The Houston Texans stunned the NFL on Thursday night when they made a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to select at third overall.
Just moments after selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, it was announced that general manager Nick Caserio and the Texans were in discussion to move up from the 12th overall pick.
Ultimately, Houston worked out a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to take Alabama defensive end Will Anderson.
Anderson was often the best defensive player in college football during his time with the Crimson Tide. He had 17.5 sacks as a sophomore and followed it up in 2022 with an additional 10-sack campaign. His impressive college career won him the Bronko Nagurski award, Lott Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik award and he was a two-time unanimous All-American and first-team All-SEC at defensive end.
Will Anderson Jr. is a Houston Texan 🔥
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📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/D3EqkrKLy4 pic.twitter.com/ZMqu2w4rsX— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2023
Anderson immediately slots in as one of the foundational players of coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense and will play a huge part in pressuring quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Anthony Richardson in the AFC South. Houston will ask him to be the team’s premier edge rusher and hopefully create pressure that allows players like Derek Stingley and Jalen Pitre to thrive in the secondary.
The price was high, which keeps this from being an A-plus but Houston got the best player in the draft in Anderson and a player they desperately needed. This is an A-minus selection for Houston and one they should feel very good about as Ryans and the roster try to compete immediately in 2023.
