With 3 day 2 draft picks at their disposal, and a little bit of trade ammunition from the later rounds, the Texans could make some noise on draft day by shoring up their most pressing needs. One of the worst kept secrets in the league is the Texans’ actively looking for young offensive line talent in this draft to protect C.J. Stroud from a season like he had in 2024. Outside of that, Houston will likely be looking to add either some defensive line depth or some auxiliary pass catchers. The following 5 players are talents that I believe could be impact players for the 2025 Houston Texans.
Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
A Houston native, Donovan Jackson spent 3 years starting along the Ohio State offensive line after being heavily recruited as a 5 star guard prospect. While he mostly took snaps at left guard, he showcased his versatility by flipping over to left tackle when Josh Simmons went down for the year with a patella injury. Jackson is stupidly strong, with really long arms- prototypical traits for elite offensive lineman. Remember the rumblings about how the Texans’ offensive line was soft last year? Donovan Jackson does NOT fit that mold. Watch him stonewall James Pearce Jr. (a first round prospect in his own right) while playing out of his natural position in the CFP:
While Jackson probably needs a year or two of games and development to fully develop, he has a high ceiling as a dominant guard in his hometown. Most notably listed on many of his scouting reports: deals with twists and stunts very well, which should have Houston scrambling to do whatever they need to get their guy.
Tate Ratledge, RG, Georgia
Certified #DAWG Tate Ratledge was a 3 year starter at RG for Georgia, though it wasn’t without it’s hiccups. A Lisfranc injury ended his 2021, and Tate dealt with an ankle injury in 2024 that saw him miss 4 games. Ratledge is a mauler and a people-mover in the trenches, who holds up pretty well in pass protection as well. Ratledge is also another OL prospect who handled stunts and twists very well in college, and that could translate well to the pros. Having lots of experience against the defensive lines in the SEC is also a plus, as he’s more refined than most mid-round guards with his mindset and athleticism.
Ratledge would be a good pick if the Texans lean more into a gap scheme running game this year- his lateral movement isn’t the greatest, and he’s not the most athletic in space. He’s more of a “I’m gonna block my guy and send him 10 feet into the dirt” type of offensive lineman. Coincidentally, that’s something the Texans lacked last year. If Houston went into camp with a right guard battle of Tate Ratledge versus new acquisition Ed Ingram as the only options on the depth chart, I would bet lots of money on Mr. Ratledge coming out of the preseason as the starter.
Shemar Turner, DL, Texas A&M
The less heralded Shemar from the Aggies defensive line in 2025, don’t overlook Shemar Turner as an impact player in the mid rounds of this year’s draft. Firstly- the intangibles: he’s consistent, durable, and was named “Mr. Dependable” by the team in his sophomore campaign. He has nice size at 6’3 and 290 pounds, and ran a 4.80 second forty. While he’s not a true edge pass rusher along the defensive line, he has the speed and athleticism to win on the outside and the strength and size to win on the inside. This could make him a fun chess piece for DeMeco Ryans to utilize along the D-Line.
Turner does have his warts; he’s not very good against the run right now, he doesn’t tackle the best, and he will commit more penalties than you would like (although I would categorize these in the tier of competitive spirit, not maliciousness or ignorance). But I really like his fit here as a fun depth piece on the interior defensive line, with lots of upside.
Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
Let’s get this out of the way now- I understand that Utah State is not exactly a college football powerhouse, and the Mountain West Conference isn’t considered a big conference outside of Boise State’s presence. Royals has also only played two years of Division I football. I don’t care. Do not let these notions convince you that Jalen Royals is not that guy.
Royals is uber athletic. He’s got top end speed, jump out the gym verticality, and excellent body control. He’s adept at finding soft spots in zone coverage and turning the corner to produce lots of YAC yardage (ala Rashee Rice). I get that he’s pretty raw as a prospect right now, but with some development to the route running and catching consistency, Royals has the traits to be a legit WR1/2 in the NFL. Behind Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, Houston would not have to rely on Royals right away to be a big contributor, instead letting him get reps in and hone his craft.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
Finally, any Texans draft isn’t truly complete until they draft an H-back type to be a tight end/big slot guy in the mid to late rounds. It was Cade Stover last year, Teagan Quitoriano in 2022, and Brevin Jordan (who I still think could’ve been really good) in 2021. Enter Harold Fannin Jr., who is better than all 3 of them were as a prospect. Just watch him work in space:
Fannin Jr. is 20 years old, so I’m less concerned that he’s only 230 pounds- he has time to put on more muscle. He already has very reliable hands (only 2 drops in his college career), and his route running is smooth. He has the versatility to line up either inline, in the slot, or even outside during his time at Bowling Green. With Dalton Schultz being on the books for 2025 and 2026 (note: he can be cut for a $2.5m cap hit in 2026), Fannin could be a complementary piece in the receiving game now. But the tools and upside are tremendous to me.
