Ohio State football looks ready to produce a first round wide receiver for the sixth straight NFL Draft. Jeremiah Smith is garnering the hype as the next one to follow Carnell Tate, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and the other first rounders. But are the Houston Texans watching Smith closely?

Houston is no stranger to starting off slow. However, the Texans' 0-4 start signals that things are unraveling quick in H-Town.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans is already making one change with reassuming play caller duties for defense. But the offense will need to be a point of emphasis moving forward. Regardless of how the Texans finish.

Houston is teetering towards landing a top 10 draft pick amid the roughest start of the Ryans era. So here's how adding Smith fixes everything.

Texans need wideout help for 2027 anyway

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) strikes a Heisman pose after catching a touchdown pass, breaking the school record, during the NCAA football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Oct. 3, 2026.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The past perennial AFC playoff contender will likely undergo drastic changes on the perimeter. Even if they somehow go on a playoff run to close out 2026.

Regardless, Houston has four wideouts heading into free agency. One is beloved fan favorite Tank Dell, who's on his final season of his rookie deal. Another is Kayshon Boutte, who owns a market value of more than $12.3 million.

Star wide receiver Nico Collins needs help anyway next to him moving forward. Yes on the surface it looks hard for a Michigan Wolverine star to accept playing with a Buckeye. But it's for the betterment of the receiver room. And for another notable former Buckeyes star.

CJ Stroud can use a second dynamic target

So why not hand the past All-Pro passer a game-changing talent from Columbus?

The chemistry becomes instant right out of the gate. Plus Houston has delivered trouble with having a consistently reliable second wideout opposite of the Pro Bowler Collins.

Smith hands Houston and Stroud a jack-of-all-trades type at wide receiver. He outraces cornerbacks, snaps with violent intent on his releases to create space, runs through arm tackles and even gang tacklers and finally, steps up in big moments. Hence why Smith is labeled a “generational talent” and the most NFL-ready wideout for this 2027 draft class should he enter.

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But pairing Collins with Smith alleviates so much pressure off Stroud. And there's reliable tight end Dalton Schultz who can work underneath too, who's under contract through the 2027 season.

Houston ensures passing offense won't be predictable

Now it becomes pick your poison for defenses by adding Smith to this mix.

Defensive coordinators will have difficulty bracketing and game-planning for only Collins. Or countering Schultz in the air attack. Placing two defenders on one or the other still creates one-on-ones for Smith. And the nation's already seen how Smith obliterates man coverage during a live football game.

Houston certainly can continue its trend with relying on past Buckeye legends to ignite the franchise. But the Texans potentially falling into the top five can come with a silver lining: Adding Smith to an offense that'll need to make some roster tweaks anyway. Smith fittingly can put up astronomical stats in a city known for reaching for the stars.