The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, which means the entire NFL is now in offseason mode. The Houston Texans have been there since falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round but the speed is about to pick up.
Free agency will begin before the NFL Draft but teams have already started scouting prospects — and that will also pick up when the Scouting Combine begins at the end of the month.
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That means draft season is officially upon usually, so the mock drafts will be flying. For Houston, the focus is on improving the offense.
That’s the route taken in the latest mock draft from the Bleacher Report scouting department. Their crew has Houston landing wide receiver Matthew Golden out of Texas at No. 25.
”For the Houston Texans, they made the postseason for the second straight season, though the squad clearly took a step back in Year 2 with head coach Demeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud at the helm. The roster needs a further injection of play-making talent.” — Bleacher Report
A Texas native, Golden began his collegiate career at Houston. He recorded 988 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons before joining three Longhorns in 2024.
He played for them for one year and had 987 yards and nine touchdowns on 58 receptions. He improved dramatically as the season progressed, and was a standout in their playoff win over Arizona State.
An underclassman, Golden improved his draft stock and is seen as a potential first-rounder. In Houston, he would make sense as a replacement should they lose Stefon Diggs in free agency.
Of course, going with a wideout in Round 1 means they might have to reach for an offensive lineman in the second round. That’s their primary need, but it would be understandable to pass that up for Golden.