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The Houston Texans won’t necessarily take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King.
King reported that Texans general manager Nick Caserio will be “very conservative” and is “not going to force it” if he doesn’t believe there’s a quarterback good enough to warrant that high of a selection.
One source told King that Houston could opt for Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. and then trade up using the No. 12 pick in order to land a QB.
That approach would allow the Texans to have their cake and eat it too.
Anderson is widely regarded as one of the best players in the 2023 draft class. He had 34.5 sacks and 62 tackles for loss in three seasons with the Crimson Tide, and he figures to be an anchor for the front seven on whatever NFL team is lucky enough to get him.
Sure, the Texans could hypothetically add Anderson before turning their attention to quarterback, a position they desperately need to address. Davis Mills isn’t the long-term solution under center.
Caserio would be leaving a lot to chance, though, namely that a prospect he likes will still be on the board when the franchise is on the clock again. Stroud, Young and Richardson all went in the first four picks in Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft.
Let’s say Houston trades back into the top five after selecting Anderson. You expended all of these assets for a QB you could’ve had a few picks earlier. Choosing Stroud, Young or Richardson at No. 5 instead of No. 2 wouldn’t necessarily be viewed as some masterstroke. And if you “loved” one of those guys enough to justify top-five status in the end, there isn’t much distinction between each individual selection.
Maybe Caserio simply believes Anderson or another non-quarterback is simply too good to pass up. Absent that, trading up from No. 12 might be a little too clever and creates a little too much risk when Houston can instead utilize a straightforward solution to its QB situation.
