Everything is bigger in Texas. Especially the losses at this time of year.
No one confused the Texans with a playoff contender entering the 2022 season, but it was also difficult to imagine a world where they would be any worse than their 4-13 record in 2021.
But the Texans are entering the second half of their season looking about as rudderless as they did in 2022. With serious questions about their quarterback, the losses could bode well for their hopes for a top passer in the 2023 NFL draft.
Should Houston finish in first place, they have options for the passer of the future. Whether that’s Bryce Young from Alabama, CJ Stroud from Ohio State or Will Levis from Kentucky remains to be seen.
It’s not just quarterbacks that teams are betting on. Alabama’s Will Anderson is a safe bet to be picked as the top player, and if not, at least in the top three. Clemson’s Myles Murphy, Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Oregon’s Noah Sewell are all headlines in a potentially defense-heavy first round.
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With a few weeks until Thanksgiving, teams can be thankful for those losses, though it’s a bitter pill.
This is what the current draft order looks like:
NFL draft order 2023
Here is the draft order after all Week 10 games have been played:
| Choose | team | recording |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans | 1-7-1 |
| 2 | Las Vegas robbers | 2-7 |
| 3 | Carolina Panther | 3-7 |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles (from NE) | 3-7 |
| 5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-7 |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | 3-7 |
| 7 | Seattle Seahawks (by DEN) | 3-6 |
| 8th | Detroit Lions (by LAR) | 3-6 |
| 9 | Houston Texans (by CLE) | 3-6 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-6 |
| 11 | Detroit Lions | 3-6 |
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-6 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-6 |
| 14 | Green Bay packers | 4-6 |
| fifteen | Indianapolis Colts | 4-5-1 |
| 16 | Washington commanders | 5-5 |
| 17 | Chargers from Los Angeles | 5-4 |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengal | 5-4 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-5 |
| 20 | Denver Broncos (from SF via MIA) | 5-4 |
| 21 | New England Patriots | 5-4 |
| 22 | Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 |
| 23 | New York Jets | 6-3 |
| 24 | buffalo bills | 6-3 |
| 25 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-3 |
| 26 | Tennessee Titans | 6-3 |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-3 |
| 28 | New York Giants | 7-2 |
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 8-1 |
| 30 | Kansas City bosses | 7-2 |
| 31 | Philly Eagles | 8-1 |
Remarks:
— The Eagles are holding the Saints’ first-round pick as part of a pick swap with New Orleans during the 2022 NFL draft.
– The Texans hold Cleveland’s first-round pick as part of the Deshaun Watson trade that sent the passer to the Browns.
– The Seahawks have Denver’s first-round pick as compensation for trading Russell Wilson.
– The Lions have the Rams’ pick for the first round due to Matthew Stafford’s trade.
– The Broncos traded pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins for a first-round pick before the 2022 NFL trade deadline. This pick was formerly owned by San Francisco, who traded them to Miami in 2021 as part of the Trey Lance package.
– The Dolphins are left without their own first-round picks after being sanctioned by the NFL for tampering violations involving Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
MORE: Sporting News Big Board for the 2023 NFL Draft
Top prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft
It’s early days, but after a poor year with passers in the 2022 NFL Draft, there could be three first-round prospects next April.
Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis will all be fighting for the right to be the first quarterback off the board when the 2023 NFL Draft comes around. Analysts and scouts are currently pinning the fight between Young and Stroud, with Levis a distant third.
If a quarterback isn’t the first player off the board then it definitely will be Crimson Tide pass rusher Will Anderson. Anderson is a dynamic edge who can disrupt play from day one in the NFL.