Texans GM 'Not Worried' Will Anderson Jr. Trade Cost Team 2024 1st-Round Pick

The Houston Texans were happy to pay a steep price in order to trade up and select Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

After selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick, the Texans shocked everyone by sending picks 12 and 33 this year and first- and third-round selections in 2024 to the Arizona Cardinals for picks No. 3 and 105.

Speaking to reporters about the deal, general manager Nick Caserio said they're "not worried" about the cost to get the player they wanted.

It wasn't a surprise to see the Texans come out of the draft with Anderson. ESPN's Matt Miller reported in the lead-up to the draft there was a belief around the NFL they didn't like the quarterbacks in this class after Bryce Young and had the 21-year-old defensive standout ranked as the top overall player in this class.

The process of getting Anderson to Houston caught many people off guard. ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted two trade charts heavily favored Arizona's return in the deal.

Based on the current talent on the Texans' roster, there's a realistic possibility they will end up sending a top-10 pick next year to the Cardinals.

They did add two players at premium positions with their selections on Thursday, but it's still a steep price to pay for a team that figures to have more roster holes it needs to fill next year.

For instance, Robert Woods, Noah Brown and Nico Collins are the top three receivers playing with Stroud going into this season. John Metchie III, a second-round pick in 2022, was at minicamp practice earlier this week after sitting out his rookie year when he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

If Anderson turns into the player the Texans believe him to be, no one will care they had to give up a lot of draft capital to select him.

For a franchise coming off three consecutive losing seasons, including a 3-13-1 record last season, the hope provided by drafting Stroud and Anderson might be enough to carry Texans fans in 2023.