The Houston Texans are a true wild card with the 2023 NFL Draft getting going Thursday evening from Kansas City.
Houston is slated to pick No. 2 overall and has been linked to quarterbacks through the pre-draft process. More recently, the Texans have found themselves linked to top edge rush prospects such as Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech and Alabama’s Will Anderson.
With the draft mere hours away, we have an update from Sportsnaut NFL insider Benjamin Allbright. He reports that Anderson is the likely pick for general manager Nick Caserio and Co.
It was up until recently that Anderson was seen as the best edge pass rusher in the draft class. He proved his talent during a brilliant career at Alabama and should transition just fine to the NFL.
Related: Final Houston Texans 2023 mock draft
- Will Anderson stats (college): 204 tackles, 58.5 for loss, 34.5 sacks
At 6-foot-3 and 253 pounds, Anderson would fit well in new head coach DeMeco Ryans’ 4-3 defensive scheme. It’s the same scheme that saw Nick Bosa excel when Ryans was the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator.
For the Houston Texans, this is going to be a monumental pick. Passing up at a quarterback with the only real internal option being a struggling young signal caller in Davis Mills is risky.
With that said, Houston does boast the 12th pick in the draft from the Deshaun Watson trade. The team is looking to either move up or down with that selection. It could end up with someone like Kentucky’s Will Levis or Anthony Richardson from Florida.