A former five-star recruit who threw for over 9,000 college yards across two programs before Houston drafted him as a developmental arm behind C.J. Stroud.
Graham Mertz arrived at Wisconsin as one of the most hyped quarterback recruits in the country, then rebuilt his career at Florida after injuries and inconsistency slowed his development in Madison. The Texans took him in the sixth round in 2025 to sit behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills while he continues to recover from a torn ACL.
Path to the league
Mertz started 34 games at Wisconsin from 2019 to 2022 before transferring to Florida, where he started 16 more games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Across his college career he completed 793 of 1,225 passes for 9,099 yards and 64 touchdowns. Houston selected him in the sixth round (197th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft via a trade with Denver.
Career highlights
At Florida, Mertz proved to be an efficient passer even as the Gators struggled to win consistently, throwing for 3,694 yards, 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions over his final two college seasons. His college career was repeatedly interrupted by injury, including a collarbone injury in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024.
2025 season recap
Mertz spent his rookie season as Houston's third-string quarterback behind Stroud and Mills while continuing to recover from his ACL tear, and he did not make his NFL regular-season debut in 2025. With Mills entering the final year of his contract, Mertz enters the 2026 offseason with a potential path toward the backup role.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Graham Mertz
- Pro Football Reference: Graham Mertz
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Florida
- Hometown
- Overland Park, KS, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
Team
