Texans Draft: GM does not rule out making more trades

The Texans shocked the NFL world on Thursday night by trading with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 pick. Nick Caserio & Co. would then use the pick on Will Anderson Jr., thought of by many as the best defender in the draft.  This was just minutes after selecting quarterback CJ Stroud at No. […]

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© Kirby Lee | 2023 Feb 28

The Texans shocked the NFL world on Thursday night by trading with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 pick. Nick Caserio & Co. would then use the pick on Will Anderson Jr., thought of by many as the best defender in the draft.

 This was just minutes after selecting quarterback CJ Stroud at No. 2. So in the span of a few minutes, the Texans landed two pillars of the franchise.

Speaking at a presser after the picks, Caserio implied that more moves could be in the works. 

See the exchange below:

You can always go ahead and move up or down on the Draft board. When you look at the level of talent in certain positions that will be available when you're on the clock next in the third round, do you like the depth? 

It's a good question. We've actually looked at that and kind of — we know where we're positioned. So we have 65 and 73 and then the two fours, the fifth, the three sixth, the two seventh. We have a little bit of flexibility. Tonight we'll go back and kind of see what's left, understanding there's probably going to be another 30-ish, 35 players that are probably selected before we pick. Could we move from 65 into the second round? That's a possibility, but that's going to be player driven. So I think we've identified players that we like. We also understand we're going to lose players. That's the reality of it. We're going to lose players along the way. I think, in that general range, kind of how we have the players graded relative to their value and potentially what their role could be, we think there will be an opportunity to add some players to our team that we'll be happy to have in the building.

Caserio mentions that the team will not have a second-round pick due to the Arizona trade. I found it interesting that Caserio described his approach as "player-driven," implying there are players he considers worthy of a trade-up in the second. 

Now that the team has secured a franchise QB, improving the talent around him will be key. I would expect the team to target receivers in the mid-rounds of the draft. The team could also use offensive line depth, as the center position is especially thin. If one of the interior offensive linemen or wide receivers fall, don't be surprised to see Caserio jump back into the second round. 

On defense, the team could use some pass-rushing depth. The aforementioned Anderson will be an immediate force, but there is not currently another difference maker on the edge.