Texans’ Caserio not seeking Hail Mary to regain No. 1 pick
INDIANAPOLIS — In a convention hall connected to Lucas Oil Stadium, the arena in which the Texans spurned the No. 1 overall pick by beating the Colts on a Hail Mary and two-point conversion in the regular season finale, general manager Nick Caserio gave no inclination he's interested in using any of his wealth of assets to trade up for the trade slot they lost.
The dizzying denouement of the 2022 season, which resulted in the firing of former Texans coach Lovie Smith, awarded the Bears the top selection in the NFL draft. The Texans hold the No. 2 pick, and Caserio has often said Houston is seeking to add a quarterback either in the draft or free agency.
The Bears, who hold the No. 1 pick, are apparently happy with Justin Fields and are reportedly open to trading their draft positioning to the highest bidder. The Colts (No. 4), Raiders (No. 7) and Panthers (No. 9) are all within range of considering a jump of the Texans.
“We're not necessarily worried about what other teams around us are doing,” Caserio said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine. “You're cognizant of that. But ultimately you have to be prepared to pick wherever you're going to pick, and then be prepared to pick whatever player. I'd say most teams, not to generalize here, but most teams, wherever they pick, you probably have three or four guys that you would feel comfortable taking.
“So, if a team is in front of you and you're only talking about one player, well, that's going to leave two or three other players. So, you're either comfortable with that group of players or you're not. Again, you can't get too caught up with what other teams are doing. Just try and make decisions that you feel are best for your team and your situation.”
The Texans appear content with their draft positioning. Even if another team were to jump them and take their pick of Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis or Florida's Anthony Richardson, the Texans, by Caserio's generic math, would possibly have two or three other players they'd be happy selecting.
It could be any of the quarterbacks remaining. It could be a premier defensive lineman like Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama defensive end Will Anderson.
Caserio has 11 picks to spend, including the No. 12 pick he secured as part of last year's Deshaun Watson trade. Five picks are within the NFL'S top-75 selections, and the trade-happy Caserio will likely again use his stockpile of picks to trade up for players he and his personnel department favor.
But the Texans must add another quarterback somehow. Davis Mills is the only quarterback remaining under contract, and the 2021 third-round pick's regression in nearly every statistical category (while tying the NFL lead with 15 interceptions) warrants an upgrade.
“It kind of gives you some optionality, which you don't necessarily always have,” Caserio said. “We've kind of created some optionality for ourselves organizationally. But in the end, it's about what do we do with those picks, with those resources? We can have all the resources in the world. But if you don't use the ones—the draft, we've talked about this, there's an element of chance with just about every player you take. So, if it's a 50-50 proposition.
“But in some respects it is, and the later it gets, unfortunately the percentages go down. So, I think we've positioned ourselves in a pretty good spot. So, what we do now in terms of our actions will be more important than anything else.”