Houston Texans Take Bold - and Needed - Steps at Top of Draft
Analysis 4/27/23
It hasn’t been easy for Houston Texans fans to get excited about much of anything recently. The headlines, whether about Deshaun Watson or the results of games, haven’t been positive.
At least the Texans showed more aggression early in the 2023 NFL Draft than they have on the field. Those fans can start smiling now.
Not only did the Texans stay put at No. 2 overall, selecting what they hope is their franchise quarterback in Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, but they got really bold by surging up to the third slot for perhaps the best defensive player in this crop, Alabama edge Will Anderson.
All those rumors that the Texans didn’t like these quarterbacks too much were, like many rumors, unfounded. And, instead of trading back, as some prognosticated, they jumped the queue.
“They are tired of being the doormat and they had the draft capital to go up there and be aggressive, and that is exactly what they did,” said Matt Cassel, a former NFL quarterback and analyst for The 33rd Team. "I love the move. I love that (general manager) Nick Caserio is saying, ‘We will be aggressive, we can do it, we have compiled these picks over these last few years, and now we are going to build this team up. We went and got our quarterback and now we’ve got a leader, a dynamic player on the defensive side of the ball, which will help build this organization over the future.’”
That future could be bright in a division with no powerhouse. The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South at 9-8, the Indianapolis Colts are in a rebuild and the Tennessee Titans might be headed that route, too, after their 2022 collapse.
Houston hasn’t exactly hit the jackpot in recent drafts, not getting any game-breaking players since receiver DeAndre Hopkins in 2013 – and he was ill-advisedly dealt to Arizona three years ago. Watson was supposed to be that difference-maker and was progressing nicely before his off-field issues sidetracked his career. Jadeveon Clowney could have been special, and at times was before he flamed out.
Burned by too many of their previous choices, the Texans still had the guts to give up the No. 12 overall pick, the 33rd overall, plus a first-round and third-round pick in 2024 to get Anderson.
Former Colts coach and defensive mastermind Chuck Pagano, a contributor to The 33rd Team, was impressed by the Texans’ moves.
“You got to love this guy’s play demeanor, he is an absolute game wrecker,” Pagano said of Anderson. “For the last two years that is all we have seen and heard. He’s got the size, he’s got the measurables, he can rush the passer, he can set the edge. If they want to drop him in coverage, I am sure he is athletic enough to do that.
“The way Nick (Saban, Alabama’s coach) talked about this player, the way he unified that team and was galvanizing in the locker room, they say he is an unbelievable human being, got a great family. The football IQ is there, his football character is off the charts.
“This is a great pick for Houston. They got a dog in Will Anderson.”
Barry Wilner was a sportswriter for the Associated Press for 46 years. He has covered virtually every major sporting event, including 14 Olympics, 9 World Cups, 34 Super Bowls, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup Final, and has written 75 books. Follow him on Twitter @Wilner88