4 defensive players the Houston Texans are hoping fall to them
By Tyler Lyman
The Houston Texans first draft pick is the 42nd pick, which they got in their trade with the Minnesota Vikings not too long ago. With this they are really just hoping different players fall to them, their first target position to grow currently is the defensive tackles position and defensive backs.
For the whole defensive line they have some strong edges with, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, and Mario Edwards Jr. But as far as the interior goes they could for sure find a couple of better players. The starters for DT is Denico Autry and Folorunoso Fatuukasi, and they aren't horrible, they get their job done, but they could draft some more player makers at DT.
Then at defensive back it's the same story. At corner you have Derek Stingley Jr., who is on the verge of a breakout season, Jeff Okudah, and Desmond King ll. Then at safety Jimme Ward and Jalen Pitre. All of these players are good and very talented, but some are getting old. Strong safety Jimme Ward is 32 years old, and then Desmond King ll is 29 years old. They need to have more young talent ready and prepared to fill those spots.
DT from the Texas Longhorns Byron Murphy ll
The first player the Texans should hope falls to them, is Bryon Murphy ll. The 6'1, 308 lb defensive tackle had three good years at Texas. He was able to get 68 total tackles, and 8 sacks. In 2023 he was named a 2023 second-team All-American, the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, and a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023 by the conference’s coaches.
He does a few weaknesses. NFL Analyst, Lance Zierlein, said these were his biggest weaknesses: Frame might be close to maxed out.
Can be swallowed by size if he doesn’t keep it moving.
Lack of arm length forces him to work harder to separate.
Could be worn down by NFL double-teams and size.
At the NFL combine he was able to run 4.88 in the 40 yard dash, and at his size that is super impressive. Then he also got a 33" vertical and 9'33" broad jump. By the NFL's NextGenStats Murphy was ranked second for most athletic defensive tackle among 2024 combine participants.
Unfortunately for the Texans, many NFL analyst have Bryon going within the first round, but in the draft you never really know. So keeping a good eye on Murphy is still a good idea for Houston.