Revisiting Blockbuster Cardinals, Texans NFL Draft Trade

We are approaching three years since the Arizona Cardinals made a potential franchise-altering trade with the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was the first for GM Monti Ossenfort in a move that was polarizing for many fans.

But how did it work out?

The Cardinals owned the third overall pick in that draft with several top-tier players available to bring in. The Texans, who held two first-round picks including number two and number 12, offered a blockbuster trade to move up from 12 back to three.

Houston had just selected CJ Stroud second overall, so a move back up to three for consecutive picks was jaw dropping.

The compensation was also noteworthy. Houston swapped their 12th pick with Arizona's third pick in addition to their second-round pick, 33rd overall, and their first and third-round picks in 2024.

With that trade up, the Texans selected Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson, who was widely considered the best defensive prospect in the class and someone every Cardinals fan, including yours truly, wanted to come to the desert.

Instead, he went to the lone star state.

The Cardinals did end up moving back up from 12 to six and drafted Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr for their splash pick in round one of that class.

Arizona moved several more times with the 33rd pick, starting with the Titans who came up for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.

That was only the beginning of several more trades made. By the end of the weekend, Arizona walked away with several players including Garrett Williams, Michael Wilson, and Dante Stills.

Their 2024 NFL Draft picks courtesy of Houston turned into defensive lineman Darius Robinson and cornerback Elijah Jones.

As far as the returns go for the Cardinals, they’ve been pretty solid.

Moving back up for Johnson gave the Cardinals their franchise left tackle, while Williams has grown into one of the league’s top nickel corners. Wilson and Stills have been crucial to their position groups as well.

Robinson and Jones are too soon to tell as of now. The former missed most of his rookie season due to injury, while the latter missed the year entirely.

As for Houston, Anderson has quickly asserted himself as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers. He has compiled 18 sacks, a Pro Bowl nod, and won Defensive Player of the Year in two years.

It’s hard to argue the results considering they speak for themselves.

So, how should we compare the two sides of the trade?

Well, for the moment I’d give a SLIGHT edge to Houston only because we’re waiting for the results from Arizona’s 2024 picks from the former. However, Arizona's yield from 2023 is staggering in itself. We listed several starters and not to mention BJ Ojulari, who missed last season to injury.

Arizona brought in tons of pieces to build up this roster, but they could’ve had a top-10 pass rusher who already has accolades on his resume.

If the 2024 picks work out, I’d call this trade a push. Anderson has simply been elite, but the Cardinals have used several trade downs thanks to Houston’s ammo to build this roster.

I’d say they make this trade again 90% of the time and I’d have to agree.