One team really wanted CJ Stroud, but they were clearly unaware that the Houston Texans planned on taking him the entire time.
Tennessee Titans reportedly were poised to take a standout quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft before the Houston Texans swooped in.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Titans wanted badly to move up to the No. 3 pick, which was owned by the Arizona Cardinals at the time. Once the Texans selected Stroud, the Titans “dropped out of the bidding,” which allowed the Texans to negotiate a deal with the Cardinals for that selection.
Because of that unfortunate series of events, the Titans will now have to face Stroud for years to come.
The Texans would use that No. 3 pick and take Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson with the choice after using the No. 2 overall selection on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Tennessee already has an established veteran quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, but after going 7-10 last season and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018, it was clearly time for them to start thinking about the future.
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Despite having a great deal of success as the Titans’ starting quarterback, going 36-19, Tannehill will turn 35 before the 2023 season kicks off, and he just had a bad year. Tannehill missed five games due to injury and wasn’t as effective as in years past when healthy, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,536 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The Titans would ultimately select Kentucky quarterback Will Levis with the 33rd overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday. Tennessee sent the 41st and 72nd picks, plus a 2024 third-round selection, to Arizona to move up to No. 33, adding the 81st pick in the deal.
