Jan. 25, 2026, 12:18 p.m. CT

Who do the Houston Texans select when on the clock at pick No. 28 in the 2026 NFL Draft come April?

According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Houston shores up its offensive line and continues to attack the Southeastern Conference by selecting Alabama offensive tackle Kaydn Proctor. An All-American for the Crimson Tide during his three seasons under Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer, Protcor’s arrival would likely serve as a telling sign that the Texans would shift Tytus Howard to guard, thus opening up a spot at right tackle.

“Houston turned its offensive line upside down last offseason in a full makeover effort, but there wasn’t enough improvement. The unit was still 30th in pass block win rate at 55.5%, though the sack count dropped from 54 (tied for third most) to 31 (tied for ninth fewest),” Kiper wrote. “There’s also the matter of the entire right side being unsigned for 2026. Proctor had all 40 of his career starts at left tackle (where Aireontae Ersery was this season), but he could slide to right tackle or even inside to guard. The bigger priority is getting capable blockers in front of C.J. Stroud.”

Proctor, one of the more consistent options in the SEC among offensive linemen, allowed just two sacks in over 220 pass-blocking snaps and just 19 total pressures. Perhaps the biggest question mark to his game will be transitioning from the left side over to right tackle.

During his three college seasons, Proctor never played outside of left tackle in over 1,800 snaps. Finishing with an 85.2 grade by Pro Football Focus, Proctor might never reach the Pro Bowl potential as envisioned when signed on with the Crimson Tide in 2023.

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