Before Michigan tight end Marlin Klein came off the board in the second round, the Houston Texans nearly landed a haul just to move back into Round 3.
In recent years, teams have been more vocal in allowing their fans into the minds of the general managers and scouts on draft weekend via social media posts. Earlier this week, the Baltimore Ravens’ social team took the Flock inside the war room on Day 2, where Baltimore appeared to be in trade talks with team to move up for a center.
The Texans, who owned the No. 59 pick, were the final call before electing to stand pat in Round 2. Baltimore hoped to move up from No. 80 to select a center, likely Iowa’s Logan Jones or Florida’s Jake Slaughter, and saw Houston as a prime team to do business with since general manager Nick Caserio loves trading around the board.
The offer? Pick No. 80, a 2027 third-round pick, along with a future Day 3 selection during the 2026 draft. In the end, the asking price flipped over from Caserio’s squad was too high, thus forcing Ravens GM Eric DeCosta to back off and let Houston select Klein.
“As we looked at that, we realized it would probably take a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick,” DeCosta said of the potential trade. “And is it worth giving up those three [picks] to go up and maybe get one of those centers? It’s a hard decision.”
Houston already found its center of the future in Round 1 with the trade-up for Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge. As for Round 2, the Texans struck gold with first-round talent Kayden McDonald falling to pick No. 36 and into the lap of Caserio. Klein, whom many believe was a Day 3 talent, could have been on the board at pick No. 80, but a run among tight ends to begin Round 3 might have actually taken him out of the conversation, forcing Houston to pivot.
Klein is expected to compete for reps early in his career, so perhaps the move won’t come back to look terrible long-term. Even then, the Ravens needed to give up an offer Houston couldn’t land in the middle.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans nearly made Day 2 trade with Ravens for future major draft compensation
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
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