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The 2023 NFL season was one of the most exciting in recently memory for the Houston Texans. The team drafted their franchise QB in CJ Stroud, welcomed new head coach DeMeco Ryans, and made some noise in the playoffs for the first time in several seasons. The Texans recently re-signed a core special teamer who authored one of the team’s most unique performances from last season.
According to Ian Rapaport, the Texans have re-signed running back and core special teamer Dare Ogunbowale. He is primarily a third-down back who gained national fame after he successfully made a field goal last season in an emergency situation. He signed a one-year deal.
Special teams has been widely discussed this offseason after the owners passed a new kickoff rule that will be a one-year trial in the 2024 NFL season.
The Texans’ running back room is more or less complete heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Houston traded for former Bengals’ back Joe Mixon in March, sending a late-round pick to Cincinnati to keep Mixon from hitting the open market. Mixon is slated to start for the Texans with former fourth-round pick Dameon Pierce coming off the bench. Pierce was battling injuries in 2023, which resulted in Devin Singletary assuming a lead back role with Houston. Singletary is now the presumed starter with the New York Giants.
In 2023, Joe Mixon logged 1,034 rushing yards at 4.0 yards per carry and nine rushing touchdowns with the Cincinnati Bengals. He will provide stability for a Texans’ offense that is much improved on paper heading into the 2024 season.
What will the Houston Texans do in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Texans won the AFC South in 2023, and they will need a strong class of rookies in the 2024 NFL Draft if they want to remain in charge of their division.
Houston will not have a first-round pick to work with. The Texans recently traded their first-round pick (#23 overall) to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round pick (#42 overall), a sixth-round pick (#188 overall), and a second-round pick next year.
The Houston Texans hold the following picks in the 2024 NFL Draft:
- Second round (#42 overall) via Minnesota
- Second round (#59 overall)
- Third round (#86 overall) via Philadelphia
- Fourth round (#123 overall) via Cleveland
- Fourth round (#127 overall)
- Sixth round (#188 overall) via Minnesota
- Seventh round (#238 overall) via New Orleans
- Seventh round (#247 overall)
Houston’s biggest needs heading into the 2024 NFL Draft are all on the defensive side of the ball. The Texans could use some major help in the secondary, both at cornerback and safety. Houston could also use some help at defensive tackle after losing Sheldon Rankins to Cincinnati in free agency and trading Maliek Collins to the 49ers for a seventh-round pick.
The upcoming draft class is talented and deep at both cornerback and defensive tackle, but is seriously lacking at the safety position. Considering the importance that DeMeco Ryans — a star middle linebacker for the Texans during his NFL career — places on defense as a strength, it would not be surprising to see Houston use all three of their day two picks on defensive players. The Texans may also choose to use some premium draft capital on an offensive lineman, which is the team’s only real weakness on the offensive side of the ball.
If Houston can find a few starters on defense in the 2024 NFL Draft then they will be set up nicely to content for the AFC South crown for the foreseeable future.
More must-reads:
- AFC North check-in: Most, least improved position groups post-draft
- NFL executives address Patriots drafting QB Drake Maye over trading down
- The 'AP First-Team All-Pro tight ends' quiz
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