Landing Will Anderson, QB of future

The Texans trade Nos. 33 (Round 2), 104 (Round 4) to the Cincinnati Bengals for their No. 28 overall pick (Round 1).

Caserio can’t walk out of the first round without a quarterback, so a phone call at the end of Day 1 gives the Texans their hopeful franchise passer. Hooker isn’t going to wow fans on draft night, but then again, this is a fan base that booed the J.J. Watt selected and dubbed him a bust before he picked three Defensive Player of the Year trophies.

The positives to Hooker’s game are promising. He has pinpoint accuracy that can stretch all three phases of the field. He doesn’t possess a Howitzer of an arm like Anthony Richardson, but he can sling deep. Last season, Hooker led all FBS passers in completions of over 30-plus yards downfield. He’s quick with his decision-making and rarely turns the ball over. Then again, Josh Huepel’s up-tempo offense was predicated on quick decision-making and plenty of pre-snap reads.

Despite coming off a torn ACL, Hooker has said on multiple occasions that he’s ahead of schedule and should be ready for training camp. There are some limitations to his game (and he’ll be 26 by the end of his rookie season), but for the style of offense Slowik wants to run, perhaps Hooker has similar success to Brock Purdy but with more long-term upside.

It’s not the pick most Texans fans want, but it’s the one I think occurs come Thursday night. And yes, this will be the pick that likely decides the fate of Caserio come January.