Expert Predicts Texans to Land Massive Draft Steal

The Houston Texans could go in a plethora of different directions for their first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. However, there's one big area of need the team will likely be looking to address early, and that's the state of their offensive line.

Following a brutal campaign with inconsistencies upfront and a total lack of protection surrounding C.J. Stroud, the Texans' front office should be laser-focused on adding impact players around his offensive line, making their first-round pick a golden opportunity to add a spark of young talent in the trenches.

In the mind of Pro Football Focus draft expert Trevor Sikkema, the Texans could be fortunate enough to pick up Josh Simmons, the Ohio State offensive tackle who's suffered from injury concerns as of late, but silenced those worries during last week's NFL combine.

"Simmons would go much higher in this mock draft if he weren't rehabbing from major knee surgery. But according to him, rehab is going great — so great that he might even have a personal pro day before the draft," Sikkema said. "That is huge news, as he looked like one of the top players in this class before getting hurt. The Texans need interior offensive line help, but they could take the top talent in Simmons to play opposite Laremy Tunsil and move Blake Fisher inside. Don’t force needs; pick good players."

Simmons has impressive traits to take note of as a first-round prospect. He's got solid size at 6-foot-5, 317 pounds, nice athleticism, and experience as a starter on both sides of the line. According to an AFC personnel director, the Ohio State product is "really athletic, really talented," and "gotten better each year on tape."

The biggest deterring factor surrounding him is his health, considering his recent season-ending injury, but with signs pointing in the right direction on that front, and even a chance for a pro day showing to be on the horizon, that should give the Texans more confidence in a potential first-round fit.

Despite being a Buckeye, Simmons never was a teammate of Stroud's (spending his first two seasons at San Diego State). However, the Ohio State connection could prove to be a strong one at the next level. It remains to be seen if Houston is lucky enough to see his services fall to 25, but if they do, the Texans are primed to take a long and hard look at him.

The 2025 NFL Draft will go down on Thursday, April 24th in Green Bay, WI.

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