'It was always them': Texans land Ohio State quarterback Stroud, trade up to nab Alabama pass rusher Anderson

Assigned the No. 2 pick in the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft, the Houston Texans were the subject of heavy scrutiny and intrigue as everyone from pundits to fans wondered who they’ll select.

Widely known to be in desperate need of a new signal-caller, Houston was associated with two names: the University of Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State University’s C.J. Stroud.

The monthslong guessing game ended on Thursday when the Texans took Stroud after the Carolina Panthers made Young the No. 1 pick.

“It was always him,” the Texans said in a tweet after the Heisman Trophy runner-up and now-former Buckeye went up to the stage in Kansas City to pose with his new Deep Steel Blue jersey. 

According to a report on NFL.com, the 21-year-old Stroud generated a collegiate career line of 8,123 yards and 85 touchdown passes with 12 interceptions as Ohio State’s field general for two years. 

He earned two consecutive Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year accolades while in Columbus, the report said.

The Texans then pulled off the first big shocker of this year’s draft by trading their second first-round pick at No. 12 to the Arizona Cardinals for the third pick, which became defensive monster Will Anderson, Jr. from Alabama. 

There was last-minute chatter that the Texans would try to nab Anderson at No. 2 given new head coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense-first approach to the game. 

Per a report from ESPN, Houston also gave Arizona its first second-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick and a third-round slot next year.

Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 243 pounds, Anderson proved to be a quarterback’s nightmare, registering 10 sacks in 2022 and nearly 18 the year before, ESPN reported.

His 130 pressures between those two seasons were the highest during that span.

Considered a Khalil Mack clone, Anderson, who’s also 21 years old like Stroud, is the first Crimson Tide player to be named a unanimous All-American twice and is also a two-time recipient of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is annually presented to the best defensive player in college football, the report said.

The NFL Draft continues on Friday and runs through Saturday, with the Texans resuming their selections in the third round.