Texans' 2024 Draft Class Has Coach DeMeco Ryans 'Excited' For Competition

The Houston Texans' experience during the 2024 NFL Draft was different from that of the previous two years. General manager Nick Caserio used the past two years to build a foundation in hopes of establishing sustainable success.

The Texans began building their foundation with the selection of Derek Stingley Jr. in 2022 (No. 3 overall), and each prospect taken over the next two years seemed to be a prominent talent who won their starting role after they answered a phone call from Houston during the draft.

In 2024, the prominence of each prospect taken during the draft slightly dipped. The Texans made their first selection of the 2024 NFL Draft in the second round at pick No. 42. They drafted cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who was the first of nine prospects taken.

Lassiter possesses the talents to start opposite of Stingley. However, the Georgia prospect is the prime example of how the Texans used the draft to build competition at nearly every position.

"We're very excited about all the guys we brought in," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Feel like all these guys are quality players that add to the depth, add to the competition of our team. So we're excited about the guys. We like all the guys that we were able to pick. We want to work with these guys. We're fired up about it."

Lassiter is one of several players who could emerge during training camp and win a prominent role within their rookie year. A week before the draft, Ryans was adamant when mentioning that the team's off-season trades and signings would not impact their draft plans. 

The Texans traded for Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon in March. Despite his acquisition, Houston used a sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall) to add to their offensive backfield with the selection of Jawhar Jordan.

The Louisville prospect will not take the helm as Houston's starting running back. However, given Dameon Pierce's subpar play from the previous season, Jordan will have a chance to compete for the primary backup job behind Mixon.

Jordan had his best career season during his final year playing for the Louisville Cardinals, rushing for 1,128 yards on 181 carries and 13 touchdowns.

"We really like the juice that he has out of the backfield," Ryans said. "Think he can make plays with tremendous speed. We're looking to add some speed to our backfield. We think he provides that for us. He also provides some special teams value, as well, as a returner. Really excited about the role that he's shown that he was able to do at Louisville, and excited about seeing him come in and compete here."

The Texans may have exited the 2024 NFL Draft without any Day 1 starters. They not only created competition, but at the very least, Houston expanded upon its depth at every position.

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