Picking the best Round 2 draft target for the Houston Texans ahead of 2024 NFL Combine

The Houston Texans have 29 free agents entering this offseason. Sure, they will sign some of them back if not most of them, but we won't see all 29 back on the team. That is why free agency and the NFL draft are things. For the Texans, they will have to use both wisely, but especially the draft.

Luckily for them, the Texans have around $70 million in cap space and plenty of draft picks to try and improve. They have hit the draft big time in the last two years, especially last year. Last season, the storyline was about the two top-three draft picks who turned into two franchise players.

This season, the storyline is what will happen after the first round. At A to Z Sports, we have been doing our series of best draft picks per round. In these series, we act as if the team picks with the trade they currently have and does not get any trades. In round one, we chose defensive tackle Byron Murphy, and in round two, I happened to have the perfect pick for the Texans at pick No. 59.

The Texans should draft Penn State CB Kalen King with the 59th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

The Texans have to wait until they pick No. 59 to draft in the second round, which will have them see a bit of a dip in talent and skill when it's their turn to pick. However, with a defensive tackle in the first round, which is very much needed, the Texans have to go defensive back here to make sure C.J., Stroud, and DeMeco Ryans have a defense that can hold their own for years to come.

They don't need another lockdown No. 1 cornerback, as they have that in Derek Stingley, who had a huge year last season and submitted himself as one of the best in the league. However, they do need another guy who can win his one-on-one matchups consistently and a guy who can develop into a cornerback that other teams still respect. That could be Penn State cornerback Kalen King.

King is projected to be a second-round pick by pretty much every mock draft and big board out there. With four total cornerbacks entering free agency, the Texans will have to take at least one cornerback in this draft, and King is a guy they can use to make this defense elite.

Kalen King is a great fit for the Texans' defense

Because they are going to be without so many cornerbacks on the team, this pick isn't really about getting an outside guy or a nickel but more so getting the best guy available for the defensive back position. That's King, who is a top-10 cornerback in this draft.

According to A to Z Sports' Big Board, King is comfortable turning and locating the ball down the sideline and has good timing reaching into passing windows. He is also a physical presence defending screens and outside runs. In 2022, he looked like a first-round pick but had a dropoff in production last season. However, he did deal with an injury all year.

He is a press-man cornerback who can adapt in the zone, which is something Ryans would love on his team. Stingley is very similar but has grown in his zone abilities. King is physical and loves to get up close to the line of scrimmage. To me, this has the potential to be a low-risk - high-reward draft pick.

Final word

The Houston Texans have to hit on as many of these draft picks as possible. Their window is at least the next two years, as C.J. Stroud is still on his rookie contract. That just makes these draft picks even harder to make.