Houston Texans

Texans owner denies forcing QB C.J. Stroud pick in 2023 NFL Draft

Published May. 8, 2023 5:45 p.m. ET

Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, there were several reports that the Houston Texans were leaning towards not drafting a quarterback with their No. 2 overall pick in favor of selecting a star defensive prospect, like stud edge rusher Will Anderson.

The Texans ultimately surprised many by taking Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, then provided an even more shocking twist by trading up from the No. 12 spot to take Anderson at No. 3 overall.

Given the plethora of rumors that emerged in the days leading up to this year's draft indicating that the Texans would bypass a signal-caller at No. 2 — and even one report that indicated that Stroud was ranked behind eventual No. 1 pick Bryce Young and Kentucky's Will Levis on Houston's draft board — some speculated that team owner Cal McNair overruled general manager Nick Caserio and new head coach DeMeco Ryans, forcing them to take Stroud instead.

McNair denied Monday that either he or his wife overruled the team's front office in choosing who to draft.

"Hannah and I don't make the picks," McNair told ESPN. "We'll make it clear there. 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."

The Texans traded the No. 12 and No. 33 overall picks in the 2023 Draft, as well as their first- and third-round selections in 2024, to the Arizona Cardinals to move up to the third spot and take Anderson in the first round. The trade drew both praise and criticism for Houston, including scrutiny from "The Herd" co-host Jason McIntyre.

"They gave up their own (2024 first-round) pick to move up for an edge rusher," McIntyre said. "That is unheard of in draft history. This Houston-Arizona deal could go down as one of the worst all-time because Will Anderson now has to perform like a Hall of Famer to justify giving up a first-round pick next year."

[Texans swing huge by taking C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson early in 2023 NFL Draft]

However, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt, who covered Stroud extensively during the latter's career at Ohio State, believes that the Texans' selection helped make them one of the biggest winners of the 2023 NFL Draft.

"They got the best quarterback available to them in C.J. Stroud, and a quarterback, by the way, that there shouldn't have been a lot of debate about," Klatt said. "But then, they also get what was my best player available in the entire draft. My No. 1 overall prospect was Will Anderson, and they trade back up and get C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson?

"Kudos to the whole Houston organization."