Texans go with Stroud at No. 2, trade back up for Anderson 1 pick later

The Houston Texans made a major splash in the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick and then trading back up for Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3.

Stroud is the first draft pick under new head coach DeMeco Ryans. The Texans had been linked to Stroud, Anderson and Tyree Wilson with the No. 2 pick in the buildup to Thursday's draft.

But in a stunning move, Houston struck a deal with the Arizona Cardinals so it could also select Anderson. The Alabama pass-rusher recorded 34.5 sacks in college, including a personal best of 17.5 sacks in 2021.

Stroud threw for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns to 12 interceptions over his collegiate career. Each of his last two campaigns included 40-plus touchdown passes.

The Texans relied on Davis Mills under center for the majority of their 2022 season. Mills went 3-10-1 with 17 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Houston finished 2022 with a 3-13-1 record and ranked 30th in points scored and 27th in points allowed.

Pre-draft profile

Stroud has everything you could possibly want from a pocket passer. The arm talent is there, as is the accuracy and ball placement to all levels of the field - young quarterbacks with his level of understanding of leverage aren't too common. He also earns more opportunities to feature those abilities by manipulating the pocket, resetting, and attacking downfield. The primary concern about Stroud's game has long been about his ability to create outside of structure, but he finally broke through in that regard with a spectacular performance against Georgia's vaunted defense in the College Football Playoff. He's a future Pro Bowler if that's the player we get consistently at the NFL level.

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