“Texans won the draft”- NFL fans left stunned as franchise drafts Will Anderson with massive trade for #3 overall pick
The Houston Texans and Will Anderson shocked the 2023 NFL Draft crowd by pulling off a trade few saw coming. The Houston Texans selected quarterback CJ Stroud with the second pick in the NFL Draft. Next on the board were the Arizona Cardinals.
As commentators debated whether the Texans made the right choice in signing their quarterback or whether they should have upgraded their defense first, the momentous news dropped. Houston decided they were going to get both their quarterback and defender they wanted.
They traded the third pick with the Arizona Cardinals. They had an additional first-round pick available in the draft with the 12th overall pick via the Deshaun Watson trade to the Cleveland Browns. They traded that and a few others to jump to third overall and pick second and third in a row.
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With the third pick in the NFL Draft, the Houston Texans selected Will Anderson from Alabama.
It’s safe to say that the trade broke the internet as fans reacted enthusiastically and declared Houston the winner of the 2023 NFL Draft. Picking two out of the top three does that to you. Here is a sampling of some of the responses on social media.
Were the Houston Texans right to select Will Anderson with this historic NFL Draft trade?
The Houston Texans became the third team in NFL Draft history to pick twice in the first three picks, the others being the Indianapolis Colts in 1992 and Washington in 2000.
It made a lot of sense for them because they are using the Deshaun Watson trade to take advantage of building their team. They already have a first pick in next year’s draft thanks to that trade, so they’re well established, even after trading a first-round pick next year.
In Will Anderson, they’ve also picked a phenomenal player. In the last two years of playing with the Alabama Crimson Tide, he had an astronomical 98 rushes and 29 sacks. He is an elite player ready for prime time right away.
It was clear that Houston needed a quarterback. They were the second worst offensive team in the league last season with just 283.5 yards per game. But they also needed a pass-rusher. They allowed 379.5 yards per game, which was third worst in the league. In fact, they were the only team last season to be in the bottom three on both offense and defense.
Now, they’ve corrected that by picking twice in the top three of the 2023 NFL Draft.
