The Texans trading up for the No. 3 pick makes the team the first since Washington in 2000 to make two of the first three picks in the NFL Draft.
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans definitely shook things up Thursday during the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Texans had come into the draft with the No. 2 pick, selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The next opportunity for the Texans to draft another all-star player was coming at the No. 12 pick, but in a surprising move, the Texans traded with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 pick, selecting linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
What did the trade cost the Houston Texans?
The trade cost the Texans the 12th and 33rd picks in this year’s draft and a first- and a third-round pick next year to the Cardinals. Houston also received the 105th pick in this year’s draft in the deal.
The Texans trading up for the No. 3 pick makes the team the first since Washington in 2000 to make two of the first three picks in the NFL Draft.
Who are the new Texans players?
Stroud has elite accuracy and touch combined with good arm strength and size at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds. He broke a Big Ten record held by Drew Brees by throwing 85 touchdown passes over two seasons. But while he’s flashed above-average athleticism, he has at times seemed reluctant to use it and has a tendency to linger in the pocket and lock on receivers, habits he’ll have to break in the NFL.
Anderson was a three-year starter with the Crimson Tide, where he piled up 204 tackles, including 58 1/2 tackles for losses and 34 1/2 sacks. With so many potential franchise quarterbacks coming out this year, there was no way Anderson was going to be the first overall pick. But he was projected as the top non-QB prospect in the draft and was the best defensive player selected.