The 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books. The Houston Texans came away with nine players, four of whom were taken in the first 123 picks, and the final five picks taken in between the 188th and 257th picks overall. With no first round pick, the Texans really don't have any player who comes in anointed as a de facto starter, and that's fine. This team is suddenly much deeper than it's been in years.

With that in mind, let's take a look at each of the nine drafted rookies, give you a brief thumbnail sketch on each, and give each one a "best case" and "worst case" scenario for his rookie year. Here we go:

2/42. KAMARI LASSITER, CB, Georgia
Lassiter is a "DeMeco Ryans" kind of player — fierce, competitive, loves to hit. His 40-yard-dash time is probably what dropped him into the second round, but Lassiter is a very solid pick.
BEST CASE: Beats out Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson for starting CB spot
WORST CASE: Rotational depth at CB, special teams contributor

2/59. BLAKE FISHER, OT, Notre Dame
This pick was a bit of a surprise, as offensive tackle is not a major need for the Texans, but clearly the Texans were going "best player available" here. If Fisher stayed in school one more season, he'd have likely been a first round pick in 2025.
BEST CASE: Starting reps at LT or RT, if Laremy Tunsil or Tytus Howard get injured
WORST CASE: On 53-man roster, inactive on game day

3/78. CALEN BULLOCK, S, USC
Bullock is a former cornerback, who converted into a safety at USC. He still has some of his cornerback traits, both good and bad. The good? He has outstanding coverage and ball skills. The bad? He seems somewhat allergic to tackling.
BEST CASE: Beats out an unimproved Jalen Pitre for starting safety role
WORST CASE: Special teams contributor

4/123. CADE STOVER, TE, Ohio State
This seemed to be Nick Caserio's favorite pick of the draft, as he twice used the word "elite" to describe Stover's traits when discussing him in the post draft press conference. Stover has only played tight end for two seasons, so there is a lot of upside here.
BEST CASE: Fixture in two tight end sets, 20 to 25 snaps a game
WORST CASE: Third string tight end, 8 to 10 snaps a game

6/188. JAMAL HILL, LB, Oregon
Hill is a converted safety, who has good speed, and could see time on special teams. He's been compared to Christian Harris, a current Texan who also converted to linebacker from safety.
BEST CASE: Makes the team as 3rd or 4th linebacker
WORST CASE: Practice squad

6/205. JAWHAR JORDAN, RB, Louisville
Jordan was a productive back at Louisville. He is a little older, as he will be 25 when the season begins, but the battle between Jordan and Dameon Pierce for backup running back reps should be interesting.
BEST CASE: Beats out Dameon Pierce for backup RB spot
WORST CASE: Practice squad

7/238. SOLOMON BYRD, EDGE, USC
Another older player, Byrd is 24 years old, married, with two kids, which probably makes him more mature than the entire team and half the coaching staff. Byrd provides depth at a position of strength for the Texans.
BEST CASE: 4th or 5th defensive end, think Myjai Sanders in 2023
WORST CASE: Practice squad

7/247. MARCUS HARRIS, DT, Auburn
Harris was an all-SEC performer at Auburn, and is very stout at the point of attack. He'll look to slide into the rotation on the defensive front interior.
BEST CASE: Rotational piece on the defensive front interior
WORST CASE: Practice squad

7/249. LaDARIUS HENDERSON, OT, Michigan
Henderson was an all-Big Ten performer at Michigan, having started 10 games at left tackle for the defending national champions.
BEST CASE: Practice squad
WORST CASE: Cut

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