The Houston Texans may have had an uplifting 2023 NFL draft, but the rest of the sports world is skeptical about how good they actually are.
That comes with winning just seven games over the past 34 and being on your third coach in as many seasons.
According to Dan Hanzus from NFL.com, the Texans were good enough to place No. 31 in their post draft power rankings. Only the Arizona Cardinals were worse.
After two years idling in the driveway, it finally appears that the Texans have hit the road in search of renewed NFL relevance. Houston was the big star of Night 1 in Kansas City, staying home at No. 2 to select quarterback C.J. Stroud before pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade to move up to No. 3 to nab Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. The cost to get Anderson was significant, but no one will remember that if this 1-2 punch at 2-3 landed the franchise foundational pillars on both sides of the ball. Welcome back, Texans … We missed you.
Stroud won’t be going it alone on offense as the Texans set him up with veteran receivers in Nico Collins and Robert Woods. Tight end Dalton Schultz spent the past two seasons as Dak Prescott’s security blanket and could develop similar cohesion. Dameon Pierce was a driving force in the run game, and will have Devin Singletary to help shoulder the load.
Anderson gives the Texans a dynamic edge rusher to go along with former first-round cornerback Derek Stingley, breakout safety Jalen Pitre, and former Alabama linebacker Christian Harris, who blossomed by the end of last season.
Across the rest of the AFC South the Indianapolis Colts placed No. 28. The Tennessee Titans were No. 24 despite adding tackle Peter Skoronski and quarterback Will Levis in the draft. The division champion Jacksonville Jaguars were No. 8.