Yes, the Houston Texans traded away their first-round draft pick, but how often do we see Nick Caserio sit and do nothing during the draft? He made a bunch of trades last year, and after adding more draft picks this year, he could do the same. But it must be for the right price and the right player. They don't have very many holes left to fill, and they don't have eight rookies that can make their 53-man roster. So trading away some draft picks to get instant starters on this team is the way to go. Their biggest needs are likely on defense, and depending on how high they move up, they could grab an immediate starter to fill the gaping hole at cornerback or defensive tackle.
Both Demeco Ryans and Nick Caserio have a history of selecting and building great defensive players. Ryans from his time in San Francisco, and Caserio from his time in New England. In Free Agency they did enough work on offense where if the Best Player Available (BPA) is a defensive player, they will feel comfortable going in that direction. They don't have a lot of new players on defense who can produce at a high level, which makes defense early and often the wisest move going into Thursday's draft.
If you check out some more recent mock drafts, they'll have the Texans going primarily defensive tackle, with a little cornerback or linebacker mixed in there as well. Looking at their roster, those might be the top three needs the Texans have this week. They should look to fill all three of those positions by the time the draft concludes and the second wave of Free Agency hits. But who's available that could force them to trade up for?