At 1-8-1, the Houston Texans certainly the favorites to possess the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The 23-10 loss to Washington helped the Texans gain some separation with the Las Vegas Raiders, who trailed Houston by a game entering Week 11.
The 2022 roster is a big rain cloud for Houston sports fans. However, the Texans’ twin first-round picks in 2023 draft are the silver lining. Even if Houston uses one of their picks to address quarterback, they will have other needs, particularly at edge rusher.
Take a look at Houston’s defensive line against Washington. No one registered a solitary sack. Defensive end Jerry Hughes has had a renaissance year with 8.0 sacks, the most since his 7.0 with the Buffalo Bills in 2018. Yet Hughes’ banner year is on the tail end of a 13-year career, not the beginning of a bright future.
If the Texans want an impact player in the trenches, they may need to borrow one from Washington’s playbook and get themselves an Alabama defensive lineman. The best one on the radar for the 2023 draft is defensive end Will Anderson, who is drawing comparisons to Myles Garrett as a pass rushing prospect.One name to keep an eye on is Alabama Crimson Tide Will Anderson.
Alabama had a bit of a cleanup versus Austin Peay on Saturday, routing the Governors 34-0 to keep the Tide’s slim playoff hopes alive.
Anderson had 4 total tackles on the day and a pass break up. His explosiveness off the edge on passing downs and ability to set the edge on rushing downs was clearly apparent against an inferior opponent.
Will Anderson can't hang onto what would have been his second interception of the season.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 19, 2022
The Texans have had spotty playmaking from their defensive line. Anderson could give Houston the boss off the edge they were linked to in the 2022 draft with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson.
