Texans' Day Two Pick Among ESPN's Best NFL Draft Choices

The Houston Texans could've landed a steal in this year's draft.

Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) in action during the game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Arizona State Sun Devils at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Looking back at the 2025 NFL Draft now finally wrapped up, the Houston Texans came out of the three days of action with some interesting acquisitions on both sides of the ball–– and especially did some damage during day two of the draft with their four selections in rounds two and three.

Yet, among the Texans' batch of nine incoming prospects from this year's class, there's one notable name that managed to stick out in the eyes of ESPN's Field Yates when outlining his favorite selections of the entire three days: Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel.

While the Texans managed to pick up not just one, but both of Iowa State's top-rated wideout prospects in both Jayden Higgins and Noel on day two, Yates sees the latter with some major upside as a potential day one impact player in the slot as a fill-in for Tank Dell.

"The Texans reunited the former Iowa State receivers (they selected Higgins at No. 34), and I was a big fan of the pair leading up to the draft," Yates wrote. "Noel is the more exciting player, as his suddenness and juice led to four touchdowns of at least 50 yards in 2023. Houston needed to address receiver heavily because Tank Dell's 2025 status is uncertain right now and Stefon Diggs departed forthe Patriots. Noel has a legitimate shot to take over as its Day 1 starter in the slot."

The Texans' pickups of both Iowa State pass catchers is appealing in its own right, but it's especially so when factoring into the varying skillsets each of Higgins and Noel provide.

While Higgins is that more dominating and physical jump-ball threat, Noel presents more notablility inside the numbers and a factor in the slot, along with the versatility to line up elsewhere as well.

For a Texans offense that was looking for upgrades at the position, considering their injury situation with Dell and losing Stefon Diggs, double-dipping on two talented guys on day two looks to be a worthwhile investment.

Of course, you never know how a team's draft class will truly pan out until they officially hit the field, but on the surface, it looks like Houston made some big-time upgrades to their wide receiver room for now and the foreseeable future.

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