Before the Houston Texans rookie began the drill, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel stood on the side, stretching their arms back and forth while waiting for the drag.

Noel will connect to the second round receiver before rotating the body and mirroring the same method. Houston's first draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Higgins then threw the pass to the Texans' third-round draft pick.

It's natural for Houston's latest duo, almost as if they've experienced action before. That's because they've been at Iowa State for the past two seasons, leading by Matt Campbell, as the top target for Rocco Becht in a back-to-back bowl game.

Now, Cyclone Bros hopes to be a teammate of Houston again and become a safety blanket for third-year quarterback CJ Stroud.

"We're really similar to the way we play. We both like the game, we're curious in the game, just found ways to get better," Noel said. "Then, it really goes on more and more, finding that we like fishing together and having conversations. The more we can talk and collaborate, we find the commonalities we have outside the game and really just build our relationship."

Higgins and Noel are not only teammates to be selected as the same team since Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis arrived in Los Angeles in 2023. They are productive passers and their successes thrived on each other.

Higgins started his career in Eastern Kentucky, ending with over 130 catches and 1,900 catches in two seasons with Ames. Noel started three years in the Hurricane and finished with over 1,100 yards in the final season of his game.

Playing with each other and getting to know each other is something Texans think they will benefit as soon as possible. Higgins should immediately start replacing the injured Tank Dell, while Noel Slipts stands with veteran Christian Kirk.

"A lot of times you get selected and then you're going to a new city, in situations where you're trying to learn a lot of new things, learn a new environment and try to learn a new friend," said Texas coach Demeco Ryans coach Demeco Ryans.

Ryans also believes that having “brothers” can help alleviate the timing between college and professional competition.

"It's a unique situation for them, but I think both guys will benefit a lot from it," Ryans said. "Just because they have someone to rely on."

The Texans return to practice for the rest of the mandatory camps next week.