Can the Houston Texans Be the NFL Team that Goes from Worst to First in 2023?

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It has been a pretty decent off-season for the Houston Texans, on and off the field.

Maybe the biggest news is that safety Jonathan Owens married Simone Biles, and there are now a combined seven Olympic medals between the newly married couple.

Of course, fans want to know how the rebuilding team is going to do in 2023, and if the first round of the NFL Draft is anything to go by, the Texans are going for it.

While many pundits, and even some of the gambling sites around the country, thought that Houston would either trade out of the second spot in the first round or use those two picks to strengthen defense, the Texans had other ideas.

And they were staggering.

The Texans picked Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud with the second pick, much to the chagrin of many teams that needed a franchise quarterback. Other teams who wanted to get a QB were in discussions with the Arizona Cardinals for their third pick, but it was Houston that stunned everyone in attendance to trade up to the third spot and take DL Will Anderson, who many think is the player from the draft that is the safest bet to be a star.

So 15 minutes of the draft changed the franchise's future, and people were very impressed. And remember, that was just the first night of the draft: the Texans still had 10 more picks from round 3 to round 7. Can this team go from worst to first?

"I think we've identified players that have traits and characteristics that we think we want to have in our building," Texans General Manager Nick Caserio told the media after the first round of the draft. "And it's not just about what they do on the field. It's about other qualities that they possess."

The Texans have already jumped up the sportsbooks odds to win the AFC South in 2023. They are priced at +700, but there is a “however” coming: however, Houston is still well behind the defending champion Jacksonville Jaguars (odds of -167 to win the AFC South), the Tennessee Titans (odds of +450), and the Indianapolis Colts (odds of +500), as per Offers Bet.

No one thought the Jags would do much last year, and they won the division. Could this be the year the Texans rebuild, or are they another year (or more) away from the playoffs?

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