The Houston Texans are a professional American football team from Houston, playing in the National Football League (NFL). They joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion franchise. Following the controversial relocation of the Houston Oilers to Nashville and the NFL's need for a 32nd team in the league, Houston was awarded the upcoming franchise, at a cost of $700 million paid by then-owner Bob McNair. The Houston Texans made their first selection as an NFL team in the 2002 NFL draft, selecting Fresno State quarterback David Carr number 1 overall. The team's most recent first-round selection was Keylan Rutledge, a guard from Georgia Tech in 2026.
Every year during April, each NFL franchise seeks to add new players to its roster through a collegiate draft known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting," which is more commonly known as the NFL Draft. Teams are ranked in inverse order based on the previous season's record, with the team with the worst record picking first, and the second worst picking second and so on. The two exceptions to this order are made for teams that appeared in the previous Super Bowl; the Super Bowl champion always picks 32nd, with the loser of the big game always picking 31st. Teams have the option of trading away their picks to other teams for different picks, players, cash, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades.
The Texans have selected number one overall three times, David Carr in 2002, Mario Williams in 2006, and Jadeveon Clowney in 2014. The Houston Texans have only three times drafted two or more times in the first round, which occurred in 2004, 2022 and 2023.
Andre Johnson is the Texans' only draft pick to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Key B Back K Kicker NT Nose tackle C Center LB Linebacker FB Fullback DB Defensive back P Punter HB Halfback DE Defensive end QB Quarterback WR Wide receiver DT Defensive tackle RB Running back G Guard E End T Offensive tackle TE Tight end^Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame*Selected number one overall†Indicates the player was selected for the Pro Bowl
Player selections +Houston Texans first-round draft picksYearPickPlayer namePositionCollegeNotesRef 20021 * QB Fresno State First draft pick in franchise history. Agreed to contract before the draft. 2003 3 †^ WR Miami(FL) 7× Pro Bowl selection2× All-Pro first-team selection 2004 10 CB South Carolina 27† DE Western Michigan 2× Pro Bowl selection. 2005 16 DT Florida State 20061*† DE North Carolina State 4× Pro Bowl selection1× All-Pro first-team selection 2007 10 DT Louisville Youngest player ever taken in modern draft era 2008 26† T Virginia Tech 4× Pro Bowl selection1× All-Pro first-team selection 2009 15† LB USC 1× Pro Bowl selection2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year 2010 20 CB Alabama 2011 11† DE Wisconsin5× Pro Bowl selection5× All-Pro first-team selection2014 Bert Bell Award3× Defensive Player of the Year2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year 2012 26 DE Illinois 2013 27† WR Clemson3× Pro Bowl selection2× All-Pro first team selection 20141*† DE South Carolina 3× Pro Bowl selection1× All-Pro first-team selection 2015 16 CB Wake Forest 2016 21 WR Notre Dame 2017 12† QB Clemson 3× Pro Bowl selection2020 NFL passing yards leader 2018No pickPart of trade to acquire selection to draft Deshaun Watson 2019 23 T Alabama State 2020No pickPart of trade to acquire Laremy Tunsil 2021No pick 2022 3† CB LSU 15 G Texas A&M 2023 2† QB Ohio State2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year 3† LB Alabama2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year 2024 No pick Part of trade to acquire selection to draft Will Anderson Jr. 2025 No pick 2026 26 G Georgia Tech
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References
External links Houston Texans History