• Round 1, Pick 24: WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas — Mitchell gives Houston a boost in talent level, no matter how you slice it. He is a smooth route runner for a 6-foot-4 receiver, as evidenced by his 73rd-percentile separation percentage against single coverage.
• Round 2, Pick 48: LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson — Linebacker feels like one of the most — if not the most — pressing needs for this team. The 2024 linebacker class isn’t very deep, but Trotter is one of the few in the class with starting potential coming out of college.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
The Houston Texans’ rebuild is taking off a lot faster than most anticipated — it’s amazing what hitting on a rookie quarterback and new head coach can do for your entire organization. But the work isn’t done yet.
To continue their evolution into a legitimate playoff team, they need to add more talent through the 2024 NFL Draft. Here’s what a five-round draft haul could look like for the Texans.
Round 1, Pick 24: WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Wide receiver isn’t the most glaring need for the Texans; Nico Collins is having a breakout season, Noah Brown is playing well and Tank Dell was looking like a true difference-maker as a slot receiver before his injury.
But Mitchell gives them a boost in talent level, no matter how you slice it. He is a smooth route runner for a 6-foot-4 receiver, as evidenced by his 73rd-percentile separation percentage against single coverage. He’s also a reliable red-zone threat who accounted for three red-zone touchdowns this year.
Collins also has only one more year on his rookie deal. Drafting Mitchell sets up a very nice wide receiver corps for 2024 and safeguards them from Collins' potential departure in 2025.
Round 2, Pick 48: LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
Linebacker feels like one of the most pressing — if not the most pressing — needs for this team. The 2024 linebacker class isn’t very deep, but Trotter is one of the few in the class with starting potential coming out of college.
The son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., the Clemson product has a very high understanding of the position and the game of football in general. He earned an 85.0-plus PFF grade in each of the last two seasons, as well as 80.0-plus coverage grades.
Round 3, Pick 92: DI Byron Murphy II, Texas
T’Vondre Sweat gets most of the notoriety among Texas’ defensive linemen, but Murphy is also a future pro and showed that this season. He’s not a size monster like Sweat — Murphy is listed at 6-foot-1, 305 pounds — but his quickness and strength at the 3-tech position yielded a 91.8 pass-rush grade in 2023. He also made Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freaks List for his strength, front squatting 455 pounds and power cleaning 375.
Round 4, Pick 116: S Beau Brade, Maryland
The Texans could use some added depth and more talent in their safety room. Brade is a good strong safety prospect. He played over 600 defensive snaps this season, with 347 coming as a box defender and 194 as a free safety, and he also logged 100 snaps as a slot defender.
The versatility should be alluring to the Texans. He’s not as instinctual in deep zone coverage as he is attacking downhill — he earned a 55.1 coverage grade as a free safety this season — but more reps could certainly improve and make him an all-around safety with good athleticism.
Round 4, Pick 124: TE Dallin Holker, Colorado State
Holker started his college football journey at BYU from 2018 to 2022, including 2019 and 2020, when he was on his mission in Viña del Mar, Chile. He played 13 games as a true freshman in 2018 before going on his mission and suited up in both 2021 and 2022 before transferring to Colorado State in 2023.
This past season was his best yet. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end prospect shattered his previous career highs in targets, receptions and receiving yards. He also had a career year as a blocker, earning a 78.1 pass-blocking grade. He’s a true all-around tight end who can be used in-line and in the slot.
Round 5, Pick 153: OL Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Grabbing Beebe in the fifth round would be really good value, given that he is a projected mid-round pick. But hey, that’s sometimes how the draft goes.
Beebe would be perfect for the Texans because of his versatility. Over the last three years, he has played over 2,500 snaps, with 1,667 of them coming at left guard, 774 at left tackle and then a handful on the right side as a guard and tackle.
Limited length and athleticism will likely curb his draft ceiling, but every team will see him as a valuable, versatile swing lineman.
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