The Houston Texans, historically, are known for their defensive draft picks over anything. DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Derek Stingley Jr., Will Anderson, and so many others have come through Houston and made an impact of sorts. It's what they've been built on for years.
Now, the team has a franchise quarterback who seemingly has a stable head on his shoulders in second-year man C.J. Stroud. Stroud has a host of weapons around him like recently acquired running back Joe Mixon, newly acquired wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and a trio of returning players in Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Dalton Schultz.
Defensively, they have acquired Danielle Hunter to pair with Anderson in a new-look defense that will feature Stingley in the secondary, but who else is around him is anyone's guess. The folks at Pro Football Talk speculated that Jeff Okudah, the recent bust out of the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons may be in line to start next to Stingley, but considering his poor performances over the last few seasons, that seems unlikely.
That is part of the issue, because the Texans need help at corner, at least in their minds. So they believe that the Texans will focus likely on cornerback and defensive tackle to start the 2024 NFL Draft.
And you know what, maybe they're right. Maybe the Texans should prioritize cornerback and defensive tackle to start the draft. It's what ESPN's Mel Kiper suggests they do in his recent mock draft for ESPN.
If they went that route, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. The Texans do need help in that area, but it seems like people aren't paying attention to the struggles of the offensive line enough. They're going to need help at right tackle and in the interior. Juice Scruggs is not someone you want to bank on to produce after a rough rookie year.
Maybe he will, maybe he won't but you want to prepare for the worst-case scenario. So while I'm not against the Texans catering to the defense to start things off, the hope is that they focus on the offensive line sooner rather than later.