Houston Texans Add Backup Behind C.J. Stroud with SEC Quarterback

The Houston Texans have added a new quarterback on day three of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jared Koch | Apr 26, 2025

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida quarterback Graham Mertz (QB10) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have brought in a new backup behind C.J. Stroud in this year's draft.

With the 197th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Texans have selected Florida quarterback Graham Mertz.

Mertz is a 24-year-old signal caller who spread his time in college throughout Wisconsin for his first four seasons, then Florida for his final two seasons for a lengthy six-year career.

Last season, Mertz's campaign was cut short with the Gators, as he suffered from a torn ACL after starting for five games. Before going down with the injury, he posted 791 passing yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions on a stellar 76.6% completion percentage. A small sample size, but it shows the impressive accuracy that the Florida product is capable of.

In his last fully healthy campaign with Florida for the 2023 season, he still showed out with some nice numbers, logging 2,903 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and only three interceptions on a completion rate of 72.9%.

Mertz projects to be an accurate, strong pocket presence quarterback that can get the ball out quickly and has proven to have a nice mental understanding of the game and position. With those traits, he has the appeal to become a worthwhile backup option in the league if he's able to return to full health from his knee injury.

The Texans' quarterback room is set up with Stroud, along with Davis Mills, Kedon Slovis, and now Mertz as the latest addition to increase this depth chart to four members in the months ahead of next season.

For the Texans, this draft has largely centered around the offensive side of the ball, and that trend doesn't change at pick 197. So far, five of Houston's picks have been offense, including the latest pickup of Mertz.