What picks did the Houston Texans have in the 2023 draft?
Perhaps no since team made a bigger splash in the NFL Draft this year than the Houston Texans. While their moves came primarily in the first round, those moves reverberated throughout the entire event and will continue to be felt in the event next year as well.
Already, I am sure some of you are a bit puzzled by my use of the word moves, as in plural, since Houston only conducted one trade while the first round was in progress, and that, technically, is true. However, that was not their sole move within the first round. That move was only made possible by a trade that occurred over a year prior when the Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns as part of a deal where Houston obtained Cleveland’s 2022, 2023, and 2024 first round picks, their 2023 third round pick and their 2022 and 2024 round picks. The result of the trade in this draft was that Houston then owned the 12th overall pick in the draft this year, as well as their own second overall pick.
The additional first round, as well as the remaining portion of the Browns trade, made the Texans’ position within the draft much more fluid and it is this trade that ultimately allowed them to also obtain the third overall selection in the draft. Shortly after Houston used the second overall pick on C.J. Stroud – Ohio State, it was announced that Arizona had traded out of the third overall selection, striking a deal with the Texans which sent the third overall pick and the Cardinals’ 105th overall pick to Houston for their 12th and 33rd overall selections, as well the Texans’ 2024 first and third round selections.This marks only the third instance, in NFL history, of a team possessing and using two of the first three picks in a single draft with Washington using the second and third pick in 2000 and Indianapolis using picks one and two in the 1992 draft.
Now, remember, what 2024 picks did Houston obtain from Cleveland as part of the Watson trade? That is right, a first and a third-round pick, making them effectively in the same position, or a very similar one, before the Watson trade, as it relates to the 2024 class. Quite shrewd maneuvering if you ask me.
Who did the Houston Texans draft?
So, what did the Texans do with the third overall pick? Only went out and drafted, possibly, the top player from the offensive and defensive side of the ball is all. I already mentioned Houston drafted Stroud second overall, to follow that up they then selected Will Anderson Jr. – Alabama to shore up their edge rush attack. Somewhat ironically, I had Anderson projected as the third overall pick in the draft, as I outlined in Rough Draft piece for Arizona, I just felt that the Cardinals would have absolutely no desire to trade out of the pick and I thought they would have been overjoyed to draft Anderson, provided no one traded in from of them to select him. With the selection, Houston is hoping to improve upon a defense that ranked in, or near, the bottom quarter of all defenses in the league as it relates to sacks, quarterback hurries, rushing yards, and first downs allowed. What Anderson brings to the table is being the all-time SEC career sack leader, the fifth-most career sacks in the NCAA, the all-time SEC career tackles for a loss leader, and the tenth-most career tackles for a loss in the NCAA. This could, very well, be a marriage made in heaven.
Playmaker. pic.twitter.com/q9juggV70M
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 2, 2023
What about Stroud, who I mentioned earlier but somewhat glossed over? Well, this too is a perfect pick. The Texans were 25th in the league in passing yards, 28th in passing completion rate, threw the second-most interceptions, and had the second-worst quarterback rating last season. To say they needed help at the position is an understatement, by magnitudes. Meanwhile, Stroud was the Big Ten leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing efficiency rating in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and holds the second overall spot in NCAA history for career average yards per play. He should significantly improve Houston’s offense from the most he takes over the starting job.
The second pair of selections the Texans made, picks 62 and 69, again focused on the offense, albeit in very different ways.
He's got the mindset. pic.twitter.com/fcwiDYxyZd
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 3, 2023
Pick 62 ultimately was used to help shore up the offensive line for their new franchise quarterback as the the team selected center Juice Scruggs – Penn State. This pick, too, was well-thought out as Houston pairs a new center with their new quarterback, allowing the duo to develop together and to build a chemistry together as they start their NFL careers. These two players will always be the first two offensive players to touch the ball on every play, it is very important they get a sense of how to work together. Additionally, there was an immediate need to fill the position as starting center Scott Quessenberry signed a four-year contract with the Chargers this offseason for $2.7 million dollars.
With the 69th overall selection, Houston selected wide receiver Tank Dell – Houston. Yeah, as you can see by what school he attended, he will not need to move very far. This pick fell a bit flat for me, despite this being almost exactly where I projected him to come off the board in The ORANGE Report. In the report I felt Dell would be selected 76th overall whereas he was ultimately selected 69th overall, so the value is basically right, as is the hometown feel, however, Dell is incredibly small for an NFL wide receiver, measuring into the NFL Combine at 5’-8” tall while weighing just 165 pounds. This lack of size could create durability issues and may limit his upside potential. Initially, he will likely learn behind Robert Woods, who just turned 31 years old and is likely on the downside of his career. Dell will likely be used sparingly in his rookie season before, possibly, taking over the starting spot as Woods’ production is unlikely to reach the height it once did.
Houston rounded out the remainder of their draft by selecting defensive end Dylan Horton – TCU (pick 109), linebacker Henry To’oto’o – Alabama (pick 167), center Jarrett Patterson – Notre Dame (pick 201), wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson- Iowa State (pick 203), and safety Brandon Hill – Pitt (pick 248). These selections are all generally expected to depth picks with one interesting selection being that of Patterson as the Texans had no centers on their roster before the draft and now they have two, both rookies. Patterson may be expect to compete with, and push against, Scruggs in hopes that the better prospect wins the starting role.
What draft grade did the Houston Texans get?
Evaluated as a whole, the draft class that Houston selected should make them a much better team than last season. With regard to immediate value, they unquestionably receive an A+ grade as they will immediately have three rookies playing as starters. In terms of long-term value, the developmental and depth players the Texans selected are all generally safe with decent to little upside. As such, the long-term grade they receive for this class is a solid B.
