5 Potential LB Prospects for the Houston Texans

Everything is just coming up edge rusher in Houston, Texas. Take a quick look at some of the most recent transactions the Houston Texans organization has completed, and you’ll see the wonderfully massive extensions handed out to DEs Danielle Hunter (1-year, $40.1 Million) and Will Anderson (3 years, $150 million). Texans general manager Nick Caserio has also signed free agent DEs Logan Hall and Dominique Robinson and re-signed DT Naquan Jones, signaling a clear effort to fill up the space between

Hunter and Anderson with some tough meat. But, what about the players direclty behind those big defensive linemen? The linebacking group has been one that the Texans have fortunately been able to mostly ignore, thanks to the consistency of starters Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. Both of these players have kept up with the extremely talented defensive front and defensive backfield, but, if either To’oTo’o and/or Al-Shaair were to go down with an injury, Houston’s defense would immediately be in a spot of discomfort. #3 LB E.J. Speed has been better than expected since arriving in Houston in 2025, but he would not be able to man green-dot duties at the same level of Azeez Al-Shaair, and he wouldn’t be able to fill in Henry To’oTo’o’s assignments without suffering growing pains. What can the Texans do to sure up their LB room? Well, why not the draft!

Currently, the Texans have 8 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft including:

1. Round 1, Pick 28 (28th Overall)
2. Round 2 – Pick 6 (38th Overall)
3. Round 2 – Pick 27 (59 Overall)
4. Round 3 – Pick 5 (69th Overall) (From NYG)
5. Round 4 – Pick 6 (106th Overall) (From WAS)
6. Round 5 – Pick 1 (141st Overall) (From CLV)
7. Round 5 – Pick 27 (167th Overall)
8. Round 7 – Pick 27 (243rd Overall) (From SF)

Currently, the Houston Texans depth chart at LB currently Looks like this:

1. Azeez Al-Shaair
2. Henry To’oTo’o
3. E.J. Speed
4. Marte Mapu
5. Jamal Hill
6. Jake Hansen
7. Jake Hummel
8. Xavier Thomas

As with my previous prospect posts, I want to explain that this “top five” list does not include what I believe to be the five most talented linebackers of the draft class. Instead, this top five list is more a collection of what I believe are the five most intriguing LB prospects for the Texans in the 2026 NFL Draft. Since I believe this to be a pretty good LB class with draftable talent everywhere, I wanted to include LB prospects that I think Houston should target basically in every round of the draft. I want this list to have someone the Texans can consider drafting from the first round all the way down into the 6th and 7th rounds. With their first pick at 28th overall, Houston will have the choice of multiple starting caliber linebackers, but they may be more interested in taking a guard, tackle, or safety. It’s unlikely that the Texans would use such a valuable pick on a position that isn’t in need of another starter, but it’s not impossible considering the level of talent that might be available inside the top 50. Only time will tell what direction the Houston Texans will go in this year’s draft, but in the event that they go LB, here are the five most intriguing LB targets for the Texans in the 2026 NFL Draft:

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Honorable Mentions: LB Jimmy Rolder, Michigan; LB Red Murdock, Buffalo; Harold Perkins Jr., LSU; Taurean York, Texans A&M

5. LB Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh

• Measurements: Height: 5’ 11 ⅞”; Weight: 220 lbs.; Hand: 9 ½’’: Arm: 31 ¼”; 40-Yard Dash: 4.53s; 10-Yard Dash: 1.58s; Vertical Jump: 39.5”; Broad Jump: 10’ 9”; 
• 2025 Stats: 11 Games; 81 Tackles; 8.5 TFLs; 3.0 Sacks; 2 Ints; 3 PDs; 1 FF; 2 FRs; 73.1 PFF Grade (75.3 Rdef, 74.7 Tack, 70.2 Prsh, 72.3 Cov); 2nd-team All-ACC
• 2024 Stats: 13 Games; 101 Tackles; 15.5 TFLs; 7.0 Sacks; 4 Ints; 1 Int TD; 3 PDs; 1 FF; 83.4 PFF Grade (85.4 Rdef, 79.3 Tack, 68.5 Prsh, 83.1 Cov); 2nd-team A.P. All-American; 1st-team All-ACC
• Draft Range: Rounds 2-3

This was a hard decision to make, but I’m putting Pitt LB Kyle Louis at #5 instead of Texans A&M LB Taurean York and Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez. I love both of these players so much as developmental prospects for the Texans that can quickly hop in and be prepared in case there’s an injury to a starter, but I think the lack of size for York and Rodriguez is going to hurt them more than it will for LB Kyle Louis, who’s coverage ability and fluidity of motion make him more valuable at the NFL level.

Louis’s popularity was just a simmer for much of the 2025 season, but after his senior bowl performance started spreading around, everybody knew about him. Louis has truly incredible coverage skills and backpedal speed, able to twist his hips and blast off in a variety of directions without losing any agility. In 2025 in particular, Louis became much more aware of opposing offenses, and was able to cut down rush attempts and check downs quickly. But, under 6’0” and only 225lbs., the size concerns for Louis stand out like a sore thumb. He’s going to have a much more difficult time covering TEs and WRs in the pros, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be strong enough to attack rushers through the gaps. Although, despite the size, Louis’s missed tackle percentage of just 10.5% is lower than other LBs in the class line Josiah Trotter and Jacob Rodriguez.

Instead of an heir apparent to Azeez Al-Shaair, I see Kyle Louis as a potential replacement to one of Houston’s most overlooked defenders, LB Henry To’oTo’o. To’oTo’o had to step in as the starting weak side linebacker after a calf injury suffered in July 2024 kept LB Christian Harris out for the first 14 games of the regular seasons. To’oTo’o took that opportunity and never looked back, steadily improving his tackling, his ability to diagnose runs, and his coverage skills. 2025 was his best season yet, making game-winning play against the San Francisco 49ers, game-flipping tackles against the Denver Broncos, and a coverage LB performance worthy of hanging in the Louvre in the divisional round against the New England Patriots. If To’oTo’o had a few less missed tackles and a few more TFLs, he might have made the pro-bowl with how complete his 2025 season was, so Houston can’t count on him sticking around much longer if they’re not planning on giving him an Al-Shaair-level contract. This moment is perfect for a young, athletic defender like Kyle Louis to arrive, learn from To’oTo’o his rookie year, and then step right into the starting Will LB role in 2027, hopefully with little to no drop off for the Texans defense to worry about. And, if that doesn’t work out, Louis will almost certainly make a starting-caliber safety.

4. LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama

• Measurements: Height: 6’ 2 ⅞”; Weight: 226 lbs.; Hand: 9 ¼”; Arm: 31 ⅞”; 40-Yard Dash: 4.6s; Bench Press: 20 Reps
• 2025 Stats: 15 Games; 89 Tackles; 4.5 TFLs; 1.5 Sacks; 4 PDs; 2 FFs; 2 FRs; 77.6 PFF Grade (83.6 Rdef, 57.6 Tack, 57.7 Prsh, 69.3 Cov)
• 2024 Stats: 11 Games; 76 Tackles; 6.5 TFLs; 2.0 Sacks; 1 Int; 4 PDs; 1 FF; 1 FR; 78.1 PFF Grade (84.4 Rdef, 66.8 Tack, 64.5 Prsh, 64.7 Cov)
• Draft Range: Rounds 5-7
• NFL Combine Meeting with Texans

This was possibly the most difficult spot to nail a player to. Obviously, if this were a standard top 5, placing Ohio State LBs Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Georgia LB C.J. Allen in the top 3 would be expected. But, since this top 5 is trying to identify the five best LBs the Texans will realistically get a chance to draft, Reese and Styles are off the board immediately. C.J. Allen will stay because he may fall to pick #28 (and he’s also one of my favorite players in the draft), and in the place of Reese and Styles, I’ve tried to select mid-round LBs that I believe could be future starters for Houston if they target them with a second/third-round pick. But…what if Houston waits a little longer than the second or third round to draft a backup linebacker? What if all the best LBs fall off the board by pick 50, and Houston has to start digging through their big board to find the next man up?

Enter Alabama LB Deontae Lawson. Even though it’s possible Lawson goes before the 4th round, I see him as a high-upside mid-to-late selection that has the size and athleticism to become a real contributor at the next level. A four-year starting LB for the Crimson Tide, Lawson was the Mike LB on multiple loaded defenses, frequently benefitting from the pass rush in front of him or coverage behind him. But, don’t let that fool you – Lawson was a two-time team captain that plays with his hair on fire. He’s usually lined up inside the box, so he can’t be another multi-purpose defender like Pitt LB Kyle Louis can be, but he’s one of the only LBs in this class that has prototypical NFL size. You can rely on him to be able to shed blocks from pro-size linemen and tight ends, but despite the size and strength, he doesn’t have the stacking or shedding technique needed to consistently get off of blocks. You can say the same thing about his tackling, too. When he’s hot, Deontae Lawson is one of the better tacklers in the SEC, but his ability to wrap up and corral ball-carriers goes up and down, which is disappointing to see from a multi-year starter. Against Vanderbilt, he was caught in the wrong spot over and over and ended up chasing down ball-carriers, which isn’t a good sign. But, despite the concerns, his athleticism and improvement in 2025 gives me and others some hope. Battle Red Blog’s Kenneth Levy had this to say of Deonte Lawson:

Lawson is a less athletic, higher floor, lower ceiling version of Anthony Hill Jr. Three years of starting experience with. I trust Lawson to slowly earn starting reps with his intelligence and play fervor. – Kenneth Levy, Top “my guys” for the Houston Texans 2026 Draft Class

He’s still a little late to reacting to some plays, and will end up shooting through the wrong gap at times, but Lawson has the size, speed, agility, and most importantly, the steady improvement needed to instill confidence in NFL coaches. He keeps his eyes on the QB and has the range to get to the ball carrier within seconds, being a major contributor to Alabama’s defense the last two years. His draft stock has gone down due to his aforementioned tackling woes and the fact that he’ll need to either gain weight for the MLB role or move to the WLB spot in the NFL, where late reaction-time may cause even more problems. But, if he’s still available in the fifth round, he’s worth drafting even if it’s just to improve depth at the position.

3. LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas

• Measurements: Height: 6’ 2”; Weight: 238 lbs.; Hand: 9 ⅝”; Arm: 32 ⅜”; 40-Yard Dash: 4.51s; 10-Yard Split: 1.58s; Vertical Jump: 37”; Broad Jump: 10’ 5”; Bench Press: 21 Reps
• 2025 Stats: 10 Games; 69 Tackles; 7.0 TFLs; 4.0 Sacks; 2 Ints; 1 PD; 3 FFs; 1 FR; 71.6 PFF Grade (79.7 Rdef, 88.8 Tack, 60.9 Prsh, 63.6 Cov); 2nd-team A.P. All-American; 2nd-team All-SEC
• 2024 Stats: 16 Games; 113 Tackles; 16.5 TFLs; 8.0 Sacks; 1 Int; 1 PD; 3 FFs; 1 FR; 72.7 PFF Grade (79.8 Rdef, 65.9 Tack, 67.2 Prsh, 62.4 Cov); 2nd-team A.P. All-American; 2nd-team All-SEC
• Draft Range: Rounds 1-3

Maybe a player some Texans fans reading this are already aware of, Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was the heart to his team’s hard-nosed defense. A five-star recruit out of Denton, Texas, Hill’s raw talent and instincts made him an exceptional defender early on. In just his freshman season at UT, he started 6 and appeared in all 14 games, mainly as an extra weapon in the pass-rush. The following season, he would don green dot duties and completely evolve as a defender, earning second-team A.P. All-American honors and tallying a team-leading 113 tackles. I mean, look at his stats in 2024 and 2025, they’re practically the grand total of two or three different players combined! He is a thumper in every sense of the word, the extreme athleticism he offers on top of it is what sets him apart from the other star LBs of this class.

Some may see Anthony Hill Jr. as more of a Will linebacker than a Mike, but I think his production the last two seasons should be enough evidence that he can do almost anything. Starting as a blitz specialist and then translating that high speed to nearly every phase of his game has made me a big fan of Hill’s and I expect his size and speed to continue aiding him in the NFL. He jits around the field like he’s a foosball player, and good luck trying to escape his tackles! Even if the NFL players are bigger and faster, Hill’s strong upper body and brutality directed towards the football (7 forced fumbles in last 2 years) will force them to beware his gaze.

Hill also, as one would expect, jumped out of the gym at the NFL combine. His 40-yard dash time of 4.51s and Broad Jump of 10’ 5” were both exceptional totals at his position group, and he plays with that athleticism on tape. He comes screaming through the gaps to lay the boom on unsuspecting ball carriers, and has the speed to pursue backs on outside-zone runs or screen passes. HIs early experience in blitzing has made his pass-blocking toolset unexpectedly deep, resulting in a lot of shed blocks and tackles-for-loss. 

Although, taking on opposing linemen is going to be far more challenging in the NFL, and he’ll likely end up relying more on his speed to get the edge over his opponents in the pros. This can be done, but Hill would benefit from becoming a more cerebral linebacker than a reactionary one at the next level. This could make current Texans MLB Azeez Al-Shaair a great mentor, as he fits Hill’s frame and needed to adapt his play style to excel in the NFL earlier in his career. Don’t get me wrong, though, Anthony Hill definitely has the size and athleticism to be a starting-caliber LB in the NFL, but if he can learn to be a little more patient and a little better at identifying plays pre-snap, then pro-bowls are certainly not out of the conversation.

2. LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati

• Measurements: Height: 6’ 4 ½”; Weight: 239 lbs.; Hand: 9 ½”; Arm: 31 ⅞”; 40-Yard Dash: 4.62s; 10-Yard Split: 1.6s; Vertical Jump: 39”; Broad Jump: 10’ 5”
• 2025 Stats: 12 Games; 105 Tackles; 6.0 TFLs; 3.5 Sacks; 3 PDs; 1 FF; 82.4 PFF Grade (90.6 Rdef, 83.1 Tack, 61.1 Prsh, 77.5 Cov); First-team All-Big 12
• 2024 Stats: 12 Games; 58 Tackles; 7.0 TFLs; 1.5 Sacks; 2 PDs; 2 FFs; 1 FR; 80.9 PFF Grade (80.7 Rdef, 75.5 Tack, 59.9 Prsh, 81.8 Cov); Honorable Mention All-Big 12
• Draft Range:
• NFL Combine Meeting with Texans

Here’s another athletic freak of the 2026 Draft class. When you turn on Jake Golday highlights, you don’t really know what to expect. You may spend time watching some impressive blitz tape for linebackers, or you’ll end up watching a 6’ 4” beast of a defender line up across a slot reciever to cover one-on-one…and sort of succeed? Thanks to his exceptional speed relative to his size, Golday is able to keep up with basically anyone on the football field, which, depending on how who you ask, can be a major red flag or green flag. Some will take a quick look at Golday and be reminded of the first-round bust, LB Iasiah Simmons, and others will be reminded of current Texans LB E.J. Speed. Regardless of what he could be in the NFL, let’s just focus on what he is right now: a very fast, very strong linebacker that can tackle almost anything. 

He’s played snaps at edge rusher, outside linebacker, middle linebacker, and most recently weakside linebacker where he most excelled, but his home in the NFL is probably some combination of the strongside and weakside linebacker duties. He sits there as this strange, unrefined goo of a defender, asking to be molded but without a clear frame to grow into. Whichever circle-shaped hole you try to shove Golday’s square into, you’ll end up losing some of the spunk that made him such an attractive collegiate prospect.

It’s hard to expect Jake Golday to become a true master of all of these positions, though. He does possess speed and fluid hips capable of mirroring his defenders, but he’s not perfect in coverage and can lose his place in zone. He’s a menace against the run, but he can be a hair late to react to some plays, and can benefit from following his teammates from time to time. Maybe Golday was helped here and there while playing behind DT Dontay Corleone, but hey, playing alongside a stout run-defender like that is an offer you can’t refuse!

So, what position should he play in the NFL? Well, if he were to end up on the Texans primarily 4-2-5 system, I see Golday functioning as the 3rd linebacker that comes in on special packages and occasionally as LB #2, bringing an x-factor element to Houston’s pre-snap look. I can see him functioning as a thicker version of S Jalen Pitre, disguising his true intentions on each play and keeping the opposing QB’s eyes fixed on him. He would benefit from stronger legs and some more elusiveness in the pass-rush, but Jake Golday is still one of the most intriguing defenders in teh 2026 NFL Draft. He had a visit with the Texans during the NFL Combine, so it will be interesting to see if Houston tries to target Golday in the 2nd or 3rd round.

1. LB C.J. Allen, Georgia

• Measurements: Height: 6’ 0 ¾”; Weight: 230 lbs.; Hand: 10 ⅛”; Arm: 31 ½”; 40-Yard Dash: 4.55s
• 2025 Stats: 13 Games; 88 Tackles; 8.0 TFLs; 3.5 Sacks; 4 PDs; 2 FFs; 1 FR; 75.8 PFF Grade (88.6 Rdef, 84.1 Tack, 67.7 Prsh, 55.5 Cov); 1st-team A.P. All-American 1st-team All-SEC
• 2024 Stats: 14 Games; 76 Tackles; 3.0 TFLs; 1 Int; 4 PDs; 73.6 PFF Grade (89.8 Rdef, 83.4 Tack, 66.6 Prsh, 48.3 Cov)
• Draft Range: Rounds 1-2
• NFL Combine Meeting, Virtual Meeting with Texans

The search for the next Azeez Al-Shaair might end here. Georgia LB C.J. Allen was forged in the coals and brimstone that form the earth below the University of Georgia. From their mines, they sought to create the perfect defensive football player: smart, light on their feet, aggressive but not hyper, rangy, and a tackling magnet. After years of experimenting, modifying, and cooking, their latest creation, C.J. Allen, may be the closest to perfect they’ve ever gotten.

C.J. Allen can do almost anything. He’s a thumper against the run and can easily shed blocks from opposing lineman. He’s capable of dropping into zones, erasing passing lanes, and spying the QB, rarely biting on play fakes. Even though he won’t be flipping his hips and covering receivers like Pitt LB Kyle Louis, Allen will still have enough speed and agility to mirror TEs and RBs. He maliciously uses his football IQ to turn the playing field into his personal playground, spotting out rushing lanes long before they develop. He floats around blocks and clogs rushing lanes with ease, and has this impressive ability to shape-shift himself into position for nearly every tackle. He’s magnetized to ball-carriers, and his tackling makes players look like they got tazed on the way down. Like current Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair, Allen usually knows what to expect from the offense in front of him, and as such, he’s almost always in the right position to make a play.

Although, unlike Al-Shaair, Allen will occasionally lack the aggressiveness to make those plays a reality. He will sometimes get caught reading the backfield instead of reacting to it, and can get a little too comfortable waiting for events to happen instead of instigating. But, if there’s a team that can exorcise the patience out of C.J. Allen, it’s the Houston Texans. If C.J. Allen is still available at pick #28, he is absolutely worth it. Even if he doesn’t end up starting until next year, Allen will still be worth the selection since he has the fundamentals and the know-how to become the green-dot to the country’s best defense. It would only make sense for Houston to invest in having a player named C.J. on both sides of the ball, anyways. It will all east add some counterweight to all of the Jaylin/Jaylen/Jalens on the team!

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And that’s my list! I had a very, very hard time taking LSU LB Harold Perkins, Jr. off of this list to make room for Kyle Louis and Deontae Lawson, but something just tells me they should be on this list. Both Lawson and Louis have red flags coming into the NFL, but the boom-or-bust potential makes them both feel like prime mid-round selections for the Texans, who have been hitting those mid-round picks on defense more than they’ve been missing. If they’re able to strike gold in the mid-rounds one or two more times in this year’s draft, then the Texans should be in the Super Bowl this year. Each of these linebackers could be that last piece to the puzzle, but at pick #28, the world is Nick Caserio’s oyster….ew.

What do you think, though? Will the Texans look to take a LB in this year’s draft, or will they punt on the position until 2027? Should the Texans take a LB at all? Is there another position that you’d rather see the Texans target on Thursday or Friday, like G or RB? Personally, I’m hoping for either a DT, T, or G in the first round, but I’m also very prepared for the Texans to fake us all out yet again and finish the night by just trading out of the first round entirely. But, I could be very, very wrong. What do you think will happen on draft night? Let us know down in the comments below!

Don’t forget to visit Battle Red Blog during the draft, where we will be covering each Texans pick and providing analysis to every move. It’s draft week, and it’s time to PARTY!!!!

Go Texans!!!