The Houston Texans went into the 2026 NFL Draft with eight draft picks, holding one in at least every round except the sixth.
However, their draft arsenal is quite unique, as only three of the picks they hold are actually their own, thanks to being one of the most active teams in the trade market. General manager Nick Caserio has been very active trading up and down on draft day, while also being active in shopping and targeting players on the trade market.
Last offseason, the Texans made the bold move to trade out of the first round, moving down nine spots with the New York Giants and receiving an extra pair of Day 2 selections in return.
With the 2026 NFL Draft here, let’s revisit that draft day trade and see how it panned out for the Texans now that we have all the picks made.
New York Giants receive: 2025 first-round pick (No. 25 overall)
Houston Texans receive: 2025 second-round pick (No. 34 overall), 2025 third-round pick (No. 99 overall), 2026 third-round pick (No. 69 overall)
The Texans moved down nine spots and took wide receiver Jayden Higgins at No. 34 overall.
They did not keep the No. 99 pick, however, instead using it with the No. 58 pick to trade up 10 spots with the Las Vegas to No. 48. There, they drafted offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery.
The Raiders ended up keeping the No. 99 pick, using it to select offensive tackle Charles Grant.
On Thursday night, the Texans traded the 69th pick to Buffalo as part of a first-round swap. The Bills traded it to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night in another first-round swap. Tennessee sent it to the Chicago Bears. It’s messy. The Bears selected Stanford TE Sam Roush.
The Texans traded picks 28+69+167 for picks 26+91. It’s going to get really convoluted if we keep following the thread, but the Texans took guard Keylan Rutledge at 28.
Higgins played in all 17 games for the Texans, catching 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns. He started 10 games, while playing in 57.8 percent of the offensive snaps for the Texans. He ranked second in receiving yards among Texans wide receivers behind Nico Collins and got more consistency as the season went along.
Ersery, the player acquired partly with pick 99, became a full-time starter for the Texans, starting in 16 regular-season games. He had his struggles, allowing eight sacks as the starting left tackle, while also giving up 49 pressures. Both were team-highs on an inconsistent Texans offensive line. There was still growth throughout the season and reasons for optimism going forward.
The Giants came up from their second-round spot to take quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 25 overall, securing their potential franchise quarterback. That was their target and they paid a premium for it.
Dart was inserted into the starting lineup early in his rookie season, winning his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. He ended up starting 12 games for the Giants as a rookie, throwing for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while completing 63.7 percent of his passes.
Dart also ran for 487 yards and nine touchdowns, but dealt with some concussion issues. It was an up-and-down rookie season, as Dart struggled with a couple of starts later in the year, while averaging only 6.7 yards per attempt.
But he’s in line to start as a second-year pro in New York under new head coach John Harbaugh.
When it comes to the actual players, this will fully depend on how the careers of Higgins, Ersery, and the No. 69 overall pick go down.
But from a value perspective, the Texans were clear winners on the Fitzgerald-Spielberger trade value chart, especially since the third-rounder this year ended up being the No. 3 pick in the third round.
Even on the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, the Texans won the trade by an equivalent of the No. 80 pick. So, it was a trade that paid off for them, especially if Higgins was their target all along.