Every Expert's Predicted Texans First-Round Draft Pick

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. went with an interesting approach for the Texans' first-round selection, opting to go with Notre Dame's counterpart to Jeremiyah Love in the backfield, Jadarian Price, in order to shore up their rushing attack alongside Woody Marks heading into 2026.

"Per ESPN Research, this would be the fourth time two running backs from the same school both went in Round 1 -- and the first time since 2008, when Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were Day 1 selections. But just because Price was second on the Fighting Irish's depth chart to Jeremiyah Love doesn't mean he can't be an RB1 in the NFL. He's a powerful runner who plays a one-cut-and-go brand of football. There are ball security concerns (four lost fumbles over three years), and we haven't seen a ton from him as a pass catcher, but Price is dynamic. He ran for 11 touchdowns, caught two TD passes and scored two more times on kickoff returns last season."

Daniel Jeremiah | NFL.com: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

NFL.com 's Daniel Jeremiah sees the Texans finding a young stud on their offensive line to pair with their existing left tackle, Aireontae Ersery, with their selection at the backend of the first round, that being Utah tackle Caleb Lomu. 

"Lomu pairs with Aireontae Ersery to give the Texans young bookends to build around on the offensive line."

Marc Vandermeer | HoustonTexans.com : Kadyn Proctor, OG/OT, Alabama

The voice of the Houston Texans himself, Marc Vandermeer, said that if he were the one in the GM's chair instead of Nick Caserio, he would be targeting versatile Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.

"Is he a guard or a tackle? The answer is yes. I met him while I MC'd the Lombardi awards. He'll be a great interview – which is super important to me. But seriously folks, Trent Brown and Ed Ingram are free agents-to-be. And you're asking me to draft in February, so I'm taking this guy."

Lance Zierlein | NFL.com : Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

While most projections revolving around the Texans' first-round pick are keying in on the offensive side of the ball, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sees a different approach on the table––perhaps in the form of selecting Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

"Houston needs help on the offensive line, but the best available prospect in this scenario could be a defensive lineman. McDonald is an ascending talent with the "SWARM" mentality DeMeco Ryans looks for."