Texans 2026 NFL Draft guide: Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history, and more

The Houston Texans made their free agency moves, but there’s an important step coming. And the Texans’ 2026 NFL Draft guide is here to get you ready for the upcoming annual seven-round selection meeting.

Ahead of this crucial week, let’s look at the Texans’ picks, biggest needs, potential targets, and recent draft history. The draft is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this year, with Round 1 kicking off on April 23. Rounds 2 and 3 happen on April 24. The festivities wrap up with Rounds 4-7 on April 25.

Texans’ 2026 NFL Draft picks

The Texans have a full boat of picks. Plus, they have a pair of second-round selections. They will choose four times in a span of 42 picks, from late first round to early in the third round. And that’s where Texans general manager Nick Caserio and company can make this draft into something special. They must do this right if they want to be in the serious Super Bowl mix.

• Round 1, Pick 28
• Round 2, Pick 38
• Round 2, Pick 59
• Round 3, Pick 69
• Round 4, Pick 106
• Round 5, Pick 141
• Round 5, Pick 167
• Round 7, Pick 243

Texans 2026 NFL Draft needs and targets

OL: The Texans need help on the offensive line. That was the case last year, and that’s the case this year. And everybody saw in last year’s playoffs how quarterback CJ Stroud struggled when the pressure hit quickly.

A solution could come in the form of Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor. He has the look of a potential foundational piece, according to NFL Draft Buzz.

“Watch any Arizona State game, and you’ll see it within the first five plays: Iheanachor moves like no 325-pound tackle should be allowed to move,” NFL Draft Buzz wrote. “The feet are light, the hips are loose, and there is a natural athleticism baked into everything he does that you simply cannot teach. His pass protection numbers from 2025 tell you he’s already figured out enough to survive at a high level.

“He held his own against legitimate NFL-caliber rushers in Mobile, and the buzz around him afterwards was well-earned. This is a player whose ceiling is genuinely scary in the best possible way.”

Unless Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor falls into the Texans’ lap, their other option might be Utah’s Caleb Lomu.

DT: It has been a rotation at the defensive tackle spot under the watch of head coach DeMeco Ryans. The team needs better play on the inside. It could be the final piece to making a great defense even better.

Florida’s Caleb Banks deserves a long look. He has the size and ability to fit between the Texans’ ample supply of edge rushers, according to NFL.com.

“Big-framed, long-limbed interior defender whose play needs more polish to consistently match his traits,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “Banks has a quick first step. He can stun/control single blocks when his hand strikes are timely and accurate, but he needs faster disengagement to increase his tackle count. His high center of gravity allows double teams to generate displacement, so a move to odd-front end could be in his best interest as a run defender.

“Banks is still learning to unlock his physical advantages so he can turn them into sacks. His traits and flashes at the Senior Bowl make him an enticing prospect, but injury concerns are a potential stumbling block for him.”

CB: If the Texans decide to add depth to an already strong group, Tennessee’s Colton Hood should still be on the board. He’s not quite as highly ranked as former teammate Jerod McCoy, but he’s not far off, either, according to NFL.com. Hood could be a plus starter.

“Press-man bully with an ability to put his stamp on the first and last phases of the snap,” Zierlein wrote. “He has enough speed to stay phased on verticals and does a nice job erasing space on in-breakers from tight press or off-man looks. He’s disciplined in zone. But route switches still cause occasional missteps.

“Hood plays with aggression in the catch space, taking top positioning by force. Physicality also shows up in run support, where he triggers downhill with stopping power and finishes like an extra safety.”

Recent draft history — top picks for the last five years

• 2025: WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa St. (Round 2, pick 34)
• 2024: CB Kamari Lassiter, Georgia (Round 2, 42)
• 2023: QB CJ Stroud, Ohio State (Round 1, 2)
• 2022: CB Derek Stingley Jr., LSU (Round 1, 3)
• 2021: QB Davis Mills, Stanford (Round 3, 67)

The Texans have locked down their corner spots by hitting on Lassiter and Stingley. They also captured a winning quarterback in Stroud. And Higgins showed flashes in his rookie season.

Suffice to say, the Texans have done better than many teams with their high draft picks. They would love to stretch it another year with a first-round home run. And they might become a Super Bowl favorite.

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