Pair of Houston Texans Land on NFL Midseason All-Rookie Team

The Houston Texans are getting strong early returns on two major investments from the 2023 NFL Draft.

Coach DeMeco Ryans, general manager Nick Caserio and the Houston Texans made major investments by taking quarterback C.J. Stroud and pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the second and third picks of the 2023 NFL Draft, and thus far, they are getting strong returns. 

CBS Sports recently revealed their midseason NFL All-Rookie Team, and both Stroud and Anderson claimed spots at their respective positions, a strong sign that the Texans are headed in the right direction for the first time in a long time. 

Stroud has tossed nine touchdowns to just one interception in his first seven NFL games, racking up 1,800 pass yards. While the Texans lost to No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers last week, Stroud has unquestionably had a more impressive start to his career than the man taken a selection above him in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Quarterback C.J. Stroud is off to a strong start in his rookie season for the Houston Texans.  / USA Today

It should be pointed out that Stroud didn't really have much competition for this spot. Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts -- the No. 4 overall pick -- played in just parts of four games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Will Levis tossed four touchdowns in his NFL debut for the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, but one game isn't going to put you on this type of list. 

Still, Stroud has been picked off just once in 237 pass attempts, giving him an NFL-low 0.4% interception percentage. There's reason to think that as Houston surrounds the former Ohio State star with more talent, he could blossom into one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL. 

Meanwhile, Anderson was the lone selection at defensive end. The Texans, of course, felt so strongly about landing Anderson that they traded first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 to the Arizona Cardinals for the chance to select him at No. 3 overall. Anderson only has one sack so far, but that comes along with 27 combined tackles, eight quarterback hits and three tackles for a loss.