The NFL Draft will be here a week from this Thursday, and if the Houston Texans hang onto the first round pick they currently have, they’ll be doing something they haven’t done since 2019 — picking in the back half of the first round. The last time they did so was in 2019, when they picked Tytus Howard with the 23rd overall pick.
Since then, the Texans have either been picking extremely high in the first round of the draft, or traded their first round picks, either for Laremy Tunsil (2020, 2021) or to move back and get more picks (2024). So this is somewhat new territory for Nick Caserio as Texans GM, with the Texans currently sitting at 25th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
We know the Texans are most likely to be looking for offensive line help or a wide receiver in the first round, and the college film would indicate there are definitely players who can help their cause. There is also a chance that the player the Texans select never develops, and is a bust. We don’t know, but what caliber player could the Texans expect to land with the 25th overall pic?
Here are the three best and three worst 25th overall selections in the NFL Draft, since the Texans entered the league in 2022:
THREE BEST
3. Vernon Davis, tight end, 49ers (2006)
Davis was one of the most durable tight ends of his generation, playing 14 seasons for three different teams. Most notably, he was a Pro Bowl performer for the 49ers, tying for the league lead in touchdowns in 2009 (13 TDs). He had several big postseason moments, including a game winning touchdown against the Saints in the 2011 postseason. Davis would go on to win a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015.
2. Donta Hightower, linebacker, Patriots (2012)
Hightower was selected by Bill Belichick and the Patriots out of Alabama in 2012. He would become a fixture on three Super Bowl champion teams (2014, 2016, and 2018), and be named to the Pro Bowl twice. Hightower was a member of the Patriots’ all 2010s team, and would play a decade in the league before hanging up the cleats after the 2021 season.
1. Tyler Linderbaum, center, Ravens (2022)
It’s still early, but the returns on the Ravens’ selection of Linderbaum at 25th overall in 2022 look tremendous so far. Linderbaum has been the anchor in the middle of the Ravens’ offensive line, and has been named to the last two Pro Bowls. He already has as many Pro Bowl selections in three seasons as Hightower and Davis each had their entire careers.
THREE WORST
3. Jason Campbell, quarterback, Redskins (2005)
Campbell was drafted by the Redskins, and would go on to start 79 NFL games for five different teams. He was a decidedly mediocre quarterback, but probably draws the biggest negative points from being selected one pick after Aaron Rodgers, a four time MVP and future Hall of Famer. That hurts, if you’re Washington, although at least they didn’t pass on Rodgers to take Campbell.
2. Jason Verrett, cornerback, Chargers (2014)
Verrett lands here mostly because he was constantly injured. I’m about to give you a number that doesn’t even sound like it could be real — Verrett came into the league in 2014, and played his final game in 2023, ten years in all, and played a total of just 41 games! Verrett had five seasons in which he played either one or no games.
1. Tim Tebow, quarterback, Broncos (2011)
Forget about the fact that Tebow managed to somehow win a playoff game in 2011. Tebow’s existence as a quarterback in the league was a running joke while it lasted. Not as big a joke as his time in New York as a fullback, and certainly not as big a joke as his comeback briefly as a tight end in Jacksonville in 2021, but a joke nonetheless!
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