With the No. 1 overall pick, the Houston Texans didn’t miss.

Mario Williams might have left after six seasons, but it came down to scheme fit and money more so than bad play on the field. The Pro Bowl defensive end tallied 53 sacks, 64 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles and averaged 10.5 sacks a year during his tenure as the second No. 1 pick in franchise history.

While the NC State standout was the headliner of the Texans‘ draft class, he wasn’t the only star added to the eventual first-ever playoff-bound franchise under Gary Kubiak. Houston used its second-round pick to land eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year DeMeco Ryans. In Round 3, Eric Winston joined the crew out of Miami and became the team’s starting right tackle for six seasons. Houston also lucked into drafting Wisconsin tight end Owen Daniels, who eventually became the constant chain-mover for Matt Schaub as a Pro Bowler across the middle of the field.

If history could be revisited, how many players would land in Houston a second time? Overall, none.

In a recently published 2006 NFL re-draft, Pro Football Focus had three of Houston’s picks that year going off the board in the first round. Meanwhile, the Texans went in different direction with the No. 1 pick, snubbing Williams in favor of LSU offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth.

“The Texans struggled mightily to protect the quarterback during their first few years as an NFL franchise. Houston’s first-ever draft pick, quarterback David Carr, was sacked an NFL-record 76 times during his rookie season in 2002. The Texans fix that issue by drafting a projected Hall of Fame left tackle here in Whitworth. He earned an elite 93.4 PFF overall grade across his 16-year career, with 90.0-plus grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.”

Withworth, who was originally drafted 55th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, became one of the league’s best offensive linemen for over a decade. A four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, the eventual Walter Payton Man of the Year made over 220 career starts between stints with the Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, winning the Super Bowl in his final game back in 2021. Withworth isn’t a lock for the Hall of the Fame, but he’s on a short list of big men up for the title in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Williams landed with the Cleveland Browns 12th overall. The Dallas Cowboys shored up the middle of their defense with Ryans at pick No. 18. Wintson, who despite never earning a Pro Bowl nod was a sturdy right tackle for over a decade, landed with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier than expected in his career at No. 20 overall.

Daniels didn’t make the list, but he probably would have been the first name mentioned in Round 2. Not only was he a fan favorite, but also a hand-picked prospect by Kubiak, whom he followed to Baltimore and Denver before calling it a career in 2016. While in Houston, Daniels finished with 4,617 yards and 29 touchdowns, eventually becoming one of the league’s more steady No. 2 targets.

It’s hard to imagine Houston’s recent history without Williams, Winston, Ryans and Daniels. It’s an interesting what-if to consider, and yet another reminder that Kubiak remains the greatest coach in franchise history entering 2025.