And just like that, the 2026 NFL Draft is over! After months and months of hype, draft prep, pro days, the entire NFL Combine…ketchup interviews…and more leading up to this moment, everything ends after just three days. This is the third and final part of my “Battle Red Blog at the 2026 NFL Draft” series, where I’ve been chronicling Battle Red Blog writer Nickschwager’s and my experience covering the NFL draft on-site. I’m concluding the three-part series with the third day of the NFL Draft, covering rounds 4-7. There unfortunately weren’t any Texans draftees on-site for this day on the draft, but it was still an eventful one nonetheless.
The first night, Houston traded up two picks to get OG/C Keylan Rutledge from Georgia Tech, a mauler in the middle of the o-line that will (hopefully) solve Houston’s quandary at the line of scrimmage. Some fans, including a few I talked to at the draft itself, were a bit surprised by the pick and thought it may have been a “reach,” but were ultimately still supportive of the pick.
With the 26th pick, the Houston Texans select…📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/ia0mGC1YNV
On day two, the Texans traded up two picks yet again, going from pick #38 to #36 to select Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald! McDonald was a very coveted prospect across the NFL cognoscenti, and the fact he fell out of the first round was both shocking to many and seen as a prime opportunity for a football team to double-dip on nabbing starting-caliber players. The Texans just so happened to be that team! He was one of my favorite players of the draft, he was one of Battle Red Blog’s Kenneth Levy’s favorite players, and he was a favorite of a Texans fan I talked to outside of the draft stage who actually wished for the Texans to draft him. His, and many of the Texans fans’ wishes across the country, came true that Friday night.
Original Texan, Billy Miller, helping us announce the 3️⃣6️⃣ pick 🤘📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/Qci6nO1WFV
Reporter to Kayden McDonald:“How could other Christians pray for you?”Kayden McDonald:“How could other Christians pray for me? Uhh……. they could just pray.” 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/pMh6cgSoVH
Our very own @FizzyJoe got to ask a question of the Houston #Texans' latest addition to the defense!Here's Joe Critz with Kayden McDonald. pic.twitter.com/LXoOkmAXKl
Following that pick, the Houston Texans got a little funky (as they always do) and drafted TE Marlin Klein from Michigan with the 59th overall pick, their only selection that wasn’t related to a trade. A team captain for the Michigan Wolverines in 2025, Klein earned some supporters thanks to his above-average blocking and untapped potential in an anemic passing offense while in college. But, that lack of production was also seen as a spot of risk if a team were to take him. Be that as it may, the potential for a NFL “Y” tight end is there, and the Texans saw that as worth one of their most valuable picks in the draft.
Adding to our TE room 💪 pic.twitter.com/w8wQRlWUZz
Josh Norris of Underdog called it a symptom of the, “…weirdness of the TE range on day two…” since Houston was joined by the Jacksonville Jaguars (Nate Boerkircher, TAMU) and the Miami Dolphins (Will Kacmarek, Ohio State) as teams that took certain TE prospects a little higher than many were expecting. Some Texans fans (including me) were a little disappointed by the selection given the other talented players that were still on board, but that’s just as well since plenty were still remaining entering day three. Some of my favorite day three guys included:
The short night between the end of day two and the beginning of day three was stuffed with anticipation for Texans fans. The team has now arguably addressed their biggest needs on the first two days of the draft, and now, curiosity rose on how they would round out their Super Bowl-caliber roster. Well, as the Saturday morning sun rose over the Allegheny mountains, above the Pittsburgh skies hung gloomy clouds. A brief shower in the morning gave the event a sort of damp, afterparty aesthetic, but once I arrived at the Draft event on the North Shore, it was still crowded and charged with excitement. I met Nick at a Topps trading card event going on inside Acrisure stadium, and it was aflutter with card fanatics and advertising galore. They even had former Steelers LB James Harrison come to open some packs on stage!
Here’s a clip I got from the Topps event on the Steelers field yesterdayJames Harrison was ripping cards live, he pulls a Henry To’oTo’o card and says:“We don’t like the Texans, they put their hands on us last year.” 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/jeEpMMnIvR
It was certainly packed event, and in the card-collecting mania of it all…I succumbed to the pressure. I’ll admit it, I’m not much of a “card guy” (sorry collectors out there), but I did, in fact buy a Jayden Higgins card for $5.00:
But look! It was a tiny little piece of his uniform fabric inside the card! Isn’t that cooool?
By the time I departed the trading card party, the draft was just an hour away, and the Texans had one of the first picks of round four! They’ll get a chance to select any one of a wide list of great college players, including the shortlist of personal favorites I mentioned earlier. But…yeah, well, it didn’t really work out for me. Here’s the full list of their draftees from rounds 4-7:
Round 4, Pick 6 (104th Overall): OG Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 23 (123rd Overall): LB Wade Woodaz, Clemson
Round 5, Pick 1 (141st Overall): S Kamari Ramsey, USC
Round 6, Pick 23 (204th Overall): WR Lewis Bond, Boston College
Round 7 Pick 27 (243rd Overall): LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana