“Houston is bringing in a leader,” Stroud said. “I’m somebody who is going to come in, go to work every day and work their tail off. I come from a winning tradition and I want to win, that’s all I care about and I want to help Houston do that.”
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The Texans made a splash in the NFL draft on Thursday, drafting Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud with the second overall pick in the draft, giving the Texans their quarterback of the future early in the first round.
They followed that up with the move of the draft, trading back up to No. 3 in the draft to take Will Anderson, who is considered the best defensive player in the draft. Giving Houston a cornerstone at defensive end/outside linebacker for years to come.
“Houston is bringing in a leader,” Stroud said. “I’m somebody who is going to come in, go to work every day and work their tail off. I come from a winning tradition and I want to win, that’s all I care about and I want to help Houston do that.”
Stroud was a star at Ohio State over the past two years, being a Heisman Finalist both seasons and leading the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoffs in 2022 and putting up a terrific game against one of the best college defenses in history in the Georgia Bulldogs 2022 defense. He completed nearly 70% of his passes over his collegiate career, throwing for over 8,000 yards in two years and throwing 85 touchdowns to six interceptions with a 182.4 qb rating.
“I just am going to come in and be the best teammate in the draft,” Stroud said. “I’m going to be the best leader in the draft too. I’m going to do everything I can for these guys and I’m going to be the best quarterback I can be.”
Will Anderson was a beast over his three years at Alabama, garnering 34.5 sacks, 58.5 tackles for loss, 204 tackles and an interception over the course of his time with the program. He helped Alabama to a national championship in 2020 and a national championship game appearance in 2021.
“I’m just so blessed to be put in this position,” Anderson said. “These Texans fans are getting a complete player and a complete person. I’m going to be a good player and someone who goes out there, does his job and is relentless. I’m going to have a motor and every bit of motivation, support my teammates and be jumping up and down. That’s what I’m all about, I’m just ready.”
The duo will help make up the new core of the Texans, as they try to come back from three down seasons and become a competitive team again.
The trade was a big one but with the amount of draft picks the Texans have, as they entered draft night with 12 picks. Houston gave up the No. 12 overall pick in the draft as well as the 33rd overall pick, while sending a first and third round and 2024 to the Cardinals, the Texans brought back the 104th pick in the draft along with the third.