Two Projected Day 2 Prospects Have Caught the Texans' Eye

These two draft prospects could be premier candidates to land with the Houston Texans.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on in the second quarter against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans could have their eyes set on a pair of intriguing prospects for day two of the NFL Draft— both being potential young sparks to their offensive and defensive fronts.

According to a report from EssentiallySports' Tony Pauline, the Texans have their eyes on Florida center Jake Slaughter and Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange as targets within their day two selections–– a range in which Houston has three selections at their disposal.

"The Texans moved out of Round 1 in 2025 and are open to doing the same this year if one of the highly rated players on their board is unavailable... I’m told the team is targeting Jake Slaughter of Florida to fill the [center/guard] role and Dom Orange of Iowa State for the [defensive tackle] position on Day 2."

Both Slaughter and Orange fit a pair of needs for the Texans, both being upgrades in the trenches on each side of the ball that could round out the interior of their offensive/defensive lines, and could do so by adding two of the more appealing prospects at their position from the incoming draft class.

Texans Targeting Jake Slaughter & Domonique Orange?

If the Texans were interested in both interior offensive and defensive line help early in round one, there's a real chance the top talents are swooped up from opposing teams in the picks before 28. That would then leave Houston turning their attention to rounds two and three to address that need.

In that range on day two is where the Texans project to have a bit more flexibility than they do in round one––especially so if they wanted to trade down from pick 28 for more capital in the second and third rounds––which remains a wildly possible outcome.

If the Texans are able to acquire a couple of extra day two picks in a trade down, that could put them in prime position as one of the most active teams on that Friday of the draft, and then look deeper into fits like Slaughter and Orange for one of those selections.

Slaughter is one of the best center prospects in the draft with three-year starting experience at Florida with an all-around skillset, and stands at 6-foot-4, 303 pounds to have solid size for the position.

Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators offensive lineman Jake Slaughter (66) gestures against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

He adds instant competition next to veteran center Jake Andrews, and could even have a chance to become a day-one starter if he shows out in camp.

That would set up the Texans to have potentially three new starters from their line at the end of last season between him, Wyatt Teller, and Braden Smith, but also set up for a renewed sense of stability from what last year had to offer.

As for Orange, he's a strong, big-bodied defender at 6-foot-2, 325 pounds, to fill next to Sheldon Rankins in the middle of the Texans' four-man defensive front. He also has the Iowa State pedigree Houston has a strong affinity for, which might tend to help boost his stock a little as well.

It puts both names squarely on the Texans' draft radar to land at either the Texans' pick at 59 or 69 in the draft, or maybe even elsewhere around the board, if Nick Caserio decides to get active on the trade market.

Around this time of the NFL offseason calendar, it’s a pretty safe bet the Texans' GM will be making his fair share of calls across the league to do some draft-day maneuvering.

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