What are the Houston Texans’ plans on the 28th?
How about day two, with three draft picks that could make or break the team heading into C.J. Stroud’s proven year? Well, Bleacher Report might be the best answer to Houston’s pressing needs.
In its latest three-round mock draft, the scouting department made sure Houston won’t skimp on the offensive line. With the No. 28 pick, the Texans found a potential long-term answer at right tackle in Aireontae Ersery, Utah’s Caleb Lomu.
While the 6-foot-6 junior is far from a finished product, the tape is promising. Lomu was a two-year starter for the Utes and has the athleticism and quick timing to develop into a consistent starter with All-Pro potential.
"Lomu is a natural left tackle with the movement skills to go one-on-one against blindside edge rushers." Brandon Thorne writes. "His potential alone is why he’s likely to go in the first round, regardless of the strength of his game. The Texans could move him to the right. In this case, it seems more likely that he will stay on the left side, with Essery switching."
One thing that has been brought up is that the Texans might be willing to move Essery to right tackle. The Minnesota product was expected to start at right tackle last season, but Cam Robinson missed most of training camp this year with a lower-body injury. Lomu is a natural left tackle and should at least compete with Essery for a spot on the left side, but a move to the other side wouldn’t be too bad.
Caleb Lomu is an overtime prospect in the 2026 draft class. His RAS score is unofficially 9.88 out of 10.00. From 1987 to 2026, this ranks 19th out of 1520 OTs.
Agility and replacements to be determined, time unofficial. https://t.co/ZPneDYlLEHpic.twitter.com/QuYIcdWcjo— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 1, 2026
A selling point for Lomu on Day 1 was his pass protection skills. After having two sacks in 2024, he had zero sacks last season, thanks in large part to hand timing, space mirroring ability and his composure against complex rushing patterns. He’s still a work in progress as a baserunner because his traits are promising.
With the No. 38 pick, Houston solidified the defensive tackle position with Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter, a solid runner with tremendous power to win one-on-one tackles against interior players. Last season, he paired with first-round pick David Baliey in the Lubbock College Football Playoffs to secure the nation’s No. 2 defense.
Caleb Lomu has exceptional technical improvement for a third-year player
The clear plug-and-play starters in the 2026 NFL Draft 🔐 pic.twitter.com/V92PzUG9vx— NFL Draft Documents (@NFL_DF) December 23, 2025
The 59th-ranked Texans continue to bolster their running game with the addition of Penn State’s Kaytron Allen. The selection of Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon once again addresses the offense’s concerns, as he is a reliable receiving threat but still needs to improve as a runner. Some scouts compared his tape to All-Pro tight end Trey McBride from Arizona State, although it was based on tape from Colorado.
To read all of Bleacher Report’s mock drafts, click here.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wired: Texans have top OT prospects in Bleacher Report’s new mock draft
