The Texans draft Jaylin Noel in round 3!
The Houston Texans are bolstering their offense in a big way. They have added Iowa State wideout Jayden Higgins in round 2 and have now selected his college teammate Jaylin Noel in the 3rd round.
This is a beneficial move all around that will help buoy the stock of quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud now has X archetypes in Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins and smaller slot role players who can cover the short and intermediate game in Jaylin Noel and veteran Christian Kirk.
All signs point to a C.J. Stroud resurgence in 2025. The wide receiver room in Houston is making its case as one of the best in the entire NFL.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Per the team's transaction logs, the Houston Texans have ...
Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel had himself a great day in Indy, putting both his high end athleticism and his route running on display.
Like a true competitor, Jaylin Noel went out and tested in all events and drills at the combine. Good thing he did as he ended up in the top 10 of nearly every event. His 4.39 40 yard dash was top 10 in his positional group, his broad jump (3rd), 3 cone (8th), and shuttle (8th) were each top 10 out of all combine participants. He had the second highest vertical for the whole combine at 41.5”, and the cherry on top was his 23 bench reps — which was tied for 1st out of all wide receivers AND running backs. Guys… he had more bench reps that Harold Fannin Jr and Elijah Arroyo 👀
Noel has rightfully been rising up draft boards all offseason, he dominated DB’s at the senior bowl and now dominated 90% of all participants at the combine. His 99th percentile burst score might just help Noel leapfrog fellow Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins and escalate him into the second round of the NFL Draft. Not many teams will want to pass on a fast, explosive, strong receiver that has the ability to get past defenders. Think Golden Tate or Jayden Reed… except faster and with more burst.
Author: Lukasz Stec (@Lukasz_FF01)
While other receivers of this rookie class garnered plenty of attention, Xavier Restrepo quietly validated his draft stock.
Heading into the Senior Bowl, Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo aimed to show scouts and media at large that he could step up in the short, intermediate, and deep passing game. While Restrepo attempted to boost his NFL stock, fellow wide receiver classmates such as Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel from Iowa State, and TCU’s Jack Bech staked claim for attention with their dazzling play in both practice drills and in the Senior Bowl game itself.
Restrepo’s college quarterback, Cam Ward is expected to be selected within the first few picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had hoped to show scouts and media that part of Ward’s success was due in part to utilizing a weapon such as Restrepo himself. The teammate who got the most buzz on that end was Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo. Elijah Arroyo did enough during Senior Bowl week to garner calls for being a top-3 tight end in the class, whereas Xavier Restrepo quietly gave scouts plenty to chew on in favor of drafting him. Xavier Restrepo is currently listed on the Pro Football Focus Big Board 2025 at 49 putting him on track for 2nd round draft capital.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Get to know former Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel.
Senior Bowl Profile: Jaylin Noel
Jaylin Noel(5’11 200) (2021 3 star, 87th WR) is a name generating quite a lot of buzz entering into the week.
Noel’s senior season at Iowa State was extremely productive, recording 80 receptions for 1194 yards and 8 tds. He and teammate Jayden Higgins became the first BIGXII wide receiver duo to surpass 1000 yards since Marquise Brown and Ceedee Lamb did so in 2018.
Noel has developed a reputation as an advanced route runner with elite run after catch skills. His play speed is apparent, and he understands how to attack leverage and set up opposing corners. He’s displayed the ability to win on the perimeter against press, so this week he comes in just needing to validate what he’s already put on tape.
Noel has all the makings of a super sleeper in your dynasty leagues. Elite skills, athleticism, and production. Once he takes the field in the NFL, you may wonder how he wasn’t one of the first wide receivers taken in your rookie drafts.
Author: Justin Currie (@Chev90)
