The NFL Network seems to be sleeping on the Houston Texans 2024 rookie class

The Houston Texans saw three or four rookies step up big in 2023, giving the squad some potential building blocks for the future. C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., and Tank Dell all hit the ground running, while Henry To'oto'o and Juice Scruggs played a lot, but didn't always play well. That's not a bad draft class by any means. Five potential starters are more than you can ask for, but three potential All-Pro candidates and two more potential starters? That's an all-time great class.

So we can forgive the NFL Network for sleeping on the Texans' rookie class in 2024. After all, how do you follow up on potential greatness? The Texans' 2024 crop of rookies are not going to be asked to do the same amount of heavy lifting as the prior class. The only player that has a shot at starting is second-round pick Kamari Lassiter.

Third-round pick Calen Bullock may also find himself in the spotlight sooner rather than later, but both men are only going to do so if players ahead of them underperform. So we don't blame the NFL Network for not mentioning any of the Texans' rookies this season. They're flying under the radar and for good reason.

If this version of the Texans has to rely on this year's draft class, then something has gone catastrophically wrong. A lot of these guys in the 2024 class are projects. Like Blake Fischer. Fischer is someone who could be a stellar offensive tackle for years to come, but the Texans are hoping to give him time to learn and adjust to the pro game.

Yet, if Tytus Howard struggles, or if Laremy Tunsil misses time, Fischer could be right in the lineup the very next week. Maybe he impresses with his performances, maybe he doesn't but the only reason to think he'd start at this point in the offseason is if something has gone wrong.

That's what this draft class is, not building blocks for today, but a potential foundation for tomorrow.