The Houston Texans Could Use Some Defensive End Help...But Who?
A defensive end for every round on this year's draft
The Houston Texans need some help at the defensive end position. It sounds crazy when Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. are on the roster. They’re the best pass-rush duo in football. The Texans rotate their ends. They have the best duo in football, but behind them, well, there isn’t much to write home about.
Dylan Horton is fine, but fine isn’t enough. Dominique Robinson barely played for the pass-rush-starved Chicago Bears. Xavier Thomas has been a backup for a while. Solomon Byrd has been a practice squad player most of his professional career. Sure, I bet Derek Barnett would answer the call at any point, but he isn’t on the team.
My friend Jeff Risdon, who previously covered the Texans and now covers the NFL Draft and the Detroit Lions, has an excellent exercise to help you familiarize yourself with players throughout the draft. Jeff is a fun guy to talk draft with as well. Give him a follow. He was gracious to allow me to steal this exercise.
Here is an edge rusher for every round.
First Round: Akheem Mesidor, Miami
Mesidor spent time as the best pass rusher on the Hurricanes in 2025. He also benefited from a fellow first-rounder, Rueben Bain Jr., being on the other side. They were menaces for opposing offenses. He was third in college football for sacks. He finished fifth in tackles for a loss, but most of those were his sacks. He’s got plenty of juice to his game. He was previously coached by current Texans defensive line coach Rod Wright.
The downsides are things he can and can’t control. He will be 25 as a rookie. That works against him, but DeMeco Ryans, this week, said the Texans don’t immediately disqualify older prospects. The run-stopping isn’t awesome. He isn’t an excellent height/weight/speed guy. Houston should be intrigued by the idea of his pass rush juice on the depth chart. Mesidor becoming a worthy starter opposite Will Anderson Jr. in 2028 is a potential outcome.
