The Houston Texans traded up to No. 3 for back-to-back selections in the 2023 NFL Draft by giving the Arizona Cardinals a haul of picks.
The Texans were a play away from getting the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft but Lovie Smith’s parting gift to the franchise was to go for the win and slide them into No. 2 as a result.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals held the No. 3 pick but wanted to take advantage of the desperation of other teams by seeking to trade back.
The two teams came together for a huge draft day trade.
After the Panthers took Bryce Young No. 1 overall as expected, the Texans picked up their quarterback in CJ Stroud at No. 2. Then they traded back up to No. 3 to get Alabama linebacker Will Anderson.
Houston got both of their guys and Arizona got a haul of picks as they wanted.
Texans-Cardinals trade details for No. 3 pick in NFL Draft
The Texans immediately turned the No. 3 overall pick into Anderson. The 105th pick will come in the start of the fourth round.
The Cardinals picked up four draft picks, including two first-rounders. But they didn’t wait long to use a couple of those. Arizona traded up with the Lions, giving up their newly acquired pick at No. 12 along with their prexistingly pick at No. 34, to take offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6.
So basically, the Cardinals let the Texans take Anderson so that they could move back to get their offensive tackle of choice while adding potentially valuable picks for next year.
We’ll find out if this was a win-win for the two sides down the line when we see what Anderson, Johnson and the other picks involved end up doing in the NFL.