Deal Confirm: Houston Texans Head Coach Acquired A Top Elite Star With Texas Longhorns That Will….

Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy has been projected to the Houston Texans in NFL mock drafts on multiple occasions – a possibility that would mean the world to him.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Texas Longhorns had arguably the best defensive tackle tandem in college football last season. And one-half of that pair – Byron Murphy II – is rocketing up NFL Draft boards.

Recently, Murphy has been projected to multiple times to be selected by DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans.

And as a Texas native and an admirer of what Ryans has done during his short time in Houston, that is a draft possibility that would mean the world to Murphy.

“It would mean a lot to get drafted by Houston,” Murphy said at the NFL Combine. “Just staying in Texas, I’m familiar with it because I am from Texas. It would mean a lot playing for DeMeco Ryans as a young African American coach. It would mean a lot to me.”

Murphy is entering the draft as one of the top-rated prospects at his position. He decided to forgo his senior season and enter the draft after a career year with the Longhorns –– recording 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks across 14 games.

Murphy would meet Ryans’ desire to improve the defensive front. The potential selection of Murphy at pick No. 23 would help the Texans establish a defensive line that will continue creating havoc on the opposing team’s offense while playing next to Anderson.

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud had a sensational rookie season that will go down in the history books. The Ohio State alum looks like a future face of the league.

For his sake, it’s a good thing that the NFL dream looks like it’s going to work out. He would be a truly terrible NBA analyst, if that is his fallback.

CJ Stroud was at the NBA All-Star Game two weeks ago in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was asked by a reporter there to name his all-time NBA starting five. It’s not a good list, to say the least.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) speaks with running back Devin Singletary (26) during an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Cleveland Browns, Saturday, Jan 13, 2024 in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)AP

No team improved as drastically as the Houston Texans did from 2023 to 2023. After going 3-13-1 two seasons ago, Houston went 10-7, winning the AFC South and a playoff game. Oddly enough, the opposite happened on the second annual NFLPA team report cards, where players are surveyed about various aspects of their team.

The Texans had the fourth-highest ranking in 2023 and fell to seventh in 2024 despite the on-field success. NFLPA president JC Tretter said player participation in the survey went up from about 60% last year to 77% this season. The survey ranked 11 different categories for each franchise; here’s the categories and where Houston ranks among the entire NFL.

The survey statement from Tretter also noted that the grades should mean more than where the team ranks in the league at that specific category. The Texans have all As and Bs, with the lowest grade coming from team travel. Team travel was one of Houston’s strongest aspects last season, having an A+ grade and the highest ranking of any NFL team. The 2023 survey noted that there were “a lot of first-class seats” and that only rookies had to stay in a hotel the night before a game.

Strength coaches ranked the lowest at 24th, but there wasn’t much negativity around it that the NFLPA noted.

Even though the training room ranks in the top-10 of the NFL, that was one of the only items that had any sort of criticism from the players that the survey noted.

“Players would most like the team to add a sauna and/or a steam room,” the survey said. “These are both quite standard at nearly every other facility in the league.”

The one difference in the actual survey from its first year to the second was the addition of head coach and owner rankings. Houston ranked league average in both, despite coach DeMeco Ryans barely losing Coach of the Year this season.