Three Realistic Trades for Texans to Move Up in NFL Draft

The Houston Texans are rumored to trade up in the draft. If they do, there's three teams who make sense to do business with.

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio speaks during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the final hours before the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off, the Houston Texans were at the center of some first-round trade buzz, being viewed as a potential candidate to trade up from pick 28.

The #Texans could try to trade up in the first round of the #NFLDraft, via @TomPelissero:

"One team that was particularly aggressive about trying to move down, the Houston Texans, have started to make calls about moving up, potentially into the middle of round 1."👀 https://t.co/gnDcOfYbVc

— Houston Texans On SI (@TexansOnSI) April 22, 2026

Compared to the chatter that had been connecting the Texans to a trade down, moving up from 28 would be a polar opposite shift from the tone surrounding their draft plans in the past several weeks.

By moving into the middle of the first, Texans could land one of their top-graded prospects in the class and set up for what seems to now be an annual day one draft shake up from the Houston front office.

Though with any draft-day trade, it takes two to tango. The Texans will need to find a team willing to make a move down the board as far as Houston sits in the first round, and doing so might be easier said than done.

On the bright side, there's been no shortage of buzz before Thursday night surrounding teams willing to move around the board. So Houston could have some options to select from as to who they'd like to work with.

If those rumors aren't just casual pre-draft smoke, here's three teams the Texans should look towards as partners to make a move up the board with:

1. Dallas Cowboys | No. 12

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys are one of the few unique fits for the Texans to look towards as a trade partner due to their flexibility of having two top-20 picks in the first round.

If the Texans wanted to push for the Cowboys' 12th pick, the shift down the board for Dallas isn't quite as drastic as it would be for others in their spot on the board.

Essentially, they're moving down eight spots from 12th to 20th and would gain a ton of flexibility in the late first and throughout the second round.

By doing this trade, the Cowboys will replenish their roster with a second-round selection they didn't have on hand before, keep two first-round picks for this year, and have a whopping four picks at their disposal in the fifth round.

It's a lot to give up for the Texans, and it does gut their flexibility in days two and three. But they'd still hold leftover picks in rounds two and five for this year, while also shooting them into the top 12.

This might be the furthest up the board Houston could realistically claw their way into, but make for a difference-making swing from Nick Caserio and Co.

2. New York Jets | No. 16

Woody Johnson, primary owner of the New York Jets, is shown during a press conference, at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, Monday, January 27, 2025, in Florham Park. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There's no team in the league that has more high-end future draft capital than the Jets do. But trading down from 16 would allow New York to gain even more assets down the board in this year's class.

The Texans shifting into the later section of the teens in the first round also allows for them to spend a little bit less in terms of assets they'd have to trade.

Most importantly, they could move up and retain their selection in round two at 38, where they have an opportunity to land another top-rated prospect at a position of need.

This framework gives the Jets a total of three picks in the second round of the draft, all within the top 12 slots on day two.

That's a ton to work with at the top of day two for a team with a desperate need for talent like New York, even if not as flashy as a top 16 pick.

Houston would also get their opportunity at a top defender or a weapon like Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq, if he fell into this range— both realistic endeavors for the front office to pursue.  

3. LA Rams | No. 13

Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay at a press conference after a NFL International Series game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's not often the Rams are picking this high while under Sean McVay's tenure as head coach, so Houston getting their hands on this pick might very well be out of reach just because of that.

But if the Rams wanted to cash in on their first-round pick added from last year's draft via the Atlanta Falcons, they could land some strong day-two capital from the Texans and move down to 28, sitting one spot ahead of LA's previous pick they sent to the Kansas City Chiefs for Trent McDuffie at 29.

The Rams could hypothetically hold three picks between 28 and 61 to help further bolster their depth on each side of the ball, and maybe even an opportunity to steal Ty Simpson at the end of the first round as theur future quarterback.

The Texans would be able to navigate to the top half of the first round, and do so without depleting their pool of assets that may sit further down the board on days two and three.

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