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All encompassing 2023 Draft thoughts thread.

We got a Center!
I see LB Sanders is still on the board as well as WR Jalen Hyatt and DL Siaki Ika.
 
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Pleased with this draft so far.
Filled a few holes now just have to wait to see if they pan out.
Took Scruggs a tad high but he was a fast riser on most boards so Texans grabbed their guy.
Interestingly, they bypassed Luke Wypler.
Tank Dell was predictable and a good pick.
 
After the dust has settled, it looks like Texans have these 5 picks remaining:-
R4 - 104
R6 - 191
R6 - 201
R6 - 203
R7 - 259
 
What positions do y’all think we’ll target today? I think CB (hoping for Rush or Bennett), RB, and DT. Maybe double dip at edge, WR, or OL?
I’d love another offensive weapon.
 
I hope Henry 2 2 can play significant snaps for Texans this season - will be fun watching him and Alabama teammate Will Anderson on the field at the same time.
 
"There was an element of suspense in that situation. The trade wasn’t finalized until roughly a minute left on the clock.

“It didn’t seem very quick,” McNair said. “It took almost the whole 10 minutes, nine of the 10 minutes to do it. We were a little bit on edge, but it worked out.”"

Wow, cutting it close ...
 
Texansphan said:
"There was an element of suspense in that situation. The trade wasn’t finalized until roughly a minute left on the clock.

“It didn’t seem very quick,” McNair said. “It took almost the whole 10 minutes, nine of the 10 minutes to do it. We were a little bit on edge, but it worked out.”"

Wow, cutting it close ...
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Caserio said in a presser that trade was agreed upon quickly just working out the lower picks.
 
Interesting that Texans went with needs in this draft. Check out the first six picks:-
QB
Edge - pass rush
Center
WR
DE
LB
Gone are the days of strictly picking BPA although some teams likely still do or keep pretty close to it.
Texans got 9 picks in this one in a trade fest that had everybody scrambling to find out trade details and remaining picks.
I also like they doubled down on WR and C/G.
There was some method to the madness - reuniting some Alabama guys like Harris, Anderson and 2 2 and keeping Dell close to home.
If we can hit on 5, this team will be a thorn in the side of our division rivals in quick order.
Very happy with this draft.
:gotexans1
 
We started with 12 picks valued at 5016.4 points and ended up with 9 picks valued at 5439.8 points.

We lost a first and a six from next year (with both gaining and losing a 3rd which is a wash). Using the average value of the 2nd round for the first and the rough average of the 7th round (I just used 1 point there), that gives us a ding of -427 and a total of 5012.8. So we ended up giving up compensatory 6th rounder in points overall with all the trading around.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
We started with 12 picks valued at 5016.4 points and ended up with 9 picks valued at 5439.8 points.

We lost a first and a six from next year (with both gaining and losing a 3rd which is a wash). Using the average value of the 2nd round for the first and the rough average of the 7th round (I just used 1 point there), that gives us a ding of -427 and a total of 5012.8. So we ended up giving up compensatory 6th rounder in points overall with all the trading around.
Click to expand...
Iow, the whiners have nothing to whine about...😂
 
The Pencil Neck said:
We started with 12 picks valued at 5016.4 points and ended up with 9 picks valued at 5439.8 points.

We lost a first and a six from next year (with both gaining and losing a 3rd which is a wash). Using the average value of the 2nd round for the first and the rough average of the 7th round (I just used 1 point there), that gives us a ding of -427 and a total of 5012.8. So we ended up giving up compensatory 6th rounder in points overall with all the trading around.
Click to expand...

A compensatory 6th to lock in the players you want instead of settling. I like it!
 
thunderkyss said:
@CloakNNNdagger I just “heard” Tajae Spears doesn’t have an ACL in one of his knees. Is that true?
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Spears tore his right ACL in Oct 2020 and had it repaired. He had several setbacks in his very tough rehab period. When they are speaking of him having no ACL, they are referring to his left ACL. He tore it in his freshman year in high school and for whatever reason (didn't want to go thru surgery or couldn't afford it), he never had it repaired. What I do know is that he was called back for medical recheck after the Combine. At that time, he was cleared to play..............but he was red flagged. This combination label is placed when a player is expected to be able to return to play (no guarantee), but unlikely to make it to his 2nd contract. What I've been told is that he alread has significant articular damage (even a 10 mm bare bone area of no articular cartilage, which is bordeline indication for microfracture or other cartilage reconstructive surgery), already accompanied by significant degenerative arthritis.

Being born without one ACL is different than initially sustaining injury to the knee joint/cartilage. With his situation, his knees (esp, the articular cartilage) will definitely be further traumatized and worn down every time he comes down hard, stops hard, cuts, and pivots, not to mention being tackled low (esp, with an extra twist). I don't really understand Vrabel at all on this decision, as I believe that Spears is unlikely to make it thru 2 seasons, let alone to his 2nd contract.
 
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CloakNNNdagger said:
Spears tore his right ACL in Oct 2020 and had it repaired. He had several setbacks in his very tough rehab period. When they are speaking of him having no ACL, they are referring to his left ACL. He tore it in his freshman year in high school and for whatever reason (didn't want to go thru surgery or couldn't afford it), he never had it repaired. What I do know is that he was called back for medical recheck after the Combine. At that time, he was cleared to play..............but he was red flagged. This combination label is placed when a player is expected to be able to return to play (no guarantee), but unlikely to make it to his 2nd contract. What I've been told is that he alread has significant articular damage (even a 10 mm bare bone area of no articular cartilage, which is bordeline indication for microfracture or other cartilage reconstructive surgery), already accompanied by significant degenerative arthritis.

Being born without one ACL is different than initially sustaining injury to the knee joint/cartilage. With his situation, his knees (esp, the articular cartilage) will definitely be further traumatized and worn down every time he comes down hard, stops hard, cuts, and pivots, not to mention being tackled low (esp, with an extra twist). I don't really understand Vrabel at all on this decision, as I believe that Spears is unlikely to make it thru 2 seasons, let alone to his 2nd contract.
Click to expand...
Feel for the young man. - could have been special without injuries.
 
NFL Draft 2023 winners and losers: Eagles, Seahawks get stronger; Cowboys underwhelm
The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books. With 259 selections made, the league’s teams will soon begin figuring out how to fit all of these puzzle pieces together.
Obviously, it will take some time to learn exactly how well or how poorly each franchise did. But that won’t stop us from weighing in on how things look, at least on paper.
Here’s a rundown of this year’s biggest winners and losers of the draft.

Winners

Philadelphia Eagles
GM Howie Roseman appears to have delivered once again, raking in one quality pick after another. Roseman devoted much of his team’s draft resources to retooling a defense that lost a number of key contributors in free agency. Georgia teammates Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith should help fortify an already formidable defensive front while another Bulldog (Kelee Ringo) and Illinois product Sydney Brown should help shore up a revamped secondary. And to top it off, he swung a trade for D’Andre Swift at a low cost to help improve the depth of the rushing attack.
https://theathletic.com/4470460/2023/04/29/dandre-swift-eagles-lions-trade/
Seattle Seahawks
John Schneider and Pete Carroll continue to position their team for success (and cash in on trading Russell Wilson last offseason) with a deep draft class that featured 10 selections led by cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. From there, the Seahawks added a collection of players that initially will bolster depth and eventually turn into key contributors on both sides of the ball.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Successful teams understand the importance of winning in the trenches. The Steelers first added a talented offensive tackle in Broderick Jones, and then drafted one of the best blocking tight ends available in Darnell Washington, both of whom will help make Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris more successful. They also acquired pieces to upgrade their defensive front, like interior lineman Keeanu Benton and edge rusher Nick Herbig.

Houston Texans
Not only did the Texans get their franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud, regarded as the best pocket passer in the draft, but they also added a potential face of their defense in Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. Wide receiver Nathaniel Dell should blossom into a key red-zone threat.
https://theathletic.com/4470436/2023/04/29/saints-jake-haener-nfl-draft-quarterback/
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals did plenty to help themselves this year, landing a Day 1 starter in offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and eight other prospects to improve depth on both sides of the ball. But they also ensured they have plenty of draft assets to continue building next offseason (two firsts, a second, three third-rounders, two fourth-rounders, two fifths and a seventh). That’s huge after such ineffective drafts in recent years.

Cincinnati Bengals
The mission was clear: upgrade the defense to make life easier on Joe Burrow and life more difficult for Patrick Mahomes. Pass-rusher Myles Murphy, cornerback DJ Turner and safety Jordan Battle should help accomplish this.

Losers

Cleveland Browns
Mortgaging the future for Deshaun Watson meant the Browns had few resources to significantly upgrade their roster through the draft. Can their top pick, third-rounder Cedric Tillman, develop into a threat? Will the rest of the mid- to late-round picks (including UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson) be anything more than depth acquisitions?
https://theathletic.com/4470825/2023/04/29/nfl-draft-facts-numbers/
Dallas Cowboys
They needed to find support for Dak Prescott and did so to a degree, adding a much-needed tight end in Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. But Dallas also needed offensive linemen and didn’t select one until the fifth round. The Cowboys needed impactful talent at wide receiver and didn’t take one until the seventh round.

Jacksonville Jaguars
After trading down twice in the first round, they made a need pick in Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison, although there were better players at other positions available. They went on to make some head-scratcher picks, like linebacker Ventrell Miller and running back Tank Bigsby.

Miami Dolphins
A first-round pick sure would have been nice to help Mike McDaniel’s squad take another step forward. But tampering with Tom Brady made the Dolphins, with only four picks and none before No. 51, big losers in this year’s draft.

Washington Commanders
They entered this draft with a rather shaky quarterback picture and declined to address it, even though Hendon Hooker and Will Levis were both available entering Day 2. First-round pick Emmanuel Forbes is a ball hawk, but there are durability concerns about the slender DB, and there were better and more well-rounded cornerbacks available at No. 16 as well.
 
Houston Texans loaded with linebackers from Alabama

Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com


After the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have four Alabama linebackers – Will Anderson Jr., Christian Harris, DeMeco Ryans and Henry To’oTo’o – except Ryans is the head coach and Anderson isn’t a linebacker anymore.

Harris is the only one who was with the team last season. The 75th pick in last year’s draft, Harris played in 12 games, with 11 starts at weakside linebacker, after a hamstring injury delayed the start of his rookie season.


The Texans added Anderson and To’oTo’o in this week’s draft, and Houston traded up to pick both.

Anderson came aboard as the No. 3 selection on Thursday after the Texans sent the No. 12 and No. 33 picks in this year’s draft and first- and third-round selections in the 2024 draft to the Arizona Cardinals for the third and 105th choices this year.


Ryans said making the trade on the draft clock to add Anderson to the roster was as tense as a “goal-line stand.”

“Once we were able to seal that deal and get Will, I was over the moon,” Ryans said. “I couldn’t have been happier.”

On Saturday, Houston picked To’oTo’o at No. 167, moving up seven slots by sending the 174th and 259th choices to the Los Angeles Rams.

“Wherever he’s played, he’s been productive, whether it was at Tennessee, whether it was at Alabama,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “Captain, leader, ran a defense, signal-caller, highly productive, instinctive, so a lot of good qualities. Should have a role in the kicking game, so depth at linebacker, depth in the kicking game, good makeup – I mean, high-level makeup. I’d say, kind of elite makeup, top-of-the-line makeup.

“I’d say him and Anderson, I don’t want to say they ran the defense down there, but they pretty much ran the defense down there.”

To’oTo’o played his first two college seasons at Tennessee before joining Alabama for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns and registering 205 tackles during that time.

To’oTo’o said being drafted by the Texans “was a big shocker,” but he’s happy to be teammates again with Harris.

“We were best friends in college,” To’oTo’o said. “Everywhere Christian went, I went. Everywhere I went, Christian went. Being able to reunite with him and Will and (wide receiver John) Metchie is a blessing.”

To’oTo’o figures to enter the Texans’ depth chart behind Christian Kirksey, a nine-year veteran who started every game at middle linebacker for Houston last season, when he recorded 124 tackles.

Anderson will not play linebacker for Houston, Ryans said.

Ryans took the reins in Houston in January after six seasons on the staff of the San Francisco 49ers, including the past two as defensive coordinator. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa led the NFL in sacks with 18.5 in 2022 after recording 15.5 in 2021.

“He’s going to be a defensive end in our style,” Ryans said of Anderson. “He’s going to be a defensive end, attacking, getting up the field. He’s going to do a little different scheme.”

Ryans earned unanimous All-American recognition, won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award and received the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the 2005 season as a senior at Alabama.

Anderson earned those accolades, too. Anderson left Alabama as a two-time unanimous All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Nagurski Trophy winner. In 2022, he added the Bednarik Award, the Lott Impact Trophy and the Lombardi Award to his list of honors.


“The past couple of years wherever I played at, whether it was high school or college, I’ve always had the head coach who I shared the same mentality with,” Anderson said, “and that’s why it was so easy for me to relate to the message he was trying to say to the team or just talking to me. And that’s what I love. That’s what I need. I want to play for somebody who’s got the same way I think.

“So when I came here and I talked to coach Ryans, I was like, ‘I got to be here.’ Like, the same exact mindset, the same mentality, what he’s trying to preach, everything, that’s what I’m all about. That’s what I want to do.”

Anderson and To’oTo’o will get their first NFL work when rookie minicamp starts on May 12.
 
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