The draft is only eight days away, which only turns up the pressure on teams to finalize their NFL Draft Big Boards in time for their first selections come April 23rd.
The Houston Texans have an opportunity to infuse their recent 12-5 nucleus with premium collegiate talent early on during draft night, as they have four picks within the top-70 to work with. Starting at pick 28, they've been mocked to select defensive tackles, offensive linemen and even wide receivers depending on who falls to them.
One position in in particular should be of unique interest to Houston, as a selection from its pool can send reverberations throughout the inner walls of their divional counterparts in the Indianapolis Colts. That would be linebacker, which features some of the most explosive playmakers in this year's festivities.
With the Colts reportedly having a vested interest in that group of potential future stars, seeing the Texans swoop in and snatch a major name off their pick-list could alter their plans drastically heading into 2026.
The Texans could take advantage of a major Colts weakness by prioritizing key linebacker(s) in the draft
According to several NFL Draft Analysts for ESPN. the top linebackers in this year's draft are:
- Sonny Styles (Ohio State)
- C.J. Allen (Georgia)
- Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas)
- Jake Golday (Cincinnati)
- Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech)
- Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
- Josiah Trotter (Missouri)
Yesterday, Horseshoe Heroes contributor Ernesto Cova went into detail on the Colt's concerning roster composition heading into the draft.
"As things stand now, the Colts' linebackers room consists of Akeem Davis-Gaither, Austin Ajiake, and John Bullock as the starters, with Jaylon Carlies and Joseph Vaughn for depth. Not only is that unimpressive, but it isn't even enough to withstand a full season."
Keep in mind, this is also after the team decided to trade their most prolific tackling linebacker in Zaire Franklin, who led the team in the category for the last four seasons (while also being one of the defensive team captains alongside defensive tackle DeForest Buckner). Thus, the Colts are on the hunt for impact talent that could immediately flip their circumstances in an increasingly competitive division.
What hurts the Colts even more in this scenario is the fact that they don't even have a first round selection this time around, as they packaged it along with next year's first-rounder to acquire star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. This leaves them vulnerable for a Texans sneak attack, as they can make them pay with their own first-round pick at 28th-overall.
And also unlike the Colts, Houston doesn't have as much of a pressing need at the position. With Pro Bowler Azeez Al-Shaair and high-effort contributor Henry To'oTo'o slotted to start heading into 2026, it could allow for a drafted rookie to land in a hyper-competitive environment where he could be allowed to comfortably learn and develop for the future.
Texans could draft a linebacker of the future in 2026 draft
In the long-term, both Al-Shaair and To'oTo'o are on the final years of their respective deals, and financial decisions must be made soon if the team intends on having them return in 2027. Also, former teammate Christian Harris bolted for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, which left the Texans also facing an issue of developmental depth behind their starting unit.
With that in mind players like Allen, Hill, Golday or Rodriguez could be targeted to take the baton if things don't end up panning out for any of the aforementioned duo of incumbent linebackers. Or, to just help mitigate the absence of playmaking ability from rotation pieces. If head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke are able to find their next 'diamond in the rough' prospect at the position, it could facilitate the continuation of elite play at the position for years to come.
For the Colts, it could spell yet another disaster to deal with after already facing several within the last few years.
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