On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans badly need help on the offensive side of the football. After C.J. Stroud suffered through a down season in 2024, it’s clear that the front office needs to bring in more help for him.
So far this offseason, the Texans have made a flurry of moves. While a lot of moves have been made, the offensive side of the football could still use some attention. Bringing in a high-impact wide receiver should be at the top or close to the top of the priority list.
With that in mind, the 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner. The first round is set to begin on April 24 and Houston could very well find their playmaker in that first round.
A new projection has been made for the team that would land Stroud a potential star weapon for the future.
Houston Texans Projected to Land Huge Offensive Upgrade with 2,800-Yard Weapon
Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports has released a new mock draft. In that mock draft, he has Houston drafting Ohio State Buckeyes’ standout wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round.
“Stefon Diggs left in free agency and Tank Dell may not play in 2025,” he wrote. “The Texans acquired Christian Kirk as a short-term fix at wideout, but Kirk has one year left on his current deal. Egbuka is a ready-made NFL slot receiver who played with C.J. Stroud at Ohio State. Stroud went to bat for Tank Dell on draft night ahead of his rookie season and gets his way again with Egbuka.”
Egbuka would be a welcome sight for Stroud. He also previously played with the Texans’ star quarterback during their days at Ohio State together.
During the 2024 college football season, Egbuka was a huge part of helping the Buckeyes win a national championship. He racked up 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns throughout the year.
In the four total seasons he played at Ohio State, Egbuka caught 205 passes for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has legitimate star potential for the NFL level.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what Houston chooses to do with its first round pick. Egbuka would be tough to pass on if he happens to be available at pick No. 25.
More must-reads:
- Fantasy football Week 9: Five players who could flop
- Dolphins quickly become NFL's most hopeless situation
- The 'NFL passer rating leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
The 'NFL all-time rushing leaders' quiz
The Baltimore Ravens got off to a slow start to the 2025 NFL season, but their dominant ‘Thursday Night Football,’ performance against the Miami Dolphins is more what Ravens fans were expecting. Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in his return from injury, while Derrick Henry posted his third 100-rushing-yard effort of the season and second in three games. The performance put Henry at 12,052 rushing yards in his career, making him just the eighth player in NFL history with at least 12,000 yards and 100 rushing touchdowns. Remarkably, this was the first game this season Henry has gone over 100 yards in a Ravens win. Which brings us to today’s quiz. Henry ranks 17th all-time in rushing yards in NFL history. With that being said, how many of the players to rush for at least 10,000 yards in their career can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Latest Matt Rhule news should end Penn State rumors
The Penn State Nittany Lions can likely scratch another candidate off their coaching wish list. On Thursday, ESPN "College GameDay" insider Pete Thamel reported Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has signed a two-year contract extension with the program, which will run through the 2032 season. It includes a $15M buyout this season, which should prevent another school from poaching him. Why Matt Rhule was considered a strong candidate to replace recently fired Penn State HC James Franklin After Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, Rhule was immediately linked to the job. As a teenager, the New York native moved to State College, where he became a walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He clearly still loves his alma mater. "I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," Rhule told the media shortly after Franklin was fired. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love [athletic director] Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go." While the AD for the Temple Owls, Kraft gave Rhule his first head-coaching job in 2013. Now that he has signed the extension, he can't turn to his old friend again and must explore other options. Where does Penn State go from here? The list of candidates in Penn State's head-coaching search is shrinking. The Indiana Hoosiers signed HC Curt Cignetti, another potential target, to an eight-year, $11.6M contract on Oct. 16. The Nittany Lions could attempt to court Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, who has his team in the thick of the national championship hunt after a 7-1 start. However, if he does leave Oxford, expect him to stay in the SEC rather than flocking to the Big Ten. Some believe Kiffin may be the next HC of the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. And for any optimistic Penn State fans thinking they can lure ESPN analyst Nick Saban out of retirement, dream on. The former Alabama Crimson Tide HC has said there's "no way" he's returning to coaching. Don't bank on Penn State (3-4) promoting interim HC Terry Smith, especially after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 25-24, in his first game. Instead, it may target HCs Mike Elko (Texas A M Aggies), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville Cardinals). Penn State alumni may have welcomed a homecoming for Rhule. Now, it no longer looks like a possibility.
Canuch Coach Sends Message on Woes Amid Brock Boeser Development
The Vancouver Canucks’ injury troubles continued Thursday, prompting head coach Adam Foote to joke that “voodoo” might be behind the team’s growing list of sidelined players. Forward Brock Boeser left in the opening minute of Vancouver’s 4–3 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues after being struck in the midsection by a slap shot from teammate Elias Pettersson. The 28-year-old was helped off the ice and did not return. The Canucks later confirmed he sustained a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Boeser’s exit came just as captain Quinn Hughes missed his second straight game with a groin injury, bringing the total to nine players unavailable for the Canucks. Others currently out include Conor Garland, Derek Forbort, Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Nils Hoglander. After the game, Foote voiced disbelief at the string of injuries that have disrupted Vancouver’s early season. “We’ve got to find the person with the voodoo doll,” Foote said. “Yeah, we got to find that person with the voodoo and all, if that’s a thing. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I’m like, ‘What is going on here?’” Foote, however, was quick to praise his players for maintaining focus despite these setbacks. “If we can handle it and be resilient, stick to what we’re doing, we’ll all grow from it,” Foote said. “Once we get another guy back, another guy back, another guy back, now we’ve got depth.” Vancouver improved to 6–6–0 with the win, led by Kiefer Sherwood’s hat trick and Jake DeBrusk's shootout-winning goal. The Canucks continue their road trip Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, hoping for updates on both Hughes and Boeser.
Steelers' Massive Communication Issues Point Directly To 2 Men
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had constant issues with the defense, but the single biggest one is the miscommunication. That has been an issue for at least two seasons now, and possibly more. That should most likely be priority number one for the team, as that could potentially solve some of the issues with the secondary and linebackers. Once that gets fixed, then it will be easier to see which players are at fault for their on-field performance, as there are currently no answers for what is going on each week. While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, insider Ray Fittipaldo explained where all the blame goes for the miscommunications in this scenario. "It's been going on for years," Fittipaldo said. "A lot of people said, 'Oh, Minkah [Fitzpatrick]'s the problem.' Minkah's not here; Minkah's not the problem. 'Oh, Cam Sutton's the problem last year.' Cam Sutton's not here. Every team has some problems relaying the signals, but it's an ongoing issue here. Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin are the coaches. They're the ones that need to accept the full blame here, but I'm sure it's on the players too." Sure, the players are part of the question, but like Fittipaldo said, the ones that run this unit need to take some blame and they need to be the first ones to take action to finally stop this problem for good. Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin combine to do most things for this unit, so they need to be more accountable in the eyes of many fans. Tomlin's defense is known to be one of the more difficult ones to learn in the NFL, especially for newcomers. When the Steelers overhauled their defense in 2025, they had to teach so many players his complicated schemes in a very short period of time, and it has not worked well. His unit needs more stability for this defense to have any chance of working. Meanwhile, Austin has not done particularly well with calling this complicated gameplan, and he knows it. The problem is that he's not calling his defense, so it's a bit harder for him to adjust on the fly when he has to stay within his head coach's scheme and guidelines. Even if it's difficult, he still has to do it. He needs to find some way to make life easier on his players and get them in the right spots. That's a coordinator's job. Unfortunately, the Steelers made their defense even older from a player age perspective, so the most likely scenario is that everything gets overhauled again in the near future. On top of that, Austin's contract expires at season's end. With how bad his unit has been, he may be let go. If all that truly does happen and the miscommunications remain, it becomes even more obvious that Tomlin is the main issue here. Austin has not been great either, but he is merely a symptom of the problem, not the primary cause. There is not a Minkah Fitzpatrick to trade away anymore. There's just a bunch of veterans that could get cut and/or retire at season's end. Steelers Fixed One Communication Issue, But It's Not Enough So far, it seems like linebacker Patrick Queen has been much better at barking out the signals to his teammates on the field. He struggled to pick up on the plays in his first season in Pittsburgh, and it ended in disaster. Obviously, there are more issues with miscommunications, but Queen is not part of it anymore. He has done his job well so far.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
