(SportsRadio 610) -- It has been over three months since the Texans hired Nick Caserio to be their fourth general manager in team history.
These three months must have felt like an eternity to the former New England director of player personnel as all things football related have been vastly overshadowed by off-the-field scandal.
Caserio walked into a less than desirable atmosphere as the Texans began trying desperately to pull out of what may be the darkest period in the 18-year existence of the franchise.
With the NFL Draft now only two days away, Nick Caserio is finally receiving more inquiries regarding the roster and player personnel more so than Deshaun Watson’s legal troubles and how involved Jack Easterby will be in roster decisions.
Caserio can finally focus, at least for now, on his wheelhouse- building a football team.
The new general manager in town took questions for over 30 minutes earlier this month during his pre-draft press conference, and although the Texans do not have a draft pick until the third round (67th overall) Caserio has shown he is not afraid to make moves and churn a new roster forward into 2021.
Caserio was asked about part of his defensive philosophy and whether he was of the opinion coverage positions were more important than the pass rush.
“It’s all combined” he said. “Defense is not about one particular position… The better front you have then it’s going to help the coverage; the better coverage [is] going to help the front.”
Caserio’s answer, while vague, does hold truth. However, I would not have been upset to hear that a focus for this roster will be improving what was a horrendous defensive line in 2020. Oh and by the way, J.J.
Watt is an Arizona Cardinal.
Coming off of the Texans’ four-win 2020 season, it goes without saying there are numerous improvements needed in order for Houston to put a competitive product on the field- but what area should Caserio focus on revamping first?
After having the 27th ranked overall defense in 2020 that would seem to be a great place to start. More specifically, the atrocious defensive front for the Texans.
Not only did the Texans give up more rushing yards to their opponents than any other squad in 2020 (2,564), there were games that appeared to lack any pressure on the opposition’s quarterback throughout all four quarters.
The Texans pressured QBs on 21.5% of dropbacks over the course of the season; only six teams were worse on a per drop back basis. The Texans will not approach the podium until the third round of the NFL draft, at which point they will use the 67th overall pick.
Let’s examine some possible selections at that draft spot that could be added to Lovie Smith’s defense in an attempt to fix that defensive front.
1. Jay Tufele, DT, USC (#62 on the Harris 100 v 2.0)
In what is considered a very deep draft for interior defensive lineman, Jay Tufele could be one of the first selected even though he opted out of USC’s 2020 season.
Caserio was recently asked about evaluating players this year who may have opted out in 2020.
“You just have to go off whatever info you have,” he said. “The players that opted out had less playing experience recently, right? Do you penalize them for that? Hopefully you can evaluate 2019, even players that played in 2020. Some teams played four games, some played five, and some played 10. You try to make as good assessment as possible with what you have.”
There is plenty of tape on Tufele in 2018 and 2019. The question is will Caserio like what he sees? The last time we saw Tufele in action he was showing that he was a freak of an athlete, both quick off the snap and great at changing direction all while being 310 pounds.
2. Ronnie Perkins, DE/OLB, Oklahoma (#60 on the Harris 100 v 2.0)
Perkins provides some versatility with experience from the stand up position, but can also put his hand in the dirt.
The edge rusher made his presence felt weekly in the Big 12, often meeting opposing QBs head on, or destroying running plays early for tackles for loss.
Perkins was suspended late in 2019 and was not able to return to the Sooners until mid-season 2020. With the Texans placing a high value on character and culture, he will without a doubt be questioned about the suspension before any decision would be made to draft the disruptive edge rusher out of OK.
3. Tommy Togiai, DT, Ohio State (#66 on the Harris 100 v 2.0)
Speed, speed, speed.
Scouts across the NFL are amazed by the quickness Togiai has put on tape. While he does possess a quick first step of the snap, the speed is really put on display in pursuit of the ball in a rush situation.
Johnny Harris said of Togiai in the Harris 100, “his strength and his hands will be what gets him paid.” Tape often show Togiai violently punching blockers off the ball and pursuing plays outside of the box.
The main worry is Tommy’s size standing at only 6’1” and under 300 pounds.
4. Osa Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA (#68 on the Harris 100 v 2.0)
Not just a fun name to say, this kid is my sleeper of the 2021 NFL Draft.
One of the more famous quotes to come from NBA coach Gregg Popovich was, “I want some nasty!” Well, Osa provides the nasty and the Texans could use a dose of nasty on the defensive side of the ball.
The defensive end out of UCLA has multiple tools and uses them for the entirety of games -- often showing up on the game film just as much in the fourth quarter as he did in the first.
The motor for Osa is insane, and his explosiveness is noticeable to say the least. The three-time state champ in wrestling could make some noise for the Texans if they take him at 67 in the third round.
Caserio and the Texans will be on the clock very soon.
There’s plenty of work to do, and it starts now.
Be sure to check out the FULL list of draft prospects on the Harris 100 here.
Tyler Milner is the executive producer of Clint Stoerner and "The Show" weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.