Texans owner Cal McNair says he didn’t force team to pick C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall, per report

The Houston Texans were one of the big stories from the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, as they selected quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall, and then traded a package of picks to the Arizona Cardinals to select pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3 overall. It was quite the surprise, in more ways than one.

Prior to the draft, there were rumors that the Texans were going to pass on a quarterback at No. 2 — despite having a clear need at the position — and instead select Anderson or fellow pass rusher Tyree Wilson. The odds at Caesars Sportsbook reflected this, as both Anderson and Wilson took turns being the favorite to go No. 2 overall. However, when it was the Texans’ turn to make that selection, they went with a quarterback.

This has led some to speculate that the McNair family stepped in and told general manager Nick Caserio and new head coach DeMeco Ryans to take the prospective franchise quarterback at No. 2 overall instead of the defender. It’s a rumor team owner Cal McNair denied during the 20th Annual Houston Texans Charity Golf Classic.

“Hannah and I don’t make the picks. We’ll make it clear there,” McNair said, via ESPN. “We have a great group of scouts led by Nick [Caserio] and James Lippert, and they did a lot of work on the draft board, and then they followed that on draft day, and they moved up when they saw the value was there and moved back.”

Even if McNair put pressure on Caserio and Co. to draft a quarterback, it appears both sides got what they wanted — even if Houston had to pay a pretty penny to make back-to-back selections at the top of the draft board.”