Another NFL Draft is in the books, and this one was one of the more compelling draft weekends in recent memory.
The amount of uncertainty in this draft class created unpredictability, keeping everyone on their toes for each pick. There were plenty of storylines that emerged from this draft over the weekend.
Houston Texans use aggression to grab cornerstones on both sides of the ball
Heading into the draft, it was obvious that the Texans were in need of a quarterback, but reports surfaced that Houston was more inclined to take a pass rusher at second overall.
It seemed that Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson were the likely candidates for the pick leading up to the day of the draft. However, hours before the draft there were inclinations that the Texans were leaning towards selecting C.J. Stroud. Then moments before the draft, Stroud’s odds of being selected second overall skyrocketed to -2000, making it obvious that Houston was going in that direction.
As reported, the Texans were seriously interested in Anderson, but that seemed like it was out the door after using the second pick on Stroud. Suddenly, the Texans were suddenly back on the clock.
Houston traded up to the third pick with the Arizona Cardinals and ultimately selected Anderson. It was a great pick for Houston, getting two of the top prospects in the entire draft. The only problem I had with this move was the compensation the Texans gave up.
In addition to trading the 12th overall pick, the Texans sent the 33rd pick, 2024 first-round pick, and 2024 third-round pick.
The Texans clearly believe that Anderson is a franchise-altering player, but giving up what they did was steep, to say the least. Not only did Houston give up a 2024 first-round pick, but a pick that is owned by the Texans. Houston had two first-round selections in 2024 due to the Deshaun Watson trade. I would have much rather given up the pick formerly owned by the Browns.
Arizona now has a chance of possessing two top-10 picks in 2024. Kyler Murray is coming off a torn ACL and the Texans are rebuilding. I do believe Houston is a candidate to win six to seven games this upcoming season, but the Texans will most likely end up with a bottom-10 record in 2023.