Texans owner denies forcing team to draft Stroud
Houston Texans owner Cal McNair said that neither he nor his wife, Hannah McNair, pressured his team's front office to draft quarterback C.J. Stroud.
In the aftermath of the draft, there was speculation that the McNairs coerced general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans to draft a quarterback after the club posted a 3-13-1 record in 2022. Houston's owner felt compelled to set the record straight on Monday.
"Hannah and I don't make the picks. We'll make it clear there," Cal McNair said, according to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. "We have a great group of scouts led by Nick (Caserio) and (director of college scouting) James Liipfert, and they did a lot of work on the draft board, and then they followed that on draft day, and they moved up when they saw the value was there and moved back."
Houston selected Stroud second overall in April's draft. The team then traded up with the Arizona Cardinals, sending them the No. 12 and No. 33 overall picks and a 2024 first-round pick in order to take defensive end Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3.
McNair says that he's pleased with the moves the team has made in an effort to be more competitive ahead of next season. Houston posted a 11-39-1 mark over the past three years.
"Well, I think you just have to look at the roster, and I think it's a better roster this year," he said, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
McNair also stated that it's up to Stroud and the Texans' coaching staff to determine whether the 21-year-old will be ready to start in his rookie campaign next season. "He'll earn his spot wherever that is, and he'll feel like he's earned it," the owner said.
Stroud is expected to be the future of the Texans' offense under rookie head coach Ryans. Houston is aiming to improve an offensive unit that ranked 31st in points per game (17) and total yards per contest (283.5) last season. The Ohio State product will join Davis Mills and Case Keenum among Houston's quarterbacks in 2023.
Stroud passed for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns to 12 interceptions during his collegiate career with the Buckeyes. He was named a Heisman Trophy finalist twice before entering the draft.
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