Pro Football Focus Reveals Best Middle, Late-Round Fits for Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have traded away their first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. How could they target on Days 2 and 3?

Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fisk (DL07) works out / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

While the Houston Texans used one of their surplus second-round picks to trade for veteran receiver Stefon Diggs, their trade out of the first-round was a sign that they aren’t truly pushing all the chips in.

That’s fine, and there’s no need to be reckless when aggressive works just as well. Without the No. 23 pick in the NFL Draft, though, Houston has sacrificed its chance at a falling blue-chip prospect and a little less risk for extra throws at the dart board.

How will the Texans attack the second and third day of the NFL Draft?

Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fisk (DL07) works out / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Focus identified the best fits for general manager Nick Caserio as he enters the draft with no first-rounders, a complete 180 from the second- and third-overall selections he made a year ago. Quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson looked like franchise-altering talents, but that doesn’t mean impact players can’t be found later on.

One potential target is Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske. Fiske, a later riser in this class, is known first and foremost for an unrelenting motor that constantly showed itself during the Seminoles’ undefeated regular season.

“The Texans have a loaded pass-rush group after adding Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry, but they could use another piece to round out the interior unit,” Dalton Wasserman wrote. “Braden Fiske is an outstanding athlete who can play a variety of positions along the defensive line. He was at his best when Florida State needed him most, racking up at least one sack in his final three games in Tallahassee.”

Fiske may be a bit undersized, but he plays bigger than his 292-pound frame would suggest and boasts incredible athleticism – from his speed to his burst and lateral agility – for the position. He projects as one of the class’ best options to replace defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, even if it means splitting time with veteran lineman Denico Autry or pushing him into a hybrid role as a rotational tackle and edge rusher.

If Houston is elsewhere on Day 2, though, it can still find talent in the trenches in the draft’s later rounds, like Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee.

“A solid pass rusher but a better run defender, Lee registered 21 tackles resulting in a defensive stop in 2023,” Gordon McGuinness wrote. “... He’s a good athlete, and while he is a little on the light side, checking in at 281 pounds at the NFL scouting combine, there’s enough to like on tape for him to hear his name called early on Day 3.”

Lee shares many traits that make Fiske admirable a few rounds earlier and would fill the same spot on the defensive line. While he may currently be a better run defender – despite being smaller – Lee will likely see a longer path to both playing time and development than Fiske.

The Texans have already added to the pass rush this offseason, signing Autry, edge rusher Danielle Hunter, and multiple defensive tackles, but another injection of youth could make DeMeco Ryans’ defense that much more dynamic.