DeMeco Ryans' Bold Statement on Texans' Third-Round Pick

The Houston Texans' motions of the 2025 NFL Draft are officially wrapped up, with the team filing in nine new names from their seven rounds of action in Green Bay, WI.

Yet, for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, while Houston was able to get their hands on an assortment of talent on both sides of the ball, there was one name Houston picked up throughout their three days that the team seemingly had their eyes on from day one.

During his post-draft press conference, Coach Ryans was asked about a player he felt the team and coaching staff had a specific focus on throughout the process, where he had one notable name to mention who he felt had shades of being a Texan even on his initial visit: USC cornerback Jaylin Smith.

"Jumping off the bat was Jaylin Smith," Ryans said. "Felt like he was already a Texan on his visit. He knew Calen [Bullock], knows a lot of guys on our team. He was a very fun guy to talk to throughout the process. I was like 'Man, all we have to do is get you some gear,' but I felt like he was already a Texan the moment he came on his visit."

Smith, a 5-foot-11, three-year starter with the Trojans, clearly caught the attention of the Texans' brass early, ultimately leading to his name being called with the 97th-overall pick in round three. He's got great versatility and experience at multiple positions, has nice technical skills, and could inevitably be an eye-catching piece in Ryans' defensive system.

During his final season with USC, Smith made a big impact in the secondary, starting within 10 games to be tied for the team's interception leader with two picks, also putting together 59 tackles, four TFLs, and two PBUs.

A lot of the Texans' early moves in the draft focused on the offensive side of the ball, most prominently with their additions of the Iowa State receiver duo Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and also with Minnesota tackle Aireontae Ersery being scooped up in the second round.

However, for the Texans' first defensive player off the board in Smith, he could be primed for a big role in this Houston secondary right off the bat, and already has some clear appeal from this coaching staff spanning back from months earlier in the scouting process.