In a surprise to no one, the Houston Texans 2023 draft class takes home the top spot

Have you heard about how good Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson are? You must've if you're reading this site because we've been very high on the rookie pair for the entire season. It turns out, we're not the only ones who thought highly of them, as they took home the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards this past weekend, prior to the Super Bowl.

The duo led an impressive draft class that, with just the pair of them on their own, would've given the Texans a fair shake at having the best draft class of the 2023 offseason. But they weren't the only ones who stepped up this season. Tank Dell, a third-round pick, was having a massive rookie season before a season-ending injury derailed that.

Linebacker Henry To'oTo'o played 15 games while starting six, and while he wasn't overly impressive, there is potential for improvement. The same can be said for Xavier Hutchinson, who played on mostly special teams but did see action in 16 contests. Offensive linemen James Patterson and Juice Scruggs also helped out during the year, but their contributions were inconsistent.

All in all, the draft class played great, which is why it's no surprise that NFL.com named them as the top-rated team of the 2023 NFL Draft, giving them the highest grade with an "A".

The Pittsburgh Steelers also got an A but came in second to the Texans. They made noise when they drafted the son of franchise legend linebacker Joey Porter, with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions round out the top four with the only other "A's" given out.

Unsurprisingly, all four teams made the playoffs this year, with all four teams over-relying at times on their rookies to help them get to the next level.