Will Anderson Jr. Opens Up About Texans Draft Night Trade

Houston Texans rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was the winning prize in the biggest trade of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Excitement, happiness, anxiety and fear surround college football players as they embark on the beginning of their lifelong dream at the NFL Draft.

The selection process is fairly simple, as owners, general managers or head coaches give their future rookie a phone call to let them know that they will represent a new team. However, the process is likely to be delayed if a trade is made.

The Houston Texans selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, leaving the Arizona Cardinals on the clock immediately after.

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was widely expected to be the first defensive player off the board, but it was uncertain which team would select him. Anderson and his agent thought he was going to be drafted by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5, but rumors circulated started to circulate that the Cardinals were trading their pick.

"In the back room, it still said Arizona was on the clock," Anderson said on Thursday's edition of Green Light with Chris Long. "There's like 30 seconds left and I still didn't get a phone call, so I thought they got someone else."

However, Anderson's phone started to ring and it wasn't Arizona.

"I saw the Texans call me, but they just picked C.J. (Stroud) and the Cardinals were still on the screen." Anderson said. "So I thought they were calling me to say 'hey we couldn't get you but we still think you're (great).' But then I answered and they were like 'we're gonna draft you'."

Anderson said that he couldn't believe Houston was on the call, as they were one of his top choices.

"It was actually a really big surprise to me," Anderson said. "I just went crazy because (the Texans) were my first visit. It just felt right. The people in the building, the scheme, coach (DeMeco) Ryans, the staff—it was the best visit I had over all of my visits. When I got that call, I don't even know how to explain it, but it was a blessing."

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