2023 NFL Draft Recap: Houston Texans

The 2023 NFL Draft has concluded after months of scrutiny about these prospects, potential landing spots, team and scheme fits, and so on. Now we get to start the entire process all over again now that we have team landing spots for these college prospects with their new NFL teams.

Today, we tackle the Houston Texans and how they fared in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Houston's 2023 NFL Draft Selections:

  • Round 1, Pick 2 - CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
  • Round 1, Pick 3 - Will Anderson, LB, Alabama
  • Round 2, Pick 62 - Juice Scruggs, OL, Penn State
  • Round 3, Pick 69 - Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston
  • Round 4, Pick 109 - Dylan Horton, DL, TCU
  • Round 5, Pick 167 - Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama
  • Round 6, Pick 201 - Jarrett Patterson, OL, Notre Dame
  • Round 6, Pick 205 - Xavier Hutchinson
  • Round 7, Pick 248 - Brandon Hill, DB, Pittsburgh

The 2023 Fantasy Football Impact:

CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State: As the second pick in the draft, Stroud should start right away and in theory, for years to come. Unfortunately, the Texans didn't draft a receiving option for him until the third round, meaning he won't be in the best offensive situation to succeed right away. From a redraft perspective, I don't see much value in him besides being a very late pick as a backup QB. From a dynasty perspective, I'd probably say he should be third of the top-three quarterbacks, as Bryce Young went first overall in a better situation, and Anthony Richardson has elite rushing upside and a better situation. Either way, it will likely take a year or two until a fair analysis can be made of Stroud's long-term fantasy outlook.

Will Anderson, LB, Alabama: The top defensive pick in the draft, Anderson will not only help the Texans' defense a lot in real life, but in IDP leagues, he should have good upside. Combining high draft capital with a Demeco Ryans gives Anderson a lot of upside both in year one and in the future for lots of sacks and tackles. Given how much draft capital the Texans gave up to trade up as well, they obviously believe in Anderson a lot. All the signs point to Anderson being a great option for dynasty IDP leagues and potentially redraft as well.

Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston: At 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Nathaniel "Tank" Dell is small for an NFL wide receiver. However, Dell's college production was great, leading the FBS in yards with 1,355. Despite his size, it's clear Dell has talent, but it will be interesting to see how he's used in a Texans offense with an unclear depth chart at WR. It's like he'll be used in the slot exclusively, which could make for an interesting security blanket option for rookie QB CJ Stroud. From a dynasty perspective, Tank Dell is an intriguing prospect who could be impactful down the line, but in redraft, I doubt he will have much impact in an unproven Texans offense.

Follow Seth Quinn on Twitter @SethFQuinn!

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