In the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft, there has been much speculation about the Houston Texans not leaning towards picking a quarterback with their No. 2 overall pick in favor of selecting a star defensive prospect, albeit they stunned everyone by drafting highly-touted QB C.J. Stroud with their first pick.
The Texans made another big move by trading their No. 12 selection, the No. 33 pick, and a future first-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals to reach the No. 3 pick to pick pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
Did the Texans owner force the team to pick C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall?
Given a huge number of rumors emerging prior to this year’s draft indicating that Houston might bypass a signal-caller at No. 2, many assumed the team owner Cal McNair to mandate general manager Nick Caserio and new head coach DeMeco Ryans to pick the California native C.J. Stroud.
However, McNair denied the rumor of putting pressure during the 20th annual Houston Texans Charity Golf Classic, saying neither he nor his wife, Hannah, had anything to do with the team’s NFL Draft selections.
“Hannah and I don’t make the picks. We’ll make it clear there”, he told ESPN.
The Texans owner later gushed about their scouts saying the group worked hard on the draft board and only picked players when they projected the potential value.
“We have a great group of scouts led by [Caserio] and James Lippert, and they did a lot of work on the draft board. And then they followed that on draft day, and they moved up when they saw the value was there”, he added.
McNair cited optimism looking at Houston’s competitive roster this offseason and projected the team to bounce back from their latest form of 11-38-1.
“I think you just have to look at the roster, and I think it’s a better roster this year, very competitive. They want to have competition spots on the roster. So, I see a lot of progress. A lot of good things”, the owner further stated.
Stroud, the former MVP of the Elite 11, led his high school to the California playoff semifinals, recording 6,569 passing yards and 70 passing touchdowns with 328 rushing yards and six more scores throughout his high school career.
With the new NFL season just a few months away, fans can look forward to seeing their highly-touted draft picks in action and leading the team to recover from their ugly form of the last three seasons.
