So, looking back after three seasons, would the Houston Texans still have selected Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall?
What about All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.? Would he be on the board when Houston was willing to trade up nine spots for the do-it-all defender from Alabama?
CBS Sports might have the answer.
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson conducted a re-draft of the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Texans weren’t able to snag Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick since he went No. 1. But remember when fans wanted Alabama’s Bryce Young to take over for Deshaun Watson? In the re-draft, Wilson has the Heisman Trophy winner waiting one more pick before calling Houston home.
“Young has probably been the better QB over the past 12 months, and I think both Young and Stroud are going to continue to improve in Year 4,” Wilson wrote. “The Texans’ roster is stacked, but if you don’t have a serviceable QB, it won’t matter. Stroud played out of his mind as a rookie, but I’d like to think Young would have helped Houston advance to the playoffs at least twice in his first three seasons in the universe where they drafted him.”
Stroud might have the higher upside — even in a down season based on the outsider’s standards — but Young has blossomed into a servicable starter under new coach Dave Canales. In 2024, he threw five more touchdown passes and limited his interception total to nine. Last season, he threw for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdown passes while guiding Carolina to a division title.
Given that Houston only had Davis Mills on the roster, Wilson is probably correct for having the two-time AFC South champs select a quarterback at No. 2. He also has the Texans staying put at No. 3, but instead of taking Anderson, the selection becomes All-Pro wideout Puka Nacua from Los Angeles.
“Will Anderson Jr. was such a good pick here, and the cost, it turns out, was not prohibitive either,” Wilson wrote. “But rules are rules, so instead, the Texans get Bryce Young a legit weapon in Puka Nacua.”
In any re-draft, Anderson might end up being the first player off the board. He’s blossomed into the league’s most dominant pass-rusher outside of recently traded Myles Garrett, racking up over 30 sacks and 66 tackles for loss in three seasons.
Wilson likely would have made Anderson the pick at No. 2 and then taken Young at No. 3, but there was a caveat to the selection process. When he said “rules are rules,” he put an addendum in stating that teams couldn’t select the same player twice, meaning that Houston wasn’t allowed to take the current highest-paid non-QB in the league.
Nacua certainly would have upgraded the Texans’ passing game for Young, but one could argue that with both Lions starter Jahmyr Gibbs and Falcons All-Pro Bijan Robinson still on the board, Houston could have benefited from one of them upgrading its run game. Both have become fixtures of their respective offenses and are considered among the consenus top three running backs entering 2026.
If the Texans wanted to go defense, Eagles star Jalen Carter was still an option, as was Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Should Wilson have kept the Texans at pick No. 12, which was the initial pick on draft night before the infamous trade, Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, Lions linebacker Jack Campbell and Seahawks All-Pro wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba all would have been options.
For the full mock draft, click here.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans pass on DE Will Anderson Jr., select Bryce Young & Puka Nacua in 2023 re-draft
