Four players the Texans could pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
By Rhys Knott
Houston will have the 25th pick in the first round unless Nick Caserio trades up. And if the Texans believe one of their targets will push them toward a Super Bowl, the former Patriots’ scout won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
After a busy offseason, the team is almost complete. There are 76 players on the roster with just $8.9 million in cap space. Overthecap estimates it will cost the Texans $9.4 million to sign their draft class, so they need to rework some contracts in the coming weeks.
DeMeco Ryans discovered exactly how real a sophomore season is in 2024. C.J. Stroud had to contend with an awkward second season, too. But the quarterback’s performance was affected by brutal injuries to wide receivers, shoddy offensive line play, and bamboozling play calling.
The Texans have acquired an entirely new offensive line! There’s also a new offensive coordinator in the shape of Nick Caley. Caley was the Rams’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator in 2024, having previously spent seven seasons in New England.
Justin Watson, Christian Kirk, and, more intriguingly, Braxton Berrios have arrived to fill a Stef Diggs-shaped hole.
Jakob Johnson’s arrival from the Giants (try not to be too surprised if the Texans play the Colts in Berlin) means the Texans currently have two fullbacks! That’s in addition to the five running backs on the roster.
Caserio has also added nine players on the defensive side of the ball. Four of those are defensive linemen, and Super Bowl-winning C.J. Gardner-Johnson bolsters their defensive backfield. Caserio and Ryans will still be looking to add some stardust to their defense in the first round of the draft.
Omarr Norman-Lott. DL, Tennessee
Norman-Lott makes blockers work to stop him. Even then, he has an uncanny ability to squeeze through gaps between blockers. PFF has him as the 27th-best player on their big board.
Norman-Lott spent three years at Arizona State before transferring to Tennessee. He only played 20 games as a Sun Devil before playing 23 games in just two years in the SEC.
The 23-year-old recorded 89 total tackles throughout his college career, including 17 tackles for a loss. More impressively, the California native recorded 13.5 sacks and defended two passes.
He played 397 pass-rushing snaps during the last three seasons of college, hurrying the quarterback on 24 occasions and batting the ball down twice.
The former three-star recruit is small compared to the rest of this generational defensive tackle class. He’s in the 23rd percentile for height at 6-foot-3 and the 17th for weight at 291 pounds.
Norman-Lott’s athleticism negates any concerns surrounding his size, though. He ran a 5.05 40-yard dash (the same as Dexter Lawrence and DeForest Buckner), ranking in the 63rd percentile of the class. His 31.5-inch vertical ranks even higher, in the 77th percentile. But a huge 113-inch broad jump at the combine lands him in the 90th percentile!
It’s fair to say Norman-Lott’s draft position splits opinion, and not everyone agrees with PFF’s evaluation. Some expect him to fall to the third round! But with four defensive tackles likely to go in the first round, that’s unlikely. More sensible experts believe he will be taken between the 13th overall pick and 30th overall, so he will be in play for the Texans.
Omarr Norman-Lott
— Matt (@coachminich.bsky.social) April 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
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Nick Emmanwori. Safety, South Carolina
Nick Emmanwori, S, #7 Cut the pass to make the interception
— alexcastrofilho.bsky.social (@alexcastrofilho.bsky.social) March 20, 2025 at 12:27 AM
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The Texans already have one of the best defensive backfields in football, so adding Emmanwori would be a flex. But if they want to compete in the AFC, they need serious depth. And if running the ball is the key to winning a Super Bowl there is about to be a defensive shift that emphasises stopping the run.
Emmanwori has an imposing frame and the physicality to concern receivers who are running over the middle. He’s in the 91st percentile of the class for height, standing 6-foot-3 tall! And weighing in at 220 pounds, the 21-year-old is in the 83rd percentile of the class. That size belies his athletic prowess.
The former 3-star recruit dominated the combine. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash (the same time as Christian Gonzalez and Jaire Alexander), ranking him in the 96th percentile of this class! His 1.49-second 10-yard split ranks in the 93rd percentile.
If that wasn’t enough, Emmanwori performed a 43-inch vertical jump that ranks in the 99th percentile! To eliminate any lasting doubt, he performed the best broad jump in the safety class. His 138-inch leap is nine inches short of a combine (and world) record.
When he arrived, the South Carolina coaching staff debated playing him at linebacker but settled on lining him up at safety.
The hybrid played 37 games as a Gamecock, making a whopping 244 tackles! He also recorded four tackles for a loss, six interceptions and recovered a fumble. Emmanwori even converted two of his interceptions into pick 6’s.
The 21-year-old is going to be a late first-round pick, with many mock drafts anticipating he lands in Minnesota (who also have an elite backfield) at 24. Some more optimistic experts believe the Panthers will take him at eight! If he is still in play at 25, the Texans should snap him up.
Shavon Revel Jr. Cornerback, East Carolina
Shavon Revel blitzing from the boundary, getting picked up by Loveland, but still managing to make the TFL
— Anthony (game script enthusiast) (@proant.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 6:10 PM
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On the subject of physically imposing and versatile defensive backs, Revel Jr. may be an uncut gem. He isn’t the polished finished product Emmanwori is. But he is potentially the best nickelback in the NFL. He could even graduate to a starting free safety in time.
While Revel Jr. is already very talented his exponential improvement makes him a fascinating prospect. The North Carolina native was playing NJCAA Division III football for Louisburg College in 2020, and five years later he’s a highly coveted draft prospect.
Tankathon ranks Revel Jr. as the fifth-best cornerback in the 2025 class. He’s obviously a fast learner with an impeccable work ethic, he won’t take long to get up to speed.
During his last three seasons in college, the 24-year-old allowed just 28 catches on 64 targets. In his final year as a Pirate, he only allowed opposing quarterbacks a 48.8 passer rating, conceding a single touchdown and grabbing two interceptions.
Two questions hang over the former high school track and field star though. They revolve around where played and how his 2024 season ended.
East Carolina plays FBS football in the American Athletic Conference, so Revel Jr. hasn’t faced many elite quarterbacks or elite receivers. But his athleticism will transfer to any level.
Some experts have concerns about Revel Jr. peeking into the backfield and that he sometimes drops interceptions. But these issues should be fixed with coaching and by watching experienced, high-skill level veterans like Gardner-Johnson.
The premature ending to Revel’s 2024 season is more of a concern. He needed a knee reconstruction after rupturing an ACL at practice in mid-September. But Daniel E. Cooper, Revel Jr.’s doctor has written a letter assuring teams that his recovery is on schedule and he will be able to participate in training camp.
Revel Jr. has run a 4.40-second 40-yard dash (the same time as Jaycee Horn), ranking him in the 84th percentile of this cornerback class. His aggression and physicality are both an asset and a curse.
At 6-foot-2 Revel Jr. is in the 92nd percentile of the class. Unsurprisingly, he also has quite long arms, at 32 and 5/8 inches, they rank in the 77th percentile. But his desire to fight for the ball and disrupt could draw the attention of NFL officials. His college tape is reminiscent of Joey Porter Jr. at Penn State and he’s adapted to the stricter officiating.
The severity of his untimely injury has impacted his draft stock. At one stage analysts believed he would be the 18th overall pick, but he currently projects as either the 23rd pick for Green Bay or the 26th pick for the Rams. But if he is available at 25 the Texans should add him to their plentiful defensive back stocks.
Deone Walker. DL, Kentucky
Walker is four inches taller and 18 pounds heavier than Jalen Carter, but moves just like Jalen Carter! The former high school basketballer is almost impossible to block one-on-one and even when he’s double-teamed he takes blockers into the backfield with him.
Not many defensive tackles can collapse the pocket on their own as Walker did in college. He might not be able to do that in the NFL, but he’ll occupy multiple offensive linemen leaving other defenders unblocked.
He’s the tallest defensive tackle in the class and at 331 pounds he’s in the 95th percentile of the class. Unsurprisingly he has a huge span, at 84 and a half inches Walker ranks in the 97th percentile!
The 21-year-old didn’t test well at the combine though, the 5.28-second 40-yard dash (the same time Eddie Goldman) he clocked is only in the 16th percentile. His broad jump is in the 42nd percentile and he performed 22 reps in the bench press ranking in the 17th percentile of the class. His vertical jump landed in the 8th percentile.
Walker’s 2024 season and lacklustre performance at the combine perplexed many scouts. As a sophomore, the three-time second-team All-SEC defender recorded 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss in 13 games. But he only played 11 games and recorded 1.5 sacks with five tackles for a loss in 2024. During the Kentucky Pro Day, he revealed that he played his entire junior year with a broken back!
The Michigan native had projected as a high second-round pick back in January, but his combine performance and the news of his injury have clouded the picture.
One expert still believes he could be the Falcons pick at 15, but most expect him to be a late first-round pick. Some think he could go to the Packers at 27 or the Chiefs at 31 but if he’s available at 25 the Texans should definitely grab him. New signing Sheldon Rankins would love to line up next to him.
. @jordanreid.bsky.social is reporting that Kentucky defensive lineman Deone Walker (No. 0) has declared for the NFL Draft. He had a down year but let this serve as a reminder to everyone of what he is capable of, he is a bonafide game-wrecker.
— Andrew Harbaugh (@andrewharbaugh.bsky.social) December 6, 2024 at 11:41 PM
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RHYS KNOTT
NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST
Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes