NFL Draft 2023: 5 best picks of the first round

Houston Texans trading up for Will Anderson Jr. is a total game-changer for them

I want to preface this by saying there was no mental gymnastics in the Carolina Panthers drafting Bryce Young first and the Houston Texans taking C.J. Stroud second. It is what you are supposed to do when your team needs a franchise quarterback. Take the best one available at the top of the draft where you are picking. However, the Texans shocked almost everyone by trading up to No. 3.

To go from No. 12 to No. 3 and take Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. makes Houston a very early candidate for having the best draft of anyone. Taking Stroud and Anderson back-to-back is nothing short of incredible. What makes this move even better is new head coach DeMeco Ryans got his defensive star from his alma mater right off the bat. I cannot emphasize how huge this is.

Anderson may not be the next Derrick Thomas, but he is going to play a huge part in getting Houston turned around. He will be a driving force in bringing the pressure on the likes of Trevor Lawrence and now Anthony Richardson in-division. Even more so, his arrival in Houston will help take the pressure of Stroud to be better than Deshaun Watson ever was. They are in this together.

Give general manager Nick Caserio all the credit in the world for having the stones to pull this off.