The Texans are in the midst of an offensive line shake-up heading into the 2025 season. In a move that left some NFL analysts confused, Houston traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders for a bevy of draft capital and replaced him with free agent Cam Robinson.
Now? As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer writes in his latest draft rumblings, general manager Nick Caserio and the front office could be looking to address the position with a trade up in the first round of Thursday's NFL draft:
"We have another team that has at least started sniffing around on a trade up," Breer writes. "And that’s the Houston Texans. It’s no secret that Houston needs offensive line help, and I’d expect the Texans to target strong-character players as they continue to remake that room."
Our "What I'm Hearing" notes for Tuesday of draft week.https://t.co/0RUsmQMRH3
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 22, 2025
Houston currently holds the 25th overall pick and, with a slew of tackles in Will Campbell, Armand Membou, and Kelvin Banks expected to go early, could make a move to get ahead of other tackle-needy teams—or potentially be more ambitious.
"The Texans have two teams in front of them, in the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, that could take an offensive lineman," Breer continues. "Thanks to the Laremy Tunsil trade, the Texans do have three picks on Day 2 (58, 79, and 89) to work with, though they’re without fourth- and sixth-rounders. I could see where that sets up for a short move up, potentially to try to land someone like [NDSU's Grey] Zabel; or, if they’re feeling froggy and include 2026 picks, maybe a more significant move up for Banks. One player I’ve heard the Texans have done plenty of work on is [Ohio State's Donovan] Jackson."
For what it's worth, Caserio and the Texans have shown a willingness to be aggressive in the first round before. In 2023, after landing their franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall, they boldly traded up from No. 12 to No. 3 and grabbed Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson to man their defense.
Perhaps they'll show that same conviction in a player this time around. The first round of the 2025 NFL draft begins at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Texans 'Sniffing Around' On a Trade Up in 2025 NFL Draft.
