How 2023 NFL Draft Could Play Out If Texans Pass on QB with No. 2 Pick

With Season 2 of Marvel's What If...? ready to drop, the possibilities found in the multiverse are boundless—whether the discussions center on superhero entertainment properties or the 2023 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans are widely expected to take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick. They figure to stand pat and take whichever one of Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud falls to them.

But what if they go in an entirely different direction? Peter King of NBC Sports floated that possibility Monday.

"It's a stretch, but I could see Nick [Caserio] taking [Alabama's Will] Anderson, then using his second [first-round pick] and trading back up to get his quarterback," one league personnel man told King.

The best path forward for the team depends on the vision laid forth by general manager Nick Caserio and new head coach DeMeco Ryans. The duo must consider all possibilities, including selecting the highest-graded player in the draft regardless of position.

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If the Texans did select Anderson, it would have a cascading effect on the first round.

It's easy to envision Ryans, another Alabama grad and former standout defender, falling for the mega-talented edge-rusher. Bleacher Report's Scouting Department ranks the two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year as the clear No. 1 overall prospect in this year's class. B/R scout Matt Holder wrote:

"The best way to describe Will Anderson Jr.'s college tape is that everything just looked easy for him. From his movement skills to how effortlessly he took on blocks, it almost looked like he was getting bored out there. That's part of the reason why he's been considered the top player in this year's draft class since last January."

Especially at the top of the draft, there's a real argument to take the best player available. However, positional value and team needs often override that approach.

Houston can land the most dominant player in this year's draft class (Anderson) and could address quarterback with its other first-round pick. While at least three quarterbacks—Young, Stroud and Florida's Anthony Richardson—are expected to land in the top five, they aren't the only options with long-term starter potential.

For example, B/R's latest mock draft has Kentucky's Will Levis sliding to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19. Houston owns this year's 12th overall pick thanks to last year's Deshaun Watson trade. The Texans could do far worse than walking away from the first day of the draft with Anderson and Levis.

"He has a great arm, even by NFL standards," a veteran scout told The Score's Jordan Schultz when asked about the former Wildcat. "He's a physical quarterback who drives the ball with his legs. I know he's been working on his mechanics too. … They were down in a lot of games. He's playing from behind. We'd have to clean some things up. But I think he knows that too. And that's not a bad thing."

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The Indianapolis Colts, who hold the fourth overall pick, are reportedly interested in Levis, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. But their decision will be affected by what Houston does with the second overall pick.

If the Texans did take Anderson at No. 2, the No. 3 pick would become even more valuable for the Arizona Cardinals. Having Young still on the board could allow them to flip that pick for a haul of assets. The Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and/or Tennessee Titans might all be interested in moving up in that scenario.

Meanwhile, the Colts would then become guaranteed to land one of the top three signal-callers. General manager Chris Ballard might not feel pressured to trade up one spot just to ensure he got his preferred remaining prospect. Instead, Indianapolis would also be in position of strength.

Right now, the possibility of someone leaping ahead of the Colts is arguably the most volatile aspect of this year's top 10. With Stroud and Young expected to be off the board at No. 3, the Cardinals can stay put and take Anderson to build around defensively since they already have Kyler Murray behind center. They could also trade down and gain extra draft capital.

That trade could be a simple switch with the Colts, who would then be guaranteed to land their target. However, the Texans passing on Young would change that dynamic completely.

Another franchise could still pull the trigger on a trade with Arizona, who may not be enamored with any other defensive player at No. 3. The Colts don't need to do anything but sit still and take Young or Richardson (more likely the latter).

If a team trades up to select Young third overall, the Colts would likely land Richardson, and Levis would still be available. If he falls to No. 12, the Texans should be ready to pounce. But the Raiders could be laying in the weeds, ready to strike.

Las Vegas hosted Levis on an official predraft visit on Monday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He also interviewed with the Falcons during the combine, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Titans general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel both attended Kentucky's pro day as well, per Adam Luckett of Kentucky Sports Radio.

Levis very well might be gone before the Texans are on the clock again. At that point, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker would have to come into play.

"I don't know how he gets out of the first round," the scout told Schultz. "He'll come in and compete right away. He's refined. He's accurate. He's been in two programs built on winning. He could wind up starting as a rookie."

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Multiple factors have pushed Hendon down draft boards to some degree. He's still recovering from the torn ACL that he suffered during a November contest against South Carolina. He's already 25, which is old for a rookie. The Volunteers' system has also been called into question, though Hooker was quick to denounce that particular criticism.

"I can't help that defenders can't cover my receivers," Hooker told reporters at the combine. "My job is to get them the ball.

"A lot of these questions about one-sided reads, we have pure progression routes. It's not my fault that my first read is getting open. We had pre-snap looks based on 1-high, 2-high, which side, double-footwork combo. We had pure progressions with an alert, with an option. ...
With how fast we were going, I had to process a lot of information at the same time and communicate with everyone."

The Texans could also use the added capital from the Watson trade to move back into the top 10 and possibly leapfrog a few of the other quarterback-needy teams. Houston does own a pair of first-round picks in the 2024 draft.

The quarterbacks control this year's first round, particularly near the top. Five could very well hear their names called on Day 1. Assuming the Panthers select one with the top pick—otherwise, why would they have traded up?—the Texans can derail the draft by going with Anderson instead of a quarterback at No. 2.

Houston should probably do the safe thing and take its new franchise signal-caller with second overall pick. Yet the job of those in charge is to piece together the best draft class it possibly can.

When framed that way, the Texans should seriously consider taking the best overall player in the class at No. 2 and then circle back to land their new starting quarterback.

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Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.