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Texans must nail this position group in draft after trades
The Houston Texans must protect quarterback C.J. Stroud better. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Texans must nail this position group in 2025 NFL Draft after offseason trades

The Houston Texans better find some offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft.

On Tuesday, the Texans agreed to trade guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-rounder, per NFL Media insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.  

The Texans have already agreed to send star left tackle Laremy Tunsil and a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Washington Commanders for four draft picks, via The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

The Texans are trading Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders, per source. Washington receives: LT Laremy Tunsil 2025 4th Houston receives: 2025 3rd 2025 7th 2026 2nd 2026 4th

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— Dianna Russini (@diannarussini.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 3:07 PM

Trading two O-linemen after Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times in 17 starts last season seems nonsensical. Perhaps Houston is confident it can find upgrades for its shaky O-line in the draft. 

Per Pro Football Focus, Green posted a below-average 39.7 pass-blocking grade in 12 games in 2024. 

Tunsil, meanwhile, has made five Pro Bowls in nine seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Texans. However, he turns 31 on Aug. 2 and has a $21.35M cap hit in 2025. 

The draft class has prospects who could plug Houston's O-line holes, including Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) and Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson (6-foot-4, 315 pounds). In 2024, Banks earned a first-team All-American nod, and Jackson was named a second-team All-American. 

The Texans can also count on general manager Nick Caserio, who has a proven track record. He spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots as a scout and director of player personnel, helping the club win six Super Bowls. 

Still, banking on the draft is a massive gamble for the Texans. And if they fail to improve their O-line there, Stroud may have to scramble even more in 2025.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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