Houston Texans select Graham Mertz in sixth round of 2025 NFL Draft

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz has been selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was the No. 197 overall selection.

Mertz spent his last two seasons at Florida, where he played well when healthy. Injuries, though, took a toll on him and ended multiple seasons.

Initially, Graham Mertz enrolled in Wisconsin out of high school. He would spend four years there, throwing for more than 5,000 yards.

Prior to the 2023 campaign, Mertz opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He landed on Florida as his ultimate destination.

Quickly winning the starting job in Gainesville, Mertz put together a very productive first season with the Gators. He threw for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns, against just three interceptions.

However, Graham Mertz suffered a hard hit in a game against Missouri. It turned out he had fractured his collarbone, ending his first season with the Gators.

Mertz then came out of the gates in 2024 firing. He put together a 76.6% completion percentage, throwing for 791 yards and six touchdowns, against just two interceptions. But once again injury would strike.

He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in an early season contest against Tennessee, once again ending his season. Now, entering the NFL, his focus will be on getting healthy again.

As a recruit, Graham Mertz was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 57 overall recruit in the 2019 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 4 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 overall player from the state of Kansas, hailing from Mission (KS) Blue Valley North.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Graham Mertz

As far as how he stacks up as an NFL Draft prospect, opinions are mixed on Graham Mertz. He doesn’t have a howitzer of an arm, but he appears to read the field well and distribute appropriately.

Writing for the NFL Network, Lance Zierlien tabbed Mertz as a low-ceiling prospect. He wrote:

“A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making.

“He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He’s pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.”