The 2024 NFL draft starts in less than a month, and the Texans plans have begun to materialize.
Houston already moved out of the first round and picked up a second second-round pick and now traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs to solidify the offense. With a full wide receiver room, the focus for the draft should heavily lean toward defense with the team’s first two picks at No. 42 and 59. It should also be noted that general manager Nick Caserio drafted 10 defensive backs out of 22 second-round picks since he took over in 2009 for the Texans.
Here are five players the Texans should target when on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft.
Full draft target breakdowns: RB | WR | TE | OL | DB | DT | LB | EDGE
Texans 2024 draft draft targets
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri, CB
Houston’s biggest need after the trade for Diggs shifts to cornerback. While they’ve added former top-10 picks Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson, the Texans could still use a young, talented prospect who would come in and compete to start opposite Derek Stingley Jr.
Rakestraw Jr. has the versatility the team covets as he can play press or off-man coverage as well as thrive in zone coverage. He’s explosive when driving down and closing windows in off-coverage and zone coverage and shows the ability to fire off the edge on blitzes. When asked to jam in press man, he delivers a punch and rides in stride on the receiver's hip.
The reason he may fall to the Texans at No. 42 is due to his 40 time of 4.51, along with his lack of production with only one interception in 35 collegiate games.
Max Melton, Rutgers, CB
Melton is similar to Rakestraw Jr. in the sense that he has the coveted versatility to play press, off and zone coverage at a high level. The one difference is Melton is more dynamic with his jam in the press as he utilizes his almost 6-foot-5 wingspan to jostle receivers coming off the line.
He checks all of the boxes as far as speed and measured explosiveness, displayed by his 4.39 second 40-time at the NFL combine as well as his 40.5-inches in the vertical and 11-foot-4 in the broad jump.
He’s high-energy, highly communicative and genuinely shows a passion for playing the game. Melton provides even more value as he can play inside or outside. He would be able to compete with Okudah and Henderson for the starting cornerback position as well as battle for reps with Desmond King II and Myles Bryant on the interior.
Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State, DT
Hall Jr. played out of position at Ohio State in 2023, taking most of his reps at the 1-technique. This limited his production on paper to just 1.5 sacks for the Buckeyes this past season. He can play the 3-technique in the pros while also being able to shift over to the 1-technique for limited reps.
It’s a talent head coach DeMeco Ryans covets, as is the ability to hold up against the double-team in the run while showing one-gap penetration on pass rushes. These are all roles that Hall Jr. possesses the ability to execute at the next level.
While he didn’t run at the combine, he reportedly put up a time of 4.78 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day, where he weighed in at 299 pounds. The weight increase of almost 10 pounds since the combine while maintaining his speed is sure to catch NFL teams' attention. Lastly, Hall Jr. has a 6-foot-9 wingspan to go with his 6-foot-3, 299-pound frame.
Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M, LB
Houston ran a 4-2-5 defense on over 78% of their plays in 2023. They’ve added linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency to play alongside Christian Harris for 2024. If the team intends to lean that heavily into nickel coverage again, Cooper’s possibility of being a Texan takes a hit as he wouldn’t have the opportunity to play close to as many reps as prospects at other positions.
However, Houston has a solid base built on the defense and could look at Cooper as the future of the position in Houston. If selected, he would start in the 4-3 looks with Al-Shaair and Harris, while also allowing him to rotate into the mix with Harris and Al-Shaair in 4-2-5 looks. It would allow the Texans to bring him along slowly without putting too much on his plate.
During his rookie season, while not being tasked with carrying the position, the Texans could cross-train him at all three linebacker spots.
T’Vondre Sweat, Texas, DT
Similar to Cooper, albeit at a different position, Sweat’s value takes a hit as he too would be a part-time player. His size and ability are dynamic but he’s not the Vince Wilfork-type that can carry heavy mass and play 80% of the defensive reps.
He has the versatility the team desires for the position, though. He was the opposite of Hall Jr. in 2023 where he’s more of a 1-tech in a four-man front but played a lot of 3-tech at Texas with fellow 2024 draft prospect Byron Murphy II taking on a bulk of the reps at 1-tech and at the nose.
Sweat is a unique piece that won’t be pigeonholed into an exact role due to his rare athletic ability for a man his size. Despite the limited snaps, using a second-round pick on a player whose type doesn’t come along often is a small price to pay for Ryans's defense.
