Houston Texans Wisely Take Star SEC Wideout In Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft

The Houston Texans need to devote resources to building up their offense in 2025, and the NFL Draft is a great place to start that process.

Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) walks along the field during warmups before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images | Will McLelland-Imagn Images

This is an important offseason for the Houston Texans on offense. Head coach DeMeco Ryans made a tough choice and fired an old friend, Bobby Slowik, to try to go in a different, more efficient direction in 2025.

Protecting soon-to-be third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud is a must for new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, which was the second-worst mark in the NFL. Caley will also be in charge of bringing Stroud back to the level he played at in his rookie season, in which he was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Part of that is on what Caley can do with Stroud, who had somewhat of a "sophomore slump" in 2024. Another part of that is what General Manager Nick Caserio can put around his young quarterback, though, and the Texans have a few opportunities to get Stroud weapons in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

Wide receiver is absolutely a need with Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods hitting free agency and Tank Dell likely to spend much of 2025 recovering from injury. As such, it's worth noting that Jordan Plocher of Pro Football Focus is mocking a really nice pick for the Texans at No. 25 in that regard.

He predicts Houston will select wideout Luther Burden III from Missouri.

"Nico Collins is an established No. 1 wide receiver presence on the outside for the Texans, but adding a talented and productive slot receiver would make life easier for C.J. Stroud and make Houston's offense more dynamic and dangerous. Burden played more than 80% of his snaps out of the slot over the past two seasons and is dangerous with the ball in his hands," Plocher wrote.

This is a smart move for the Texans should this hypothetical scenario play out. Collins is the team's top wideout — he notched 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns last season — but quickly getting a reliable and explosive player next to him in the slot could open things up for Houston's offense.

Burden is only 5-foot-11, 208 pounds, but he's a physical and fast wideout who excels in space and with the ball in his hands. He'd immediately become a great safety valve for Stroud in the flats or between the seams. Should defenses devote too much attention to Collins, Burden has the playmaking ability to be a touchdown threat, even as a rookie.

Burden had a bit of a down year in 2024, which still saw him catch 61 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 11.1 yards per catch. He caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, averaging 14.1 yards per catch.