Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes Houston is trying to move up past Green Bay in the first round
On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Houston Texans are one of the few teams in the NFL who are actually trying to move up in the 2025 draft. According to Breer, the Texans are trying to reshape their offensive line room after blowing up their lineup with the Laremy Tunsil trade, Kendrick Green trade and Shaq Mason release this offseason.
The Texans currently sit at the 25th overall pick in the draft, but are apparently trying to get to at least 22nd overall — a selection before the Green Bay Packers — because there is a belief that either the Packers or Minnesota Vikings could pick an offensive lineman in one (or both) of the back-to-back picks ahead of Houston’s original first-round draft choice.
Here’s what Breer had to say:
With the possibility that Campbell, Membou and Banks are all gone inside the top 10, the next group of linemen could get moved up the board a bit. And the Texans have two teams in front of them, the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, that could take an offensive lineman.
If we’re assuming that LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou and Texas’ Kelvin Banks are off of the board, as Breer claimed they will be, the top offensive linemen on the consensus draft board are:
- #24: Josh Simmons, Ohio State
- #28: Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
- #31: Tyler Booker, Alabama
- #34: Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
- #39: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Both Simmons and Conerly are true tackle prospects, while Zabel is a tackle who projects as either a guard or center at the next level. Booker is a true guard. Jackson played left tackle after Simmons went down with a patellar tendon tear mid-season, but is highly likely to play his original position of guard in the NFL.
Interestingly, the Packers have shown little interest in offensive linemen who are expected to go in the first two rounds of the draft this offseason. While they’ve brought in the top three receivers in the draft, three Day 1 or Day 2 defensive tackles, three projected first-round pick edge rushers and two cornerbacks who are borderline first-round projections, the only top-100 offensive lineman Green Bay has called on to come on a pre-draft visit is Simmons, likely due to his injury question mark.
The Packers also don’t have much of an immediate need on the offensive line, following the addition of free agent signing Aaron Banks. The current lineup (left to right) is expected to be Rasheed Walker, Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom. Rhyan will likely compete with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan for playing time in 2025.
So, how does an offensive lineman make sense for Green Bay in the first round? It would probably have to be for a left tackle of the future, with the assumption that Morgan isn’t that — a disappointment. Walker is going into the final year of his rookie contract and will probably net $20 million per year in free agency, if he were allowed to hit the open market, based on what Dan Moore Jr. received from the Tennessee Titans this offseason.
If the Packers are looking at making an offensive line selection at #23, as Breer suggests, it would probably be for either Simmons or Conerly, the true left tackles who would potentially be available in that draft range. The justification would be to lay the groundwork for the future of the position, understanding that they’ll be letting go of Walker within the year to spend cap dollars elsewhere — likely on extending returning players who are on expiring contracts like Tom, linebacker Quay Walker, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, receiver Christian Watson, guard Sean Rhyan and/or receiver Romeo Doubs.