To kick off Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, we heard about plenty of potential action taking place at the top with some teams looking at trading up. Owning the second pick in the second round, the Houston Texans kept their place and made the pick, though, rather than swinging a deal.
With the no. 34 overall pick in the draft, Houston went ahead and selected Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins. To say we knew they'd be targeting wide receivers wouldn't be an overreaction, either. We certainly called our shot.
Over the past couple of years, the Texans have made several moves at the wide receiver position in effort to continue building around quarterback CJ Stroud and this selection is no exception.
By taking Higgins, the Texans not only gave Stroud another strong weapon in the passing game, but they also sent a very loud and clear message to third-year pro Tank Dell.
Jayden Higgins could very well be Tank Dell's replacement
Unfortunately, Dell has endured a tough road to start his young career. In his first two seasons, Dell has suffered serious injuries. While this is difficult to walk through for Dell, the Texans also have to start thinking about the future.
Dell may not return to be the same player he was before two major injuries. That's the simple fact.
The other fact of the matter is, Dell won't even come back from this most recent injury until well into the 2025 regular season, if all goes according to plan.
Higgins, now, gets an opportunity to come in right away and start alongside Nico Collins with Christian Kirk likely manning the slot.
To go even further, beyond Dell, this Higgins pick is not good news for John Metchie, either. With Dell sidelined a while, this could have been an opportunity for the Texans to show significant faith in their former second-round pick.
Instead, the Texans invest in Higgins and go a different route. Higgins looks like the future along with Collins, at this point, and unless Dell comes back and sets the league on fire, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Houston to keep him around past his rookie deal.