Getty Image / Bob Levey
Since football fans learned what the order of this year’s NFL draft would officially look like, it was believed that we knew exactly what the Houston Texans were going to do with the draft’s 2nd pick.
They were going to be taking one of Bryce Young or CJ Stroud.
Now it seems like we know which of those two players will actually be the one that falls to them with the 2nd pick in, it seems they aren’t actually interested that QB.
According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, it is becoming much more believable that the Texans won’t actually take CJ Stroud at pick 2.
Video: @MoveTheSticks talks about the possibility that the #Texans won't take a QB with the 2nd overall pick. (ESPN)
"I wasn't buying it but then these whispers all of a sudden this is like a roar, this is coming from all over the place when you talk to folks around the league." pic.twitter.com/cjmbIfLTdh
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 20, 2023
Even with the report today that Anthony Richardson could be there for the Texans at pick 12, passing on CJ Stroud at pick 2 would still be a pretty big risk.
Stroud has been seen as on the same tier as Bryce Young as the top 2 QBs in this draft for months and the Texans have had 2 miserable seasons as they’ve tried to move on from Deshaun Watson at QB.
Even if Will Anderson or whoever they draft instead ends up being an absolute stud, it’s not going to be enough to turn the franchise around until they can find themselves a dependable QB.
The Houston Texans aren’t exactly in a rush to start competing for playoff spots again, but this would push their rebuild back another year.
They would also have to hope that they can get a top 2 pick again next year to get their franchise QB if they don’t draft one this year.
There are times in the NFL Draft where you can get creative and leave with what you believe is the best player available, but quarterback usually isn’t a position you want to mess around with.