It’s been three and a half seasons since the 2022 rookie class took the field and Texans fans have a good sense of who hit and who missed. Many of the woes the team is experiencing in the 2025 season are
due to the mistakes of this class. Offensive line Conversely, the strength of the Texans stems from two key picks early in this class.
It’s difficult to call an entire class a disappointment when there’s an All Pro amongst the mix, but its difficult not to be disgusted at the number of high-draft picks that didn’t make it through their rookie contracts.
In today’s article, we’ll review the class and redraft players based on how they’ve performed thus far in their career. Several constraints to how I approached the redraft: if a player was already off the board at the time of the selection he could not be selected. Additionally, I tried to maintain relative draft pick value, which means I’m not selecting Brock Purdy in the second round (or at all, actually). The goal is to maintain some sort of reality of what a class would look like rather than every single Pro-Bowler or All-Pro drafted this year.
Round 1, Pick 3: Derek Stingley Jr., CB – LSU (Original Pick: Derek Stingley Jr.)
Rationale: Stingley Jr. is one of six All-Pros in this class, all of which are defensive backs. While CB Sauce Gardner is the only one with two All-Pro selections, Stingley’s play has been most consistent this season and has performed better against elite WR talent. Gardner was selected one pick after Stingley and the two will forever be compared with one another, but Stingley’s longevity appears more clear than Sauce’s.
The other option in this class is Trent McDuffie. McDuffie is one of the best CBs in the NFL and was selected with the 21st overall pick. McDuffie doesn’t have the statistical production that Stingley has, but that’s because teams completely avoid him in the passing game. Still opting with our guy.
Round 1, Pick 15: Tyler Linderbaum, C (Original Pick: Kenyon Green, G)
Rationale: Linderbaum has established himself as one of the NFL’s top centers, and the Texans desperately needed talent on the interior of their offensive line. This move would solidify the center position for the foreseeable future. Linderbaum was selected with the 23rd overall pick, was 7th in the rookie of the year voting, and has made two Pro Bowls since joining Baltimore.
The Texans originally held the 13th pick from the Cleveland Browns as a part of the Deshaun Watson trade. Houston traded back two places for a haul of draft picks they would use and re-trade throughout the 2022 draft weekend. Unfortunately, that move back two spots changed the entire complexion of the Texans franchise for the worse.
The list of players selected before Kenyon Green is astonishingly impressive: Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jordan Davis, and Kyle Hamilton are all legitimate talents in the league.
If I could go back and undo the trade to select two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton I would. Combining Stingley and Hamilton on the same secondary would have completely changed the complexion of the defense and thus not led Houston to select. Jalen Pitre in 27 picks. Maybe for a different article.
Before Green was selected, Houston had Tytus Howard slated to play left guard with Charlie Heck and Justin McCray on the right. Adding Green was meant to push Howard back over to the right tackle spot long-term, but it instead created a three-year long void at the position.
Round 1, Pick 37: Nic Bonito, OLB – Oklahoma (Original Pick: Jalen Pitre, S)
Rationale: There were many premier talents on the board who have collected more accolades than Pitre, even though Pitre has been the cornerstone of the Texans defense in this new era. He exemplifies grit, plays a key role in DeMeco Ryans’ defense, and allows the team to play aggressive in both run support and coverage. Pitre currently is second tackles with 227… for the entire draft class.
It’s also unfortunate RB Breece Hall was chosen right before Pitre. Even so, Bonito gets the nod here as one of the best and most underrated pass rushers in the NF. With 31 career sacks and a Pro Bowl nod in 2024, he is disruptive and an ascending talent. He’s second in the class in sacks and has been completely healthy his entire career. He was picked in the second round by the Denver Broncos and signed a big $106M contract in September.
Round 2, Pick 44: George Pickens, WR – Georgia (Original Pick: John Metchie III, WR)
Rationale: Additional offensive line support in either Cam Jurgens (C for the Eagles) or Abraham Lucas (RT for Seattle) were considered, but Houston needed offensive firepower badly. So badly they traded picks 78, 108, and 124 to the Cleveland Browns to acquire the 44th overall pick, which they used on Metchie. Imagine if they kept all those picks who they could have added…
The selection of Pickens mainly allows the Texans to divert future draft picks away from the WR position and to more pressing needs. While Pickens isn’t a SWARM mentality-type player, it’s hard to deny his incredible skill when everything is right.
George Pickens is third in the class in receiving yards (3,605) and tied for third in touchdowns (18). Paired with a young and undeveloped Nico Collins, Houston would have one of the taller downfield combinations the league has ever seen. He would have also paired well with veteran Brandin Cooks in the slot.
Round 3, Pick 75: Kerby Joseph, CB – Illinois (Original Pick: Christian Harris, LB)
Rationale: Two years ago, this would have remained Harris. His breakout second-year campaign was capped off with an incredible pick-six against the Browns in the playoffs. Since then, injuries and competition have stymied his playing time. Now, he’s a backup on a deep and veteran defense.
Instead, Houston goes with one of my favorite gems from this class, Kerby Joseph. The class’ leader in interceptions and fifth in tackles, the safety can check most of the boxes left empty by Jalen Pitre. Joseph has been a healthy and dependable asset in the Lions ascent to NFL relevance. While he hasn’t received a Pro Bowl or All Pro nod, he’s one of the most consistent players and would be ideal in a Texans defense.
Round 4, Pick 107: Jake Ferguson, TE – Wisconsin (Original Pick: Dameon Pierce, RB)
Rationale: This pick was the second part of the Deshaun Watson trade package in 2022.
Dameon Pierce was the second pick in the fourth round and was a one-hit wonder. The fall from grace after an epic rookie season will live in Houston Texans lore forever. Instead, Houston adds one of the premier tight ends in the NFL in the fourth round. Ferguson’s blocking and pass catching versatility would have completely redefined the Texans offense today. I did consider Trey McBride, but his second-round grade was too high compared to the value of selecting Ferguson in the fourth. J-Ferg has the second most yards, receptions, and touchdowns out of all tight ends in this class.
Round 5, Pick 150: Kyren Williams, RB – Notre Dame (Original Pick: Teagan Quitoriano, TE)
Rationale: With a class consisting of Breece Hall, James Cook, Kenneth Walker Jr., Brian Robinson Jr., and Isiah Pacheco, Williams leads all of them in rushing TDs (29), second in reaching TDs (8), and second in rushing yards (3,168). The fifth-round pick came out of nowhere to be the pre-eminent back in Los Angeles. Adding him instead of Dameon Pierce would have saved multiple future low-end running back draft picks as well as shelling out major salary capital for Joe Mixon. Williams would be an ideal fit in Caley’s offense given his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and still run hard in between the tackles.
Round 6, Pick 205: Isiah Pacheco, RB – Rutgers (Original Pick: Austin Deculus, T)
Rationale: Sure, Houston picking back-to-back RBs late in the draft would have been implausible, but considering the three on the roster pre-draft were Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale, and Royce Freeman… it’s not all that unlikely. Pacheco paired with Williams would have been not only an incredible underdog storyline, but would bring a tenacity to the Texans run game they’ve missed. Pacheco is often injured, but a gritty runner with great versatility. He has been a cornerstone piece in the Chiefs’ offense since his rookie season.
