Ranking every Texans’ first-round pick from worst to first

The Houston Texans have options when on the clock. They have time since they won’t select until pick No. 42 after trading away their first-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.

The No. 23 selection technically was a luxury pick acquired in the Deshaun Watson trade to the Cleveland Browns two years ago. To add insult, Houston bested Cleveland in last year’s wild-card round, bettering its draft position after what many envisioned to be a “rebuilding year” under first-year coach DeMeco Ryans.

Sitting and waiting in 2024 feels different than the last time it happened in 2021. Houston traded two first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to snag All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil in 2019. Two years later, the Texans were in the midst of a coaching search after firing Bill O’Brien and finishing 4-12 in 2020.

Last April, the Texans struck gold twice with their picks on Day 1, securing a franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud at No. 2. General manager Nick Caserio then traded up nine spots to land pass-rushing extraordinaire Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3. Both went on to win rookie of the year honors while helping the franchise win its first division title in four years.

Since Houston has nothing to worry about come Thursday evening, Texans Wire decided to take a trip down memory lane and rank every first-round pick in franchise history. Some decisions were close. Others, not so much. Most fans can also guess which gold jacket player landed at No. 1.

Let’s take a look back at Houston’s drafts from the past over the previous two decades.