The Houston Texans have been extremely aggressive in maneuvering around the draft board since Nick Caserio took over as general manager in 2021. He’s made at least three trades during the draft in each of his first four drafts so far, and 18 total during his tenure. With Omar Khan hinting at the possibility of a trade back in the draft, could the Texans make an ideal trade partner?
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, a source indicated to her that the Texans could look to move up in the first round once again.
“The Texans have been actively making calls about a potential move up, so don’t be surprised if Houston makes a jump on Thursday night,” Russini wrote via The Athletic.
The Texans currently hold the No. 25 pick, just four spots behind the Steelers at No. 21. That is a reasonable move back where the Steelers wouldn’t put themselves out of range to grab somebody they like, and it could help them recoup some of the lost value from trading a second-round pick for DK Metcalf.
Like the Steelers, the Texans have six total picks in the draft, but they have four in the top 100 as opposed to the Steelers’ two in the top 120. Could the Texans part ways with one of their two third-round picks in exchange for a first-round pick swap?
The Texans hold picks No. 79 and No. 89, both in the third round. According to draft trade value charts, the difference between No. 21 and No. 25 is 80 value. That would equate to the value of the No. 107 pick in the fourth round. Teams don’t strictly adhere to the value but getting No. 79 (195 value) or No. 89 (145 value) would be slanted in the Steelers’ favor.
The Texans’ fourth-round pick is all the way down at No. 127 (45 value) and would be slanted in the Texans’ favor. It is possible the Steelers could pick up one of their third-round picks while swapping picks later in the draft to even things out. At the same time, if the Texans really value a player at No. 21, then maybe they will fork one of those third rounders over.
For reference, when the Steelers traded up from No. 17 to No. 14 (150 value difference) to draft Broderick Jones in 2023, they gave up No. 120 (54 value) in return. The team that trades back usually gets the better deal in terms of value, so maybe the Steelers could end up with No. 89 in the third round.
They traded OT Laremy Tunsil and signed OT Cam Robinson this offseason but could still use tackle help. If a top tackle is still around, perhaps they pull the trigger on an unfavorable trade because the need is so great.
This draft is viewed as having great depth well into Round 4 at certain positions, so it would be nice for Pittsburgh to gain another top-100 pick.
