Jan. 26, 2026, 11:48 a.m. CT

Mock draft season is in full swing, meaning sights are set toward the college tape around NRG Stadium as the Houston Texans look to shore up their offense in 2026.

Houston, which finished with 12 wins and ended the season on a nine-game winning streak, will be on the clock at No. 28 after falling short to the New England Patriots in the divisional round. Fans have soured on quarterback C.J. Stroud since his playoff blunders over his final two games, but it’s still too soon to pull the plug on the once-sought-after quarterback from Ohio State.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah went through the entire first round following the conclusion of the regular season and ahead of the playoffs and made picks based on every team’s top need. For the Texans, Georgia‘s Monroe Freeling was the top name on the list at pick No. 27, though Baumgardner has the Texans keeping him at left tackle.

“The Texans did a nice job of maneuvering to land Aireontae Ersery in last year’s draft,” Jeremiah wrote. “Now they get another young tackle to pair with him. Freeling is just scratching the surface of his potential.”

A two-year starter, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle has solid natural power to uproot and widen defenders to the outside in pass protection. His lower-body base also gives him advantages against bull rushes, which allow larger tackles to die slowly as he eliminates their power.

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Some limitations could sour the Texans’ overall outlook on using a Day 1 pick on him. His upright play style leaves him lunging and overextending his body, thus creating gaps for defenders to attack the run. He can get blown back because of a late start, thus allowing pressure to the quarterback.

While he’s a left tackle by trade, the Texans likely would try to move him to right tackle since Ersery has been one of the better starting young options in 2026. This would also signal that Houston would move Tytus Howard back to guard full-time, fixing two issues of the trenches before Friday night in Pittsburgh.

The Texans own eight picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the top 70.