From A (@randomdogname):
A, it’s too early to make a definitive call on that. That said, we can talk about it philosophically.
I do think the call here is to go with Alabama's Anderson Jr. or Georgia's Carter. Both are physically superior players at important positions that you can plug in and hope for a decade’s worth of Pro Bowls. If I had to guess which player Texans GM Nick Caserio would be more comfortable, I’d go with Anderson, because he is cleaner from a makeup perspective and comes from a program Caserio has a ton of background with. But Carter has more upside.
Here are the comps I got from one AFC exec, who started by saying that physically, Anderson is built like Von Miller, while he plays a little like a smaller version of another star edge guy.
“Will Anderson is a less athletic Myles Garrett—not as long or quick, but just as powerful,” he said. “Heavy-handed, more consistent motor than Myles coming out. … And Jalen is a unicorn. Probably the closest thing to [Ndamukong] Suh since Suh, just a total, freakish blend of size, power and athletic ability.”
One other comp that I got for Carter that I kind of liked was Fletcher Cox. And Kayvon Thibodeaux and Melvin Ingram are two other comps that came in for Anderson.
Now, if you want a real-life example of how the actual decision-making here could play out, if you’re not wild about the quarterbacks, look at the first three picks from 2019.
The Cardinals got Kyler Murray and that’s, well, complicated. He’s not a bust, but there’s a lot to dig through with him. Meanwhile, the 49ers and Jets are pulling Brinks trucks out of the driveway for Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams, both of whom have become game-wreckers at important positions, but not as important as quarterback. And both teams took quarterbacks two years after that, and are contending now (the Cardinals are not).
So there’s a lot to a decision such as this one, for sure. So it’s a good thing Caserio’s got four months to mull it over.
