Best AFC 2025 NFL Draft picks
USA TODAY’s Tyler Dragon breaks down which teams in the AFC drafted the best this year.
Sports Seriously
The Houston Texans are searching for a third consecutive AFC South title in 2025.
Since drafting C.J. Stroud second overall, the Texans have improved tremendously but the offense has undergone a makeover heading into the new season.
Houston traded five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil this offseason to the Washington Commanders for a package of draft picks. Stroud was sacked 52 times last season and the team signed veterans Cam Robinson and Trent Brown in hopes of bolstering the unit.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs signed with the Patriots in free agency, and Tank Dell is expected to miss most of the 2025 season recovering from a brutal knee injury. In early March, the Texans traded a seventh-round pick for veteran receiver Christian Kirk.
The Texans drafted wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft to provide depth behind Kirk and budding star Nico Collins. They also landed Aireontae Ersery in the second round, who was viewed as one of the top offensive linemen in the draft.
Veteran running back Joe Mixon will return and lead the backfield.
Will the Texans be legitimate contenders in the AFC under the leadership of DeMeco Ryans? Here’s a look at the schedule for Stroud and the Texans in 2025.
Buy Texans tickets for the 2025 season
Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 7: at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 2, Monday, Sept. 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC (“Monday Night Football”)Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 21: at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 4, Sunday, Sept. 28: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 5, Sunday, Oct. 5: at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 6: BYEWeek 7, Monday, Oct. 20: at Seattle Seahawks, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ (“Monday Night Football”)Week 8, Sunday, Oct. 26: vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1 p.m. ET, FoxWeek 9, Sunday, Nov. 2: vs. Denver Broncos, 1 p.m. ET, FoxWeek 10, Sunday, Nov. 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 11, Sunday, Nov. 16: at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET, FoxWeek 12, Thursday, Nov. 20: vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video (“Thursday Night Football”)Week 13, Sunday, Nov. 30: at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 14, Sunday, Dec. 7: at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC (“Sunday Night Football”)Week 15, Sunday, Dec. 14: at Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m. ET, FoxWeek 16, Sunday, Dec. 21: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 17, TBD: at Los Angeles Chargers, TBD, TBDWeek 18, TBD: at Indianapolis Colts, TBD, TBDTexans record prediction 2025
Record prediction: 12-5
USA TODAY Sports’ Ayrton Ostly – Houston will remain the top team in the AFC South this season even as Jacksonville and Tennessee likely take a step forward due to a coaching change and a new quarterback, respectively. The Texans went 5-1 in the AFC South in 2024 and that seems repeatable.
They will face the AFC West and NFC West in non-divisional play, though, which is a tough slate of games. Three AFC West teams made the playoffs in 2024 and the NFC West could be tougher in 2025 with improvements in health and talent for those teams.
Outside of that, Houston plays reigning division champions Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Baltimore. None of those will be easy contests, even with the Bills and Buccaneers games being played in Houston.
Still, we think they’ll take a step forward in the win column from their 10-7 season last year. Even if the defense takes a step back, the offense should take a step forward under Caley with lots of investment via the draft.
Texans 2025 opponents
Here’s the complete list of Texans opponents for 2025:
HomeRoad