2024 NFL Draft Grades: Houston Texans

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: A

Analysis: Houston built on the momentum from last season's playoff run with a strong 2024 draft plan. The pre-draft trade with Minnesota to move out of the No. 23 overall slot -- and out of Round 1 entirely -- netted the Texans a 2025 second-rounder and didn't prevent them from addressing a roster sore spot with Lassiter. The Vikings used their original second-round pick on Fisher, who still needs more polish to his game. Time will tell whether Bullock was the right pick over the numerous other safeties still on the board.

Stover was an excellent choice in Round 4. He'll be reunited with C.J. Stroud, who frequently leaned on the tight end on third downs when the two were teammates at Ohio State. Hill should be a special teams demon. Acquiring veteran running back Joe Mixon for a seventh-round pick earlier this offseason also factors into the grade above.

Top needs entering the draft: Cornerback, defensive tackle, offensive line

For a team without a first-round pick -- the Texans traded theirs to the Vikings in March in a deal that saw them add a 2025 second-rounder, among other selections -- Houston had a nice Friday. It filled a void at cornerback with Kamari Lassiter (42), who might have been a first-rounder if he was a little faster. He consistently locked down corners at Georgia and allowed 2.8 yards per attempt as a primary defender in coverage last season, which ranked third in the FBS. Offensive tackle Blake Fisher (59) had a chance to be a first-rounder in 2025 if he had returned to Notre Dame. As the Fighting Irish's right tackle the past two seasons, he was a little inconsistent, but the tools are there to be an NFL starter.

The Texans used their extra fourth-rounder to move up in Round 3 to take safety Calen Bullock (78), who had nine interceptions in college and who can play as a center fielder in the NFL. Houston ranked 29th in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.7) last season, so this fits a need area. Tight end Cade Stover (123) made my favorites list; he has flown under the radar but has soft hands and can find open spots in coverage.

Houston GM Nick Caserio pulled off a solid, if unspectacular, class for what he had to work with this weekend.

HOUSTON CAME INTO THIS DRAFT WITH BELOW-AVERAGE CAPITAL AFTER TRADING THEIR FIRST-ROUND PICK TO THE VIKINGS LAST MONTH. The team would also probably lobby for me to include Stefon Diggs in this draft haul (since he was acquired for a second rounder), but for this exercise, I'm just grading actual picks. On that front, I liked what the team did to boost the depth in their secondary: Kamari Lassiter is an instinctive, savvy cover corner who fell primarily because he ran slow at his pro day (reportedly a 4.64 40-yard dash, according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler). But he can play, and should compete for snaps early on, possibly as a nickel defender. Safety Calen Bullock is another intriguing developmental pick for Houston; he's a super rangy and long-levered ball-hawk who could be a factor in the backend down the line. The Texans also added a potential starter on the offensive line in Notre Dame tackle Blake Fisher.

It's a really difficult draft to parse in a big-picture way. They used their first-rounder in a deal to get DE Will Anderson Jr. last year, and he wound up as the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year. They sent their final first-rounder from Cleveland in the Deshaun Watson offload to Minnesota for, in part, two second-rounders — one of those already used to obtain WR Stefon Diggs from Buffalo, who's now on a one-year deal. From a draft acquisition perspective, GM Nick Caserio continued resourcing a 23rd-ranked pass defense with second-round CB Kamari Lassiter (Georgia) and third-round DB Calen Bullock (USC) — though questions linger regarding whether either is up to the job. Round 2 OT Blake Fisher (Notre Dame) could push to play on the right side by Week 1, but C.J. Stroud insurance is a good idea in any case.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio set the tone for this draft class by saying that it would be difficult for a rookie to make a significant impact on the 2024 team. That indicated a desire to look for depth and to the future, and Houston definitely achieved that objective at a number of positions: corner, offensive tackle, safety and tight end among them. Second-round pick Kamari Lassiter, one of the top corners in college football last season, should still have a chance to start in Year 1 alongside Derek Stingley. —Ben Arthur

Best Pick: Third-round safety Calen Bullock is a rangy safety who will give them depth this season, but will eventually become a starter. He can run.

Worst Pick: I didn't like the pick of corner Kamari Lassiter in the second round. I think there were better options there when he went, guys like Mike Sainristil. He ran 4.64 at his pro day, which is not great for a corner.

The Skinny: After having a great draft last year, I didn't love this year's version. They didn't have a first-round pick -- traded to Minnesota -- and then they picked a tackle in Blake Fisher (who won't start) and two secondary players who probably won't start with their next two picks. Hard to doubt Nick Cesario after last year, but I will for this draft.

Analysis: The Texans had a sneaky supporting draft for what they did with DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud as the rookie foundations last season. Lassiter and Bullock fill key needs in the secondary behind Will Anderson Jr. Fisher has them thinking ahead on Stroud's protection, and Stover gives him a familiar college target.

Analysis: After spending lavishly in free agency and then adding star receiver Stefon Diggs in a trade with Buffalo, the Texans prioritized their secondary in the first three rounds. Houston nabbed both Lassiter and Bullock, adding them to a group already boasting Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre. Fisher is also an intriguing pick, with Tytus Howard perhaps ready to move inside.

The Texans are just a few players from being able to call themselves a legit Super Bowl contender, and maybe these are the guys. Kamari Lassiter is a highly aggressive defender, especially closer to the line of scrimmage, and he constricted most of the receivers he faced for the Bulldogs in 2023. And Blake Fisher gives offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and his staff the ability to keep Tytus Howard on the inside as Shaq Mason's guard bookend. Ohio State's Cade Stover is a nice addition who should fit well in the multiple tight end sets Slowik would like to run, and he obviously has experience with C.J. Stroud.

There are no real home runs here as there were last year when the Texans selected the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the year in Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., but it's also indicative of how a team's priorities change when you go from outhouse to penthouse this quickly.