The Houston Texans made one of the boldest moves in franchise history by trading up for Alabama star edge rusher Will Anderson Jr and there were mixed reviews. The Texans gave the Arizona Cardinals the 12th and 33rd picks in the draft and next year’s first and third selections. Historically, that type of trade value is typically reserved for franchise quarterbacks, but the Texans got their star pass rusher.
To understand this trade value, we can’t look at it through an independent lens because the Texans took franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick. By selecting Stroud, the Texans lowered the market value for the third selection. For the Texans to move from the 12th to the third pick, the package would have looked closer to what San Francisco gave up in 2020 to select Trey Lance. That package included three years of first-round selections as well as a third. The Texans gave up two firsts, a second, and a third. Had Stroud been the selection at three, the package would’ve looked similar to the one the 49ers made.