The conventional wisdom for most of the last three months has been that the Panthers would probably take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and the Texans would take Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud No. 2. That’s no longer the case.
Young looks almost certain to go to the Panthers, but there are growing doubts that the Texans will take Stroud.
In fact, the betting odds now see Stroud as a long shot to be the No. 2 overall pick. The odds at FanDuel currently list Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson as the favorite to go No. 2, at +190. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is next at +270. Stroud is tied with Texas Tech pass rusher Tyree Wilson at +340.
That’s a dramatic shift, and it indicates that people in the know think the Texans just aren’t very high on Stroud, and that no other team is high enough on Stroud that they’ll bowl the Texans over with a trade offer to move up to No. 2.
With Young now a near-lock to go No. 1, the real intrigue in the draft is at No. 2, and no one seems to know for sure what the Texans are thinking.