For the second consecutive year, the once-mighty Houston Texans find themselves at the top… of the wrong standings. The 2023 NFL Draft wrapped up Monday after six rounds of surprises, the hometown Texans being no exception.

Houston went into the draft with the second overall pick, one of twelve picks overall and two in the top twelve. With that pick, they went the QB route, selecting the ultra-talented C.J. Stroud out of college football powerhouse Ohio State.

Then, in a move that shocked the NFL world, the Texans traded up for the very next pick in the draft, becoming the first organization in history to acquire two top-three picks in a draft. They bolstered their defense with linebacker Will Anderson coming in from Alabama with that coveted number three pick, and the young Texans now await the 2023 regular season schedule reveal next week.

“I’m liking our squad a lot better after the draft,” senior Texans fan Devon Paige said. “I think, if everything goes as planned, we could go back to the Wild Card round this season.”

Beyond the Charger-Texan faithful here at Springs exists the inverse – in other words, the doubters of the Texans’ late-April acquisitions.

Many believe the asking price for the Cardinals’ number three pick was much too high, their surrender of the No. 12, No. 33, and future second and third round picks shaping up to be a massive gamble on the production of oncoming linebacker Will Anderson, but the Texans are content with acting on impulse.

“The decisions that we make,” Texans GM Nick Caserio said at a post-draft conference, “[are] what we feel is in the best interest of the organization.”

Houston went 3-13-1 last season, good enough for second-to-last in the NFL. With high-lottery talent ready to hit the NRG Stadium turf this September, though, close may be the return to glory for the hometown Texans.