Texans go big with Stroud & Anderson - but at what cost? | You Pod To Win The Game
Yahoo Sports NFL reporters Charles Robinson, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab break down Houston’s surprising move to draft Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the 2nd overall pick - and then trade up to also secure Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson with the 3rd overall pick. Hear the full conversation on You Pod To Win The Game. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video transcript
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CHARLES ROBINSON: The franchise that is into big changes this off season goes out and pulls the biggest stunner of draft day. I just wanted to talk to you guys about your thoughts when the CJ Stroud pick first went off, and then when it became abundantly clear that if Arizona was dealing out it, was going all the way back to 12 to Houston spot. And incomprehensibly, the Texans were going to end up spending the second and third overall pick in this draft.
JORI EPSTEIN: I thought it was so much fun. I mean, I know that, you seem to a little bit senseless beforehand. But for me, the savvy of everyone's going, well, they really like a defensive player. Maybe they'll go defense at two. And it's like, no, if you go quarterback at two, the value of that number three pick goes down.
And then you have a better-- you have more leverage when you're talking to the Cardinals. So I thought that the order in which they did that-- like, in retrospect, it makes a lot of sense. But not very many of us were talking about it beforehand.
FRANK SCHWAB: Can I-- can I hate it? Am I OK to hate--
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah, hate it. Hate it.
FRANK SCHWAB: --this completely because--
JORI EPSTEIN: Please, please.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I wouldn't expect anything less.
FRANK SCHWAB: Why on Earth are the Texans giving up what could be the first overall pick in next year's draft to come back up and get a Will Anderson, who-- look, I like Will Anderson. He had a heck of a college career. But people are split on him.
People are talking about him being kind of, maybe a kind of a low ceiling guy. This isn't exactly Von Miller that came back up to get-- every draft trade chart kills the Texans for this, kills them. They gave up way too much.
I get it. Everybody should be throwing flowers at them because that's what we do with draft grades. Everyone's saying oh, wow, they got Stroud and Anderson. Of course, you have two good players, no question about it.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think it was played well by Arizona, but I also understand how Houston was approaching it and knowing that if we just take the quarterback at two, we cut the Titans off at the knees. They're not going to move up in the third spot in that situation.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah, that part of it makes sense. I mean, to hear you explain it, everything you say makes sense. And I still can't get over the cost. And at the end of the day, there no way in hell I give up the picks that they gave up, including probably what might be next year's number one overall pick with a generational type of quarterback, Caleb Williams possibly for Will Anderson.
Because you could take-- tae CJ Stroud. Take your franchise quarterback. If you miss out Will Anderson, there's going to be Will Anderson in next year's draft. That-- it happens every year.
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