Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud took a minor step back in his second season, and a big reason for that was the decline of his offensive line.
Stroud was sacked 52 times after being taken down 38 times as a rookie, which surely contributed to Houston’s decision to trade left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders and has led to the Texans meeting with a top tackle prospect ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Texans to host Oregon standout offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. for a draft visit Tuesday, per a league source,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston wrote on X.
#Texans to host @oregonfootball standout offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr for a draft visit Tuesday, per a league source. More @KPRC2 https://t.co/DEDmg9Ip5c
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 7, 2025
Conerly started every game at left tackle over the past two years for highly successful Oregon teams.
He is pegged as an athletic lineman who works well at the point of attack and has good pop when attaching to a defender, with his weaknesses being that some feel he needs to play bigger and work on his strength and bend, particularly against speedy power rushers.
Houston has an obvious need at left tackle after trading Tunsil, and finding Stroud’s long-term blind-side protector to help him stay upright for the next decade is a major priority.
The Texans signed free agent Cam Robinson to a one-year contract this offseason, but this will be his third team in two years, so if he were a true franchise left tackle, he wouldn’t be bouncing around the league like this.
Conerly is projected in many mock drafts as a late first-round or early second-round pick, and Houston has the No. 25 overall selection.
Houston’s second-round pick is No. 58 overall, and with two third-round picks, it could move up if it’s worried about Conerly not being available.
No Texans fan would complain about a left tackle selection early in the draft, and Conerly looks like he is on the radar.
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