For a third consecutive year, Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio prepared for the draft with a different head coach and offensive coordinator.
Coach DeMeco Ryans followed Lovie Smith and David Culley. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik followed Pep Hamilton and Tim Kelly. It doesn’t take a scouting genius to understand how excited Ryans, Slowik and defensive coordinator Matt Burke were when the draft ended Saturday night.
Ryans and Slowik got Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick. Ryans and Burke got Alabama defensive end Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick.
And Caserio earned wide-spread praise for engineering the trade that allowed the Texans to move from 12th to third to get one of the most impressive one-two punches in draft history.
When all was said and done, Caserio had orchestrated eight trades in all. He entered the draft with 12 selections and came away with nine picks – five on offense and four on defense. He also acquired a third-round pick in 2024.
Even though the Texans dealt first- and third-round picks next year in the trade with Arizona to select Anderson, they’ll still have choices in the first, second and third rounds.
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Nothing’s guaranteed, of course, but if Stroud and Anderson play the way they’re capable, they could be candidates for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Caserio, Ryans and the assistants will be pumped during the rookie minicamp May 12-14 to see their draft choices: Stroud, Anderson, Penn State center Juice Scruggs, Houston receiver Tank Dell, TCU defensive end Dylan Horton, Alabama middle linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, Notre Dame center/guard Jarrett Patterson, Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson and Pitt safety Brandon Hill.
Receiver John Metchie III is like a bonus pick. Drafted in the second round last year despite suffering a torn ACL in the SEC Championship Game, Metchie missed his rookie year while undergoing treatment for Leukemia. He’s been participating in the offseason program, and, if he continues to make progress, he’ll be part of the team.
In his wrap-up news conference Saturday night, Caserio was asked about working with Ryans in their first draft together. Naturally, Caserio praised Ryans’ personality and personnel skills, especially the way they continue to mesh into the kind of general manager/head coach relationship winning teams need.
"It's been phenomenal,” Caserio said about working with Ryans through the draft process. “Just can't say enough good things about him.”
Usually, Caserio is careful with his words. He can be a killjoy when it comes to praising players, especially rookies. He likes to point out how they haven’t done anything, haven’t even been on the field, much less playing in games. But with Ryans, it’s been different. Caserio wanted to hire Ryans. So did Cal and Hannah McNair. Ryans just had to want them as bad as they wanted him. Fortunately for the Texans, he did.
“I think I've said it all spring, the opportunity to work with him, his thought process (and) communication is constant,” Caserio said. “I think we philosophically believe in a lot of the same things, things that are important.
He's been awesome. He's everything we envisioned. It's probably everything you (media) saw when he was here as a player. He's very consistent each day. He has a lot of good thoughts. His input is invaluable.”
Since Ryans was hired in January, his head has been spinning. He’s a first-time coach who was an assistant for only six years with the 49ers, including two as a defensive coordinator. But he had a 10-year playing career, the first six with the Texans and the last four with the Eagles.
Anytime you’re a head coach for the first time, there’s so much to learn with so little time. Ryans had to hire a staff, experience free agency, attend the combine and zero in on the draft. He’s fortunate to have a general manager with so much experience to help him along his path to his first season. Now Ryans moves to on-field experiences – the offseason program, including OTAs and two minicamps, then training camp and preseason before his first regular season game.
“(I’m) looking forward to the opportunity to continue to work with him,” Caserio said. “As we transition to football, I'm sure he'll be excited to go out there. He's very hands on.
“We were out there the other day in our voluntary minicamp. He spent a lot of time on the defense. That's where his heart is. But (he) has a good understanding of the overall team. All the players we drafted, he was a part of those discussions. I just can't say enough good things about the opportunity to work with him.”
Every time Ryans has been interviewed by reporters, he’s talked about the traits he likes in players, with talent, work ethic, selflessness and character being high on his list. It’s interesting to note that of the nine players drafted, seven were team captains.
“I think it speaks to who they are and what their teammates (and) what their coaches think of them,” Caserio said. “It’s not the (sole) reason you draft them, but, obviously, they're put in that position for a reason.
“When you're a captain, it's about leadership, and leadership is about action and their overall presence and commitment. They're good teammates. They have the right mindset. They put the team first. It’s (being a captain) a part of the evaluation, just like a number of other factors.”
The evaluation of the Caserio/Ryans dynamic is off to an impressive start, and now they have to take it the practice field for – what else? – further evaluation.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Thursday on Texans Radio. He writes three times a week and does two Houtopia Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com. He also can be read four times a week on GallerySports.com.