Dude is 5' 10", 194, but put up 23 reps bench press?! That's stout, man. Will be our return specialist. Impressive speed and agility. He may additionally be Tank insurance, or a Tank substitute until Dell is back.
Spoiler Brugler: Higgins reminds me of Nico coming out of Michigan; Noel reminds me of Christian Kirk Texans: why not have all four?! BACKGROUND: Jaylin Noel (KNOLL) grew up in the Kansas City, Kan., area with his mother (Deirdre Cash). He started playing organized sports at a young age, including football in second grade. It wasn't love at first sight, but football gradually became his go-to sport. After initially playing quarterback, he moved to wide receiver and played both ways. Noel played for the Missouri Wolverines youth team for five years, throughout middle school (2012-16). After eighth grade, he convinced his mother to move to Missouri so he could attend Park Hill High and be a part of its football program. His younger brother (James) also played wide receiver at Park Hill and finished his redshirt freshman season in 2024 at Division II Missouri Western State. His older brother (LJ) died in August 2019 at age 26. Noel got engaged to his fiancee (Aliyah Hunter) in October 2024. Noel enrolled at Park Hill High in northern Kansas City, where he was a four-year varsity letterman at wide receiver. Learning alongside senior wide receiver Ronnie Bell (Michigan/San Francisco 49ers), he made an immediate impact as a freshman, with 15 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore, Noel caught 36 passes for 498 yards and seven touchdowns, adding a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown — he earned all-state honors as a returner. He led Park Hill to an 8-3 record and the 2019 district championship as a junior, finishing with 42 catches for 769 yards and 12 total touchdowns (nine receiving, three rushing). As a senior, Noel earned all-state and his third consecutive all-conference honors. In 10 games his final season, he posted 68 catches for 1,005 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding his first career touchdown pass. He played basketball for two years and lettered in track, including personal bests of 6 feet, 5 inches in the high jump, 11.07 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.84 in the 200. A three-star recruit, Noel was the 124th-ranked wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 13 recruit in Missouri. After his sophomore season, he received his first Division I offer (FCS South Dakota State) in June 2019, followed by his first FBS offer a week later from head coach Matt Campbell and Iowa State. After his junior season, Noel announced a top six of Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Ultimately, he committed to the Cyclones over the Cornhuskers and was the fourth-ranked recruit in Campbell's 2021 class. Noel earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 honors and graduated with a degree in communications (Dec. 2024). He wants to open his own steakhouse after his playing days are over. Noel accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: ● Excellent quickness in releases and speed in the open field ● Attacks leverage of cornerbacks to create separation without wasting steps at the break point ● Consistently plucks away from his frame (caught a pass in 46 straight games to finish his career) ● Muscular build with decent play strength to secure passes in traffic ● Route running improved each season — shows an excellent feel on option/jerk routes ● Served as Iowa State's primary punt returner all four seasons, averaging 8.8 yards per return (53 attempts for 466 yards) ● Also averaged 21.1 yards per kick return (39 attempts for 821 yards) ● Durable; missed only one game (because of food poisoning) in four-year career ● Two-year team captain (head coach Matt Campbell: "From Year One to Year Four, he has been one of the most complete football players in the program over that time. Elite competitive excellence.") ● Trained at EXOS during his pre-draft prep and was described as "Valedictorian" of program WEAKNESSES: ● Undersized target and won't win size advantage in coverage ● Catch radius is best described as "average" — playing above the rim will be tougher against NFL defenders ● Lack of size shows up when jammed up at line of scrimmage ● Not as many forced missed tackles on his tape as one might expect, but his elusiveness and contact balance were somewhat disappointing ● Adequate college blocker, but it won't be a strength to his NFL game SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Iowa State, Noel was the M receiver (69.6 percent of his snaps from the slot in 2024) in first-year offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser's scheme (he was also used as a satellite player, motioning into the backfield). After catching passes from Brock Purdy as a true freshman, Noel's production improved each season — he finished with 245 career catches (No. 2 in school history) and 2,851 receiving yards (No. 4). A sturdy and speedy athlete, Noel is smooth in and out of his breaks and plays with "stickum" hands to consistently secure throws away from his body. Despite not being much of a tackle-breaker, he has a pull-away gear (with or without the ball) that makes him a playmaker (eight catches of 50 yards or more over the past two seasons, third-most in the FBS). Overall, Noel is a smaller target but very quarterback-friendly, because of the confidence he has in his hands and his athletic versatility, which makes him tough to cover. His scouting report and college tape give flashbacks to those of Christian Kirk when he was an NFL Draft prospect. Noel can have a similar pro career.
I'm very confused. Texans must feel better about the O-line situation than the rest of us. I want to be optimistic, so can someone cheer me up? The interview with Nick later tonight should be very interesting. Have two WRs from the same team been drafted together by one NFL team before?
Damn...2 WRs drafted first 3 picks? I must be dreaming. I felt we could've gone DB, DT, or another OL. I guess they're already replacing Tank (sad)...
Browns took Harold Fannin so I thought the Texans might take Kaleb Johnson RB. Noel is good. Now Johnson is gone and Dylan Sampson might be the play. My original pick at #89 *Edited: dang. Looks like Jax gets the pick. Trading with Houston.
He's out for the year anyways...maybe even into the next season. Teams don't stand pat for anybody. I hope Dell comes back..by then Kirk will be gone and we'll need Dell again.
Another WR makes perfect sense to me. I just didn’t think they’d do it. But the reality is Tank Dell is done. 2 serious lower leg injuries back to back is nothing to scoff at. Hutch and Metchie stink. Kirk is good but he only has 1 year on his deal. They needed another guy.
