The Houston Texans won the first night of the 2023 NFL draft.
The Texans solved their franchise quarterback woes by taking Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick. Houston then packaged their No. 12 overall selection to trade up and grab Alabama defensive end Will Anderson with the No. 3 overall pick via the Arizona Cardinals.
No one can fault Clutch City sports fans for feeling as though the rebuild is complete, even though their franchise still hasn’t won more than four games since 2019.
General manager Nick Caserio is still well aware of where the organization is still at, even amid the optimistic moment.
“I think one thing that’s going to be important is for whoever we draft tonight, and then the future days here, is they have to earn the respect and the trust of their teammates, and they haven’t really earned anything to this point, or they’re certainly not entitled to anything,” Caserio said. “So I think we’re excited about the opportunity that’s in front of us. It doesn’t mean really anything at this point. We know that our opponents and the teams in our division, they’re going to add good players as well. All we can do is focus on the Texans and what we’re trying to do.”
Caserio didn’t want to downplay the excitement of the fans, who were ecstatic at the team’s official draft party. However, Caserio pointed out, “I think they’ll be more excited when we win games.”
The Texans are still in Phase 2 of their offseason workouts. Glimpses of a complete team won’t flash as a mirage in the Houston heat until May during organized team activities.
“I think this is about just repetitive action over the course of time and being consistent,” said Caserio. “We’re not going to solve anything in one draft, one player, one night. It’s going to take a series of actions over time with the right people, with the right mindset that believe in the things that we’re doing, that believe in what we’re trying to build, and then hopefully that will manifest itself on the field when we actually do play.”
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