For the second consecutive day, Texans general manager Rick Smith traded up to select a player from Notre Dame.
Smith traded a sixth-round pick to Atlanta to move up two spots from 52 to 50 to draft center Nick Martin, the younger brother of Dallas guard Zach Martin.
Nick Martin was the second-ranked center behind Alabama's Ryan Kelly, who was selected in the first round by Indianapolis.
Martin, who also played guard at Notre Dame, will compete for the starting job with Tony Bergstrom, signed as a free agent from Oakland.
The job is available since Ben Jones signed with Tennessee during free agency.