The Texans remade their offensive line this offseason and drafted Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery in the second round, but nobody should consider their work done in that regard. World needs to get stronger, but as Geoff Schwartz says, "he's an All-World pass protector" due to length and movement skills.

Houston identified its offensive line as a point of weakness and made changes this offseason. Those issues will likely continue into next year based on the current construction of the unit. Pritchett is an unfinished product that teams have been trying to get in the transfer portal from Alabama for the past two years.

The Texans have massively overturned their line after a disappointing 2024, and there's a good chance that overhaul will continue into 2026. I liked the Aireontae Ersery pick last week, but Houston has a lot of work to do in improving C.J. Stroud's protection. Mauigoa significantly improved at right tackle last season, not giving up a sack. The 6-6 315-pounder can control blockers at the point of attack. And while there is considerable debate among scouts about whether Mauigoa is a tackle or guard in the NFL, Houston needs a boost at both spots.

Best Pick: Second-round receiver Jayden Higgins is a good player and will help at a position of major need. Taking him made a lot of sense with Tank Dell coming off injury.

Worst Pick: Trading out of the first round with a chance to help the offensive line is a questionable decision. They did address the line in the second round by taking Aireontae Ersery, but they had a chance to get another in the first.

The Skinny: They did a lot of moving around and added two receivers, a guard-tackle, a corner and basically with their first five picks. It didn't really do a lot for me, even if I do like Higgins. They must really like running back Woody Marks since they traded up to get him in the fourth. Seventh-round defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton is a sleeper.

Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, offensive tackle and guard

Quarterback C.J. Stroud took a step back last season, which is why the theme of Houston's draft always had to be getting him more support. His top three receivers -- Nico Collins (eight games), Stefon Diggs (10) and Tank Dell (three) -- all missed time because of injuries in 2024. Dell's return timeline from a significant knee injury is uncertain, and Diggs is now in New England. Stroud was also sacked 52 times, second most in the NFL, behind a poor offensive line. Houston retooled the unit in free agency, but I'm not sure anyone would say it absolutely improved it. The Texans swapped out Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green and Shaq Mason for Cam Robinson, Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson.

You get the point, and it's the reason my top needs for Houston all came on offense. This front office can't let Stroud's rookie contract slip away, especially in a winnable AFC South. But rather than attack the holes with its early picks, Houston kept trading back for more draft capital, including selections in future years. The Texans entered Thursday with seven picks but ended up making nine. In all, they made seven trades in the draft.

The Texans dealt their first-rounder in one of those moves, but they made four Day 2 selections. Two of them were Iowa State receivers. Jayden Higgins brings 6-foot-4 size and explosion outside; Jaylin Noel brings speed and after-the-catch burst to the slot. They were both top-seven receivers on my board. As for the offensive line, Aireontae Ersery is 6-foot-6, 331 pounds and can handle speed or power off the edge. He might not step into a starting role right away, but he could develop into a starting left tackle in time.

The Texans took Jaylin Smith -- my CB25 -- at the end of the third round, but there's upside in his game. They traded a future third-rounder to move up from No. 179 to No. 116 to take my RB17 early in Round 4. (I like Woody Marks, though -- he squirts through traffic to break free.) The two picks in the seventh round are interesting fliers. I moved defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton up my board late in the process, and tight end Luke Lachey has some strong blocking traits.

No guard here, but Houston did the most important thing for its draft: improve the offense around Stroud.