Houston paid a premium to move from No. 12 to No. 3 for Will…
Houston paid a premium to move from No. 12 to No. 3 for Will Anderson Jr., sending Arizona additional 2023 and 2024 premium picks. Anderson has 30 sacks in three seasons, won 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned 2025 first-team All-Pro honors and received a major extension. Arizona converted its return into several young pieces, including Darius Robinson, but none has matched Anderson’s impact. Hindsight now favors Houston despite the original price.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- pick 2023 1st round pick (12th overall subsequently traded, Jahmyr Gibbs ), 2023 2nd round pick (33rd overall subsequently traded, Will Levis ), 2024 1st round pick (27th overall, Darius Robinson ) and 2024 3rd round pick (90th overall, Elijah Jones )
Houston Texans Received
- pick 2023 1st round pick (3rd overall, Will Anderson )
- pick 2023 4th round pick (105th overall subsequently traded, Kelee Ringo )
Trade Analysis
Houston made one of the boldest moves of the 2023 draft, sending Arizona picks 12 and 33 plus first- and third-round selections in 2024 for No. 3 and No. 105. The Texans used the third pick on Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. The price was widely viewed as enormous because Houston was coming off a three-win season and did not know where its 2024 first-rounder would land.
Anderson has changed the calculation. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year after a seven-sack debut season, reached 11 sacks in 2024 and then produced 12 sacks with three forced fumbles in 2025. Through three seasons he has 30 sacks, 46 tackles for loss and 64 quarterback hits. His 2025 season brought Associated Press first-team All-Pro honors, a second Pro Bowl selection and Defensive Player of the Year finalist recognition. Houston rewarded him with a major extension in 2026.
Arizona received substantial volume and should not be treated as though the return disappeared. The Cardinals used and re-traded portions of the package, with the asset tree helping create multiple young players. The 2024 first-rounder became Darius Robinson, who started 12 games in 2025 and recorded 43 tackles, although he has only two sacks through two seasons. Other pieces from the trade tree have added roster value, but the return has not produced a player comparable to Anderson.
That matters because premium pass rushers are among the hardest assets in football to acquire. Houston paid a steep price, but it used the pick on a player who has already become an All-Pro cornerstone before his 25th birthday. The Texans also reached the playoffs in each of Anderson’s first three seasons, reducing the sting of the future first-rounder they surrendered.
The original Arizona-win verdict is now stale. Houston deserves an A, Arizona a B+, and the verdict should flip to the Texans. Arizona received good process value; Houston received the elite player that justified breaking the usual trade chart.