Texans trade up with Cardinals for No. 3 pick, draft Will Anderson Jr.

The The Houston Texans made the first aggressive move of the 2023 NFL Draft, trading up with the Arizona Cardinals to land the No. 3 overall pick. They would use the pick on Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. In turn, the Cardinals will get back the No. 12 and No. 33 picks of this year’s draft, along with a first and a third in 2024.

After selecting Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud with the No. 2 pick, the Texans stayed aggressive and traded up to land one of the top defensive prospects in the draft. The two-time Bednarik Trophy winner Anderson will now be under the tutelage of first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans.

As for Arizona, reports began to surface on Thursday afternoon that the team was looking to move back in the first round and now they’ve done just that. Coming off a disappointing 4-13 campaign in 2022, the Cardinals have a wide variety of needs entering the draft and a few prospects were being projected as the potential No. 3 pick for the franchise. Instead, AZ has opted to go for more draft capital as it restructures things under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon.