May 28, 2025
ANALYSISKirk no longer looks hindered by the broken collarbone that ended his 2024 season in Jacksonville after just eight games. The Texans traded for Kirk in early March, then selected two rookies out of Iowa State --
Jayden Higgins (second round) and
Jaylin Noel (third round) -- in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even with
Tank Dell (knee) nursing a serious enough injury that he could miss most, or all, of the upcoming season, Higgins and Noel represent notable competition for targets behind No. 1 wideout
Nico Collins. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds with 4.47 speed, Higgins is a physical clone of Collins capable of joining him on the boundary, while Noel's smaller frame and 4.39 speed seemingly positions him to begin as a deep threat. That leaves Kirk with a clear path to dominate slot reps, with the catch being that Noel could eventually compete for such snaps, and Houston's other wideouts could emerge as higher-priority targets for
C.J. Stroud.