The word “generational” and NFL draft evaluation is as commonplace as sand on the bottom of a car floorboard after a Saturday afternoon in Galveston.
Max Chadwick from Pro Football Focus actually did something about the liberal use of the term and ranked how “generational” the top prospects are in the 2023 NFL draft.
According to Chadwick, the most generational of the lot is Texas running back Bijan Robinson. However, the Houston Texans have no use for the former Longhorn — at least not in Round 1 thanks to the duo of Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary.
At No. 2 overall, the Texans are primed to take a quarterback, whether Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. It depends on what the Carolina Panthers want to do atop the order as the equally quarterback-needy franchise holds the No. 1 overall pick.
One theory is that if the Texans miss out on Young, why take a quarterback at all? Why not go with the best player available and go with Alabama defensive end Will Anderson, who comes in at No. 3 on Chadwick’s list?
Anderson would’ve been the first edge defender selected in a number of recent drafts, including the last two. His 206 career pressures are the most in the PFF College era while his 63 career run-stops lead all Power Five edge defenders since 2020.
If Anderson is high enough to qualify as third on the list, it begs the question of where Young falls. The best field general of the class is three slots below his Crimson Tide teammate.
Size be damned, Young is still QB1 due to his ability as a creator. He easily would’ve been the first signal-caller selected last year and a case could be made that he would’ve been for every draft since 2013 aside from 2021 (Trevor Lawrence) and 2020 (Joe Burrow).
If Anderson is better than Young from the outset, why not go with the dominant edge defender and try for the quarterback later?
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