Texans GM defends trading up to draft Will Anderson Jr.

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has defended sending multiple noteworthy assets to the Arizona Cardinals to obtain the right to draft pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. at pick No. 3. 

"When you make a trade, there’s gonna be compensation involved with it," Caserio told NBC Sports' Peter King. "The terms are the terms and you’re either comfortable with the terms or you’re not. How we look at it, really—it’s really two extra picks that we really gave up. Essentially, we were gonna pick in the first round anyways. We had 12 (the 12th overall pick). So we really didn’t give up anything other than move. It’s really more positioning. So really the two additional picks next year were sort of the extra capital if you look at it in real terms." 

Specifically, Caserio traded overall pick No. 12 and selection No. 33 in this year's draft along with first- and third-round choices in 2024 to Arizona to acquire pick No. 3 and selection No. 105. Houston had already spent the second-overall pick to land Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud but reportedly had Anderson listed as the top-rated player on the club's draft board. 

Back on April 29, ESPN's Seth Walder gave Caserio a "C-" grade for the trade. To compare, Walder called the transaction an "A-" move for the Cardinals. 

"In the end, you accumulate assets and then you use them at your disposal," Caserio somewhat defiantly said about his decision on the night of April 27. 

ESPN NFL insider Kevin Seifert reported last week that Caserio drafted Stroud over Anderson at No. 2 because the executive was "concerned the Tennessee Titans could trade up from No. 11 to No. 3" to take the signal-caller. Whether or not Tennessee would've bettered Caserio's offer for the opportunity to select Stroud is unknown, but the GM may need both his new quarterback and Anderson to evolve into superstars while on their rookie contracts to keep his job with the Texans through the second half of the 2020s.