The Texans moved again. They traded picks 216 and 241 to move up to 197. With the pick they decided to take Florida quarterback Graham Mertz. The trade leaves them with one seventh round pick remaining. A fanbase begging for inside offensive line play apparently is not going to get it before the 7th round.

As a modern college football player, Mertz has six seasons to his credit between Wisconsin and Florida. He spent the last season at Florida and only played in five games due to a torn ACL. Presumably, he would have been rated higher had he lasted through the season. He passed for 2903 yards in 2023, 2136 in 2022, and 1958 in 2021. He was on pace to have a great 2024 as he had completed 76.6 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Vitals

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 212 pounds

Arm: 31 1/4”

Hand: 9 3/4”

Prospect: 5.67 (Candidate for bottom of the roster or practice squad)

Before I move forward, I should note that he was projected to be a priority free agent according to NFL.com. His production looks decent on paper even though the stats don’t jump off the page. In five years as a primary starter he threw 64 touchdown passes and 31 interceptions. However, his athleticism score was the fifth highest amongst the quarterbacks at the combine. Obviously, he did not run the 40 with a torn ACL.

“A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from and ACL tear suffered in October. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He’s pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low. — Lance Zierlein

Davis Mills is under contract for only one more season, so Mertz might be a third stringer or stashed on the practice squad as insurance in case they want to move on after the 2025 season. It’s not an inspired pick necessarily, but he certainly comes in with more college experience than Mills did when he was a rookie. What do you think of the pick? Should the Texans have gone in another direction?