They put it all on RED

The Houston Texans drafted their potential franchise quarterback and their pass rusher of the future in the 2023 NFL Draft. Analyst opinions of the draft have been all over the place, grading Nick Caserio’s selections anywhere from an “A” to a “D”. 

Eric Froton, the Lead College Football & NFL Draft Analyst for NBC Sports gave the Texans draft selections a “D”. I discussed this with Eric on as a guest and debated his grade on a livestream. 

The Texans sent the 12th and the 33rd overall picks, as well as future 2024 1st and 3rd round picks to the Arizona Cardinals move up and select Will Anderson, Jr. In my last Twitter poll 93% of Texans fans said they were happy about the draft and 70% indicated they were “super psyched”.

Like Eric Froton, some analysts graded the Texans draft poorly because of the aggressive trade in the first round. Their belief is that the Texans should not have traded their own 2024 1st round pick and instead should have traded Cleveland’s 1st round pick. They believe the Texans will be picking in the top five next year. 

It is clear that the Texans were adamant about acquiring Will Anderson, Jr. General Manager Nick Caserio mentioned that Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort and himself concluded trade talks with only 90 seconds left on the clock. In reality, the trade was not just for Will Anderson, Jr. It was to ensure the Texans could acquire both CJ Stroud and Will Anderson. If they selected Will Anderson with the 2nd overall pick and tried to trade up to acquire CJ Stroud, the price would have been even higher. Ironically, critics would have likely found that scenario more palatable, despite the higher price, because they would have attributed the trade for a quarterback and not a pass rusher. 

Is QB CJ Stroud the Texans new franchise quarterback? 

Stroud has demonstrated impressive arm strength, accuracy, and decision-making in his two years as a starter. At Ohio State he did not have to use his athleticism and mobility much until the championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs. 

CJ completed nearly 70% of his throws for 8,123 yards and 85 TDs against just 12 interceptions. He led the Buckeyes to a 22-4 record over the past two years. Stroud has the potential to be a top-tier quarterback at the NFL level as he continues to progress and refine his skills particularly when he is under pressure. 

While Stroud has shown the ability to make quick decisions and find open receivers, he needs to improve his ability to read defenses and make pre-snap adjustments. New offensive coordinator Bobby Skowik has worked with a variety of offensive systems, including West Coast and Air Coryell-style offenses, which prioritize the short passing game, precision routes, and vertical passing attacks. Most analysts believe that Slowik will duplicate the offensive scheme that we have seen from San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan but nothing is set in stone and what we will see on the field may be very different from what we are all expecting. 

Either way, the fans are reenergized and finally have hope that the franchise is headed in the right direction. 

What can we expect from LB/EDGE Will Anderson, Jr.

Anderson is a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American in each of the past two seasons. He has great explosiveness off the snap, quick hands, and a wide array of moves to beat blockers and get into the backfield. However, he is somewhat undersized for a defensive end at the NFL level and some analysts think he may struggle to hold up against larger offensive linemen. 

Anderson recorded the 2nd most sacks in Alabama history and recorded the most tackles for loss (58.5) pressures (207) and QB hits (71) in the FBS over the past 3 seasons. He has a high football IQ and shows great awareness on the field. Anderson is also known for his hard work and dedication on and off the field. Whether or not the Texans made the right decision to bet on both Stroud and Anderson remain to be seen, but the aggressiveness may help propel the Texans as leaders of a weak AFC South sooner than later. 

OTHER NOTABLE DRAFT SELECTIONS

WR Nathaniel “Tank” Dell 

Dell is a quick and elusive receiver who can create separation with his speed and agility. He has the ability to cut on a dime and make defenders miss in the open field and turn short catches into big gains. His biggest negative is his size. He is under 5’9” and only 165 pounds which could limit his ability to make plays in traffic or against physical DBs. He also comes from a smaller program in the FCS, so there are questions about how he will perform against top-level competition in the NFL. Stroud requested Tank by name and Tank reached out personally to the Texans asking them to draft him, so this could be a marriage made in Heaven.

At the time Tank was selected the Texans passed over Cedric Tillman, Josh Downs and Jalin Hyatt. It would seem they are not worried about Tank’s size and see him as both a returner and a playmaker for CJ Stroud. 

WR Xavier Hutchinson

Many of the receivers in this draft are rather undersized and those that do have the prototypical size, like AT Perry, have an issue with dropped passes. Hutchinson has great size for a receiver at 6’3″ and 210 pounds. He is a physical receiver who can use his size and strength to win contested catches and has the surest hands in this draft with less than a 4% drop rate. The Texans were able to get Hutchison with pick 205. One reason why he may have dropped could be because he lacks elite speed. Some analysts believe he may struggle to separate from faster DBs. 

With John Metchie fully participating in off-season practices, rookie Tank Dell, rookie Xavier Hutchinson and veteran Robert Woods who the Texans added in free agency, the receiving room could be stronger than we have seen since 2020.

The Texans took big risks and are expecting some of these draft picks to perform well almost immediately. No matter what happens, one thing is certain: Texans fans will not be as apathetic as they were the last two years.

Update: Eric Froton joined us on December 5th and actually apologized for his grade of the draft. If you missed the livestream, give it a watch