It should come as no surprise that fixing the offensive line will be a major priority for the Houston Texans this offseason and the 2025 NFL Draft will be a spot where they can hopefully do just that. C.J. Stroud regressed in Year 2 and the offensive line played a part in that, as Stroud was sacked 52 times in Stroud's 17 regular-season starts.
The o-line's poor performance really stood out in the divisional round loss to Kansas City when Stroud was sacked a whopping eight times. Take away even a few of those sacks and perhaps that game turns out differently, as the Texans were very much in the game and had a chance at upsetting the Chiefs on the road.
The Texans need their offensive line to play better if they want to make it to their first-ever AFC Championship Game in the 2025 season. Without giving Stroud the protection he needs, the Texans will have a tough chance at competing at the highest level.
Draft analysts link Texans to offensive line help to the shock of no one
Sports Illustrated: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT (Texas)
Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated has the Texans landing Kelvin Banks Jr. with the 25th overall pick. It'd be a bit surprising if Banks fell this far in the draft but if that happened, Texans fans would be elated. Not only would the Texans be getting a guy who played his college ball roughly two and a half hours away but he'd be filling a major need for them.
"Banks allowed only one sack, two hits and seven hurries this season for the Longhorns, highlighting his quick feet and strong upper half, enabling him to block both finesse and power rushers. Banks may go much earlier than 25th, but as doubts arise about his future at tackle, his stock isn’t where it once was," Flick wrote.
Grade: A
Bleacher Nation: Tyler Booker, OG (Alabama)
Sam Russell of Bleacher Nation also had the Texans addressing the offensive line but he projected them to draft a guard instead of a tackle. Russell linked Tyler Booker to the Texans at pick 25, pointing to Booker's run-blocking abilities as a reason why this pick makes sense for Houston.
"Tyler Booker is a big guard with plenty of size and strength to help in the run game. His work ethic is fantastic and gives a boost to the Texans on the interior as they were a mess in 2024 which was a big part of CJ Stroud’s struggles in year 2," Russell wrote.
Grade: B+
NFL.com: Emeka Egbuka, WR (Ohio State)
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com went in a different direction and didn't have the Texans take an offensive lineman. Jeremiah had the Texans selecting Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka, which would have Texans fans all kinds of excited given the production level of the Buckeyes receiver. Not to mention that Stroud and Egbuka played together in Columbus in 2021 and 2022.
Egbuka had the best year of his college career in 2022 with Stroud throwing him the football tallying 1,151 yards and finding the end zone 10 times. There's no doubt that this would be an awesome pick for Houston and Stroud, while not getting first-round protection, would still be psyched to reunite with his former Ohio State teammate.
Grade: A