Texans Linked to Huge Trade With Top NFC Team to Help C.J. Stroud

The Houston Texans have been connected to a big NFL Draft trade with a top NFC team in order to provide C.J. Stroud with some much-needed help.

Matthew Schmidt | Apr 12, 2025

Dec 3, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in action during the game against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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The Houston Texans have done a whole lot of wheeling and dealing this offseason, and with the NFL Draft approaching, they may be far from done swinging trades.

In a recent mock draft published by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, Benjamin predicted the Texans to complete a big trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, trading up to the 19th overall pick to select Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

"Are the Texans really going to make Christian Kirk their top investment at wide receiver after an injury-marred 2024? Egbuka registers as a plug-and-play starter with the toughness and versatility to become an early C.J. Stroud favorite," Benjamin wrote.

Houston is definitely in need of help at the wide receiver position after losing Stefon Diggs to free agency and knowing that Tank Dell will almost surely miss all of 2025 while recovering from a devastating knee injury.

Egbuka is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he hauled in 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns, helping Ohio State win a national championship.

The 22-year-old put together a pair of 1,000-yard seasons during his time with the Buckeyes, topping out at 1,151 yards in 2022.

Of course, the Texans are also in dire need of assistance along their offensive line, so the prevailing thought is that they will select a tackle with their first-round pick. But perhaps general manager Nick Caserio will prioritize adding weapons for Stroud?

There is no doubt that Houston must address both of those problem areas in the draft later this month, so we'll see how the Texans go about fixing them.

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