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In hindsight, what did Nick Caserio get right/wrong this past offseason?
- Thread starter OKC_Texan
- Start date
I think he's going to end up being a top tier starting RT for the next decade. He's about as good as Alt coming out of college IMHO and that makes him worth a late 1st a yr later. He's held his own as a rookie RT in the NFL IMHO. He's already a guy you can run the ball behind and should only get better with experience. But if I had to give up Fisher for Thomas I would do it in a heartbeat. Thomas is special.
When you see one that you think can be a WR1 for a decade you pick him, even if it's in the 1st rd.
We can only go by the results that happened.
Why do you think a team would've traded ahead of the Texans, but didn't trade up ahead of the Jags?
Give me Booker and Savion Williams or Tre Harris in Rd 2 and I'm very happy.
badboy
Hall of Fame
True but there are so many more NFL type receivers in college than QBs.
I'm not so sure that it's that wide of a margin
badboy
Hall of Fame
Bullock 51 tackles 5 INTS
Remind me how many games Blake Fisher has started at right tackle?
Byrd practice squad.
Brooks has been on injured reserve almost all season.
Lassiter despite injury has been an extremely good rookie corner. Stover has been a disappointment.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
PFF ranks him 89th at safety.
Sure they do- I'd like to see a list of the 88 better than him
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TheRealJoker V2
Veteran
I now see what the old Jets GM was going through when trying to convince the owner’s teenage son a player was worth having.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
Ha ha! Look, I love all my Texans and that's why I need to step back and consider other data points, such as PFF.
So what did you think of Lassiter & Bullock?
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
I don't think I'm qualified to say. As a casual fan I think Lassiter can be a decent cb. Bullock seems to have solid instincts. They were both rookies and I'm hopeful that they become excellent at their positions next season.
That's not how we do it around here.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
Ha ha. I never played a down of organized football in my life. I'm the LAST yahoo you want to ask. But let me ask you; how do you truly know how well any individual player is performing without a trained eye to watch game film and critique every player's performance on every snap?
The easy way, especially for defense is if the announcers are continually saying that players name. He's making plays, always around the ball. They've been saying Bullock's name a lot. He's a rangy Safety & has a good nose for the ball.
Lassiter is a little different. You don't want to hear his name. If they say his name a lot it's because the QB of the other team is picking on him & keeps throwing the ball at his guy. But Lassiter has been pretty lockdown, especially for a rookie. QBs don't look his way too often.
PFF is good for information to supplement a narrative. I don't watch every team so I can't say how our guy ranks against another guy. But I watch our team play. Our defense is doing good, for the most part & those two have been a big part of it.
badboy
Hall of Fame
And that is why you're getting so many pushbacks on using PFF as a highly valuable source of ranking. You have to understand how PFF ranks people. Any defensive player getting five interceptions it's pretty darn good.
32 teams x 53 players...
badboy
Hall of Fame
Wait.. so when I was told that I had to pass the S2 to be qualified to post here that wasn't a prerequisite?
House of Pain
Wild Speculator
I think recency bias, especially in our instant gratification society that we find ourselves in has impaired our memories. As much as I like to get caught up in revisionist history, we have to remember what the general consensus was BEFORE the season started:
- Needed a CB badly
- Needed a S
- Needed a #1 or #2 WR
- Needed another top-tier/elite pass rusher
- Needed a RB badly
- Needed multiple DTs
- Needed multiple LBs
(feel free to add/subtract if my memory fails me)
Based on this list, I think Caserio did at least a A- or B+. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER people were not clamoring to replace everyone on the OL. I know we had questions at LG but we thought some combination of the Greens, Patterson, or one of the guys on the team would be serviceable to keep CJ protected.
Lassiter and Bullock were solid to very good picks based on their play as a rookie. I think that Lassiter along with a healthy Stingley will solidify the starting CB positions for many years to come (assuming they resign them both). Bullock may not have the PFF grades, but I'm satisfied with his play and not giving up big plays that we struggled with mightily in 2023.
Diggs was a good pickup, however, I would have not put him on a 1-yr deal like NC did. I think Nick has a tendency to err a little too much on the player friendly side. Just my opinion. I think if Diggs wouldn't have been injured and out for the year, we may feel differently about the WR position. To be fair, Diggs has no significant injury history so it was kind of fluky that he's out for the year.
Nick brought in Hunter and Mixon--I don't hear anyone complaining about that. Excellent moves so we have to give him credit. Especially with Mixon, who appears to be pivot from when we missed out on Barkley. WAJ progressed as we thought he would.
NC brought in a lot of no name or "JAG" DT guys and we were groaning about not getting an Armstead or whoever (especially after we traded Hughes for an Old English and a sack of Thorn's shake) and that ended up being a team strength. No disrespect to Fatukasi, who was probably the biggest name of them all.
Nick got AAS at LB and had Harris been healthy, we would have had a top-tier LB core all season. Despite the injuries and suspension, To'oTo'o did just fine and he also benefited from getting in shape.
And finally, he drafted Fisher. At the time people were kinda meh about the pick, but Caserio had the foresight that at some point either Howard or Tunsil would be injured or are going to leave so we need to get another solid T on our team for the future so we didn't have to trade for one or not get the one we want in the draft. This may have been the 2nd or 3rd best pick he made in the draft behind Lassiter.
Outside of extending all the old guys on our OL, which IMO was completely unnecessary and was a bad move, I think Nick had good reason to think that Juice wouldn't suck at C, someone would have played at a average level at LG and RG.
Was he perfect? Definitely not. But to crush him for OL getting dominated and looking completely lost is probably more on scheme and coaching than it is on him. Kenyon Green was a big whiff, so was Metchie, but I'm sure you can find guys on just about every team that have underachieved like they have.
- Needed a CB badly
- Needed a S
- Needed a #1 or #2 WR
- Needed another top-tier/elite pass rusher
- Needed a RB badly
- Needed multiple DTs
- Needed multiple LBs
(feel free to add/subtract if my memory fails me)
Based on this list, I think Caserio did at least a A- or B+. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER people were not clamoring to replace everyone on the OL. I know we had questions at LG but we thought some combination of the Greens, Patterson, or one of the guys on the team would be serviceable to keep CJ protected.
Lassiter and Bullock were solid to very good picks based on their play as a rookie. I think that Lassiter along with a healthy Stingley will solidify the starting CB positions for many years to come (assuming they resign them both). Bullock may not have the PFF grades, but I'm satisfied with his play and not giving up big plays that we struggled with mightily in 2023.
Diggs was a good pickup, however, I would have not put him on a 1-yr deal like NC did. I think Nick has a tendency to err a little too much on the player friendly side. Just my opinion. I think if Diggs wouldn't have been injured and out for the year, we may feel differently about the WR position. To be fair, Diggs has no significant injury history so it was kind of fluky that he's out for the year.
Nick brought in Hunter and Mixon--I don't hear anyone complaining about that. Excellent moves so we have to give him credit. Especially with Mixon, who appears to be pivot from when we missed out on Barkley. WAJ progressed as we thought he would.
NC brought in a lot of no name or "JAG" DT guys and we were groaning about not getting an Armstead or whoever (especially after we traded Hughes for an Old English and a sack of Thorn's shake) and that ended up being a team strength. No disrespect to Fatukasi, who was probably the biggest name of them all.
Nick got AAS at LB and had Harris been healthy, we would have had a top-tier LB core all season. Despite the injuries and suspension, To'oTo'o did just fine and he also benefited from getting in shape.
And finally, he drafted Fisher. At the time people were kinda meh about the pick, but Caserio had the foresight that at some point either Howard or Tunsil would be injured or are going to leave so we need to get another solid T on our team for the future so we didn't have to trade for one or not get the one we want in the draft. This may have been the 2nd or 3rd best pick he made in the draft behind Lassiter.
Outside of extending all the old guys on our OL, which IMO was completely unnecessary and was a bad move, I think Nick had good reason to think that Juice wouldn't suck at C, someone would have played at a average level at LG and RG.
Was he perfect? Definitely not. But to crush him for OL getting dominated and looking completely lost is probably more on scheme and coaching than it is on him. Kenyon Green was a big whiff, so was Metchie, but I'm sure you can find guys on just about every team that have underachieved like they have.
we've got special rules for you.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
That's ok. We're just making friendly discussion.
badboy
Hall of Fame
I knew it! Mama always told me I was special! Even when in Little League we were last place and received a nice little trophy for good sportsmanship, and I threw my glove at the coach and refused the trophy; I knew I was going to grow up someday to be special on a sports message talk board.
badboy
Hall of Fame
The only disagreement and it's not huge is concerning John Metchie. He was 24 receptions of 37 targets for a 10.6 average with a TD. That's not a whiff although I did expect more from him when he was drafted. I really liked him at alabama.
House of Pain
Wild Speculator
Maybe you're right. I'm a little harsh on him. After all, he had cancer and beat that after coming off the ACL injury. To your credit, I think it's probably not fair to lump him in with Kenyon Green. KG was advertised as a "plug and play" starter from day 1. He's been nothing like that at all.
It's not like Metchie been awful or anything, but I guess when we drafted him I was expecting him to be more than what he is.
TheRealJoker V2
Veteran
Metchie is a whiff. He is a player you want to upgrade next offseason. If you watch the player and think, “This is not good enough” then its a whiff.
Are those stats “good enough” to you? @badboy
badboy
Hall of Fame
Not a whiff but I would be interested in moving on from him. And no those stats are not good enough to give him a roster spot.
I want at least two wide receivers in the draft and possibly one day 3 late.
Porky
Hall of Fame
Considering the draft slot and giving up draft capital, Metchie is a big whiff. Granted, the cancer played a role, but he isn’t a separator and that was supped to be his calling card coming out. I said at the time he isn’t sudden enough and yes he gets open in college…not sure in the NFL. And he’s not a plu guy on special teams. He’s an iffy roster guy next year.
TheRealJoker V2
Veteran
If that’s not a whiff, not sure what is buddy boy.
BullRushTX
To'oTo'o A'go-go
Stover has shown potential to be a decent second string TE. That's not exactly great, but maybe he'll improve next season.
I wanted Pickens when Metchie was picked, but I thought Metchie was a good pick. Whiff
Give me Savion Williams in rd 2 and Bo Melton in FA and I'm a happy camper.
Badly need an upgrade at this position.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
OptimisticTexan
2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
I think Caserio could still reach out to the Panthers to see if there would be any interest in bringing Metchie in to give Young a familiar target. Return is probably a RD6 or RD7, so I also have to ask myself if I get a comparable WR in the RD6 or 7.
And yet he's 89th best
TheRealJoker V2
Veteran
I think the team missed Brevin Jordan this season.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
Yes, it does.
It's why I take PFF grades with a grain of salt.
Jordan is even a worse blocker than Schultz.
How many "blocking" TEs come to Houston that all of a sudden forgot how to block? I think it's something in the water. Maybe the heat... the pansies.
OKC_Texan
Waterboy
Yea, me too going forward.
House of Pain
Wild Speculator
In my extremely long post, somehow, I forgot to talk about the TE position (which was one of the reasons I wanted to post ITT).
Again, all the people that are complaining about Schultz forget how thin the position within the organization. He was a known commodity so I think they just signed him to make sure they didn't end up with someone worse. (Yes, there could have been worse people. They probably wouldn't have cost as much though.)
I think we signed Schultz because the market wasn't good and we wanted to have some stability for CJ. None were available for trade. We had so many holes or spots that needed an upgrade, we couldn't have used a pick on someone like Bowers (but holy smokes, maybe we should have) without sacrificing several positions of need (ended up being CB and cornerstone T). The real issue is that Dalton is being asked to block in this scheme and he's not that guy and he's not good at it. His body language sucks and I don't think his demeanor does him any favors either. Also, if the OL didn't look so clueless against stunts and get pushed around so much when other teams run 4 man fronts, this wouldn't really matter as much. They ask him to chip guys and stay back and protect. Totally not what he is.
Not so
TheRealJoker V2
Veteran
Maybe if we’re just looking at his rookie season. But I thought he did a good job blocking in the only game he played this season (week 1). He looked to be on an upward trend developing as a rotational player who also has upside as a YAC short passing game option.
Not going to count on that continuing after the torn acl. Would obviously bring in competition instead of granting him a roster spot.
Just draft a top tier Warren/Loveland/Fannin type TE and be done with it. Make Schultz a TE2. I'm not sure how good of a blocker Fannin is, from what I've seen he's a very talented playmaking receiver who wasn't asked to do much blocking. The r. Bowl week should be very telling.