an extra pick in the process.
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The Texans have the 1st pick of the 5th round, #141 overall, and use that to select USC S Kamari Ramsey. Ramsey was a projected 3rd round to 4th round talent that falls to the Texans to start the 5th. That fall was likey because teams were a little worried about his injury history, particularly his last one.
2024 saw Ramsey with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss 2 games. He then tried to play through the injury and wasn't very effective. Last year his regular season ended with an unspecified knee injury, suspected to be an MCL sprain. He did however participate in the Senior Bowl at the end of January and the NFL Combine at the end of February, with apparently no lingering affects. If healthy, the Texans may have gotten a steal here.
Thanks to the Chargers, the Texans find themselves participating in the 6th round where they previously didn't have a pick. And with that 204th overall pick the Texans grab Boston College WR Lewis Bond. Bond set school records for most catches in a career (213) and in a season (88). Those 88 receptions last year were also the 5th most in the nation. Despite Bond having great hands (very low drop percentage), and the ability to track the ball like a pro, it's his speed that's holding him back. A little slow off the line, and doesn't have the jets to get behind DBs. As a result, he was projected to go undrafted but the Texans go ahead and grab him in the 6th.
That brings us to the 7th and final round of the draft where the Texans have one last pick at #243 overall. They look to the national champions and take Indiana LB Aiden Fisher. The scouting report on Fisher is that he has a good football IQ, reads offenses well, and that typically puts him in the right positions at the right time. However, he is said to be lacking in quickness and athleticism. Projected as a 7th rounder, so this pickup was right where it was supposed to be.
Overall I think it was a pretty solid draft for the Texans. Caserio showed some aggressiveness at the beginning, swooping in to keep his players from being stolen. The rest of the draft just seemed to happen the way it was supposed to. Nothing ridiculous, nothing spectacular. Maybe a bargain with the Ramsey pick but that may have been evened out with the Bond pick. What really hurts the overall grade here is that Klein pick in the 2nd freaking round. There's no way I'll ever be convinced that wasn't an extreme reach. Even if Klein ends up in Canton, it doesn't make the pick not a reach.
Other than what hopefully are a couple of solid o-linemen, they didn't add any real playmakers to the offense. No RB, the only WR was a slower player who was projected to go undrafted, and of course they big reach for the TE. On defense I think the McDonald pick is a big one, having him fall just enough to where the Texans could move up to grab him. Ramsey could be a steal if injury concerns that had him fall don't pop up.
So overall I'm going to give Caserio and his evaluation and execution of the 2026 Texans draft a ....
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