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Texans General Draft discussion

TexansBull said:
Don’t feel sorry for him. He had his number retired.
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Hey man I don't follow college ball very closly so I checked it out, and yea of course
you are right, it was retired.
So I'm reading about it now and it's a weird story, about retirering the # of a comparitively
mediorce player like Sanders.
 
Dissecting some of Nick’s post day1/2 comments and reports he tried to trade back up into round 1:

I think they had a range they were willing to trade up in round 1. When those players came off the board, the plan was stick and pick or trade down. They traded down and then I think they were exploring trading back up (Higgins/Conerly in this band of players at 25?) like they did end of day 2 for Jaylin Smith.

Nick thinks of players in “bands” or clusters and if he has a few similarly rated he tries to maximize the draft trade value. A form of draft “arbitrage” where he can trade down, acquire picks and then trade back up and still get a player in that “band” of players while making a profit on draft picks.

In the case of round 1, nobody was willing to let him move up where he could make a “profit” on picks acquired while still getting a guy he’d stick and pick at 25. But he was able to do so end of round 3 with the trade down from 89 then trading back up for Jaylin Smith.

He mentioned end of day 1 that there was a player they were talking about taking at 25 (Higgins) still available end of round 1. Nick’s process is fascinating. I appreciate how he looks for every edge possible on draft night, always on the phone looking to find ways to maneuver to maximize value and get the best players possible for DeMeco to coach up to get this team a Super Bowl!
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Dissecting some of Nick’s post day1/2 comments and reports he tried to trade back up into round 1:

I think they had a range they were willing to trade up in round 1. When those players came off the board, the plan was stick and pick or trade down. They traded down and then I think they were exploring trading back up (Higgins/Conerly in this band of players at 25?) like they did end of day 2 for Jaylin Smith.

Nick thinks of players in “bands” or clusters and if he has a few similarly rated he tries to maximize the draft trade value. A form of draft “arbitrage” where he can trade down, acquire picks and then trade back up and still get a player in that “band” of players while making a profit on draft picks.

In the case of round 1, nobody was willing to let him move up where he could make a “profit” on picks acquired while still getting a guy he’d stick and pick at 25. But he was able to do so end of round 3 with the trade down from 89 then trading back up for Jaylin Smith.

He mentioned end of day 1 that there was a player they were talking about taking at 25 (Higgins) still available end of round 1. Nick’s process is fascinating. I appreciate how he looks for every edge possible on draft night, always on the phone looking to find ways to maneuver to maximize value and get the best players possible for DeMeco to coach up to get this team a Super Bowl!
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Plus he's got the 2026 draft setup with

1st
Two 2nds
Two 3rds
Two 4ths
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
This team just got more explosive on offense. Bigger and stronger on the OL. And added some depth at CB to boot. Not a bad day 2 :)
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I wasnt all that high on the OT but if the plan is to play him at guard I think that could be a homerun pick.

As it stands i still am ok with him at tackle but I think he needs more seasoning to be a quality starting tackle. I think he can play guard from day one.

The WRs were the picks that excite me the most. Texans WR corps just got extremely scary. Both Higgins and Noel are very smooth and effortless route runners. Easily get separation. Both have YAC potential. Higgins has great jump ball potential.

Jaylin Smith is for sure SWARM. Developmental player I think but right now adds good depth and insurance. Reminds me of Pitre.

But this WR group is going to give defenses nightmares. The camp battles between the DBs and WRs is going to be epic.
 
xtruroyaltyx said:
I wasnt all that high on the OT but if the plan is to play him at guard I think that could be a homerun pick.

As it stands i still am ok with him at tackle but I think he needs more seasoning to be a quality starting tackle. I think he can play guard from day one.

The WRs were the picks that excite me the most. Texans WR corps just got extremely scary. Both Higgins and Noel are very smooth and effortless route runners. Easily get separation. Both have YAC potential. Higgins has great jump ball potential.

Jaylin Smith is for sure SWARM. Developmental player I think but right now adds good depth and insurance. Reminds me of Pitre.

But this WR group is going to give defenses nightmares. The camp battles between the DBs and WRs is going to be epic.
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With Collins and Higgins this will help solve some of the RZ issues.
 
xtruroyaltyx said:
I wasnt all that high on the OT but if the plan is to play him at guard I think that could be a homerun pick.

As it stands i still am ok with him at tackle but I think he needs more seasoning to be a quality starting tackle. I think he can play guard from day one.

The WRs were the picks that excite me the most. Texans WR corps just got extremely scary. Both Higgins and Noel are very smooth and effortless route runners. Easily get separation. Both have YAC potential. Higgins has great jump ball potential.

Jaylin Smith is for sure SWARM. Developmental player I think but right now adds good depth and insurance. Reminds me of Pitre.

But this WR group is going to give defenses nightmares. The camp battles between the DBs and WRs is going to be epic.
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Where the Texans were picking, they weren’t getting a guy who you’d expect to start at OT day 1. Everyone is going to take time to develop. Ersery has tools to work with, he was going to be drafted by somebody in the second round, lets see if the team can start developing OL.

WR corps looks even better coming into this season now that they are 4 deep instead of
3 with built-in replacements for the starters if/when they miss time.

Team obviously puts a lot of value into the position. Look how much they’ve spent in money and draft capital since Nick has been here.

Traded up in 3rd for Nico, traded up in second for Metchie, traded up for Dell, traded a 2nd to rent Diggs, traded to rent Kirk, picked Nico 2.0 in 2nd and Kirk 2.0 in 3rd…
 
@steelbtexan given the team has drafted players who have visited with every pick so far and the speed they’ve added at the skill positions, i’m interested in seeing who they add at RB.

I want to see them keep Pierce if transitioning back to more of a gap scheme.

Your guy Smith would be an excellent fit and add the speed dimension to the unit. Plus he’s taken 3 visits with the team so there’s clear interest. Adds the speed dimension to the RB room. We’ll see if it works out to get him in Houston today.
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Dissecting some of Nick’s post day1/2 comments and reports he tried to trade back up into round 1:

I think they had a range they were willing to trade up in round 1. When those players came off the board, the plan was stick and pick or trade down. They traded down and then I think they were exploring trading back up (Higgins/Conerly in this band of players at 25?) like they did end of day 2 for Jaylin Smith.

Nick thinks of players in “bands” or clusters and if he has a few similarly rated he tries to maximize the draft trade value. A form of draft “arbitrage” where he can trade down, acquire picks and then trade back up and still get a player in that “band” of players while making a profit on draft picks.

In the case of round 1, nobody was willing to let him move up where he could make a “profit” on picks acquired while still getting a guy he’d stick and pick at 25. But he was able to do so end of round 3 with the trade down from 89 then trading back up for Jaylin Smith.

He mentioned end of day 1 that there was a player they were talking about taking at 25 (Higgins) still available end of round 1. Nick’s process is fascinating. I appreciate how he looks for every edge possible on draft night, always on the phone looking to find ways to maneuver to maximize value and get the best players possible for DeMeco to coach up to get this team a Super Bowl!
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Great post.
 
When the Texans traded out of the #25 pick, I got the distinct impression they were going to take Donovan Jackson but the Vikings skated them so they decided on their next best option which was to go for more picks and still get a guy later they rated very highly on their board.
Texans obviously had a detailed strategy coming into this draft with the trades they're pulling and a long list of guys they liked up and down this draft board.
Having said that, I was a bit mystified by the Jaylen Smith pick.
There was some good DL on the board at the time.
 
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So far, Texans have been heavy on the O and rightfully so.
Let's see if they pick up more Oline.
I'm betting they do
 
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steelbtexan said:
So far Rosegarten has been the much better player.

Just saying and yet posters keep explaining away why. It could be something as simple as the Ravens drafted the better/more well rounded player. We will see next yr, but if Fisher doesn't play well I expect some to continue to explain away his failures and I was a Fisher guy when he was drafted and still think he can reach his potential.
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Not that it matters a flying F but Rosegarten was my preference. 2023 Washington Husky OL was special. Replaced in 2024 down interstate I5 with the Oregon Ducks OL. But no, out of sight out of mind.
 
Am I missing something here? Wasn't our biggest position of need going into this draft the IOL? Not one guard or center in the draft & so far, no UDFA interior linemen? The new WRs are great, but if CJ is running for his life on every play, what good are the WRs going to be for us? Oh well.
 
Hottoddie said:
Am I missing something here? Wasn't our biggest position of need going into this draft the IOL? Not one guard or center in the draft & so far, no UDFA interior linemen? The new WRs are great, but if CJ is running for his life on every play, what good are the WRs going to be for us? Oh well.
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They loved Booker. Tried to trade up to 12 to get him but Dallas stayed put and took him with Zack Martin retiring. He was probably one of the only interior guys that they thought they could plug/play right away and expect a big upgrade there. Then they pivoted to playmakers to make Stroud's life easier while also taking an athletic specimen in the OT Ersery who has a lot of potential. Nico, Kirk, Higgins, Noel, Watson, Berrios, et al is a much better set of receivers than what they had going at the end of last season and it's not even close. Then they also added in a great receiving back in Marks and a really interesting TE prospect in Lachey. Have to think Caley is going to let the best man win when it comes to the ol competition and will have a much better scheme set up to protect CJ. Won't be perfect but I doubt it's anything like last year. And then they have a 1, two 2s, NYG's 3, and two 4s in next year's draft to make things happen whenever they deem it necessary as well.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916285622651638228

https://www.fantasyalarm.com/player-news/3620178/texans-sign-former-kentucky-c-eli-cox/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1910764787744837876

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10143824-eli-cox-nfl-draft-2025-scouting-report-for-kentucky-iol
 
Another draft complete in the Caserio/DeMeco era. As draft fans, we know Nick’s strategy by now. He is going to trade more than any other GM every which way in an effort to maneuver the board and get the players his team has in specific “bands” or clusters. The coaches give him a shopping list and he does everything he has to do to get the players that “fit the profile”.

Nick targets players from “power 5” schools. And high football character guys who have extensive starting experience. Team captain types. 30+ starts in college ideal. Luke Lachey had the lowest number of college starts in the Texans draft class with 24, but he played in 42 games at Iowa and would have crossed the 30 starts threshold if not for injury in 2023. Jaylen Reed had 29 starts but played in 50 games for Penn State behind highly drafted NFL talent. Everyone they drafted has a lot of experience playing football at a power 5 school. This will help them transition to the NFL. They will understand expectations, they have had high level coaching. Presumably they have been in high level S&C programs at these schools.

He will double dip on positions based on team needs and double dip on schools if he sees value from that program. This year he treated Iowa State and USC as his “developmental” programs.

You may not agree with every move he makes, but the process is sound judging by the results so far. Two time AFC South champs, one of the most talented rosters in the league and one of the few teams who can legitimately call themselves a Super Bowl contender going into 2025.

It is coming into focus what the team’s priorities are: They want targets for CJ to be able to pass the ball. And they want defenders that will keep opposing QBs from passing the ball. In the 1990s the way to win games was to run the ball and stop the run. Nowadays it’s a passing league. You gotta be able to pass the ball and stop the pass via pass rushers and a lockdown secondary.

With that in mind, the board came into focus. Looking at the roster prior to the draft, they were short on depth at WR and DB. More importantly, they were short on rookie contract depth and from a roster construction standpoint it makes sense to get rookie contract players “in the pipeline” when the bill comes due on your starters and they need new contracts.

You can only bring 90 players to camp and the Texans had 14 OL prior to the draft. It should not have been a surprise they weren’t going to get multiple OL from this draft class. That’s why they piled on vets in FA/trades. They did the work scouting and did not see many guys who can become day one starters over the vet options they had available. And they preferred the value at other positions in later rounds (WR/DB/RB).

Roster numbers is something I am going to take more into account when I do mocks for Houston in the future. I had a feeling they would double dip at WR and I took only one OL due to my “hunch”. But that “hunch” became tangibly clear as the draft unfolded and I had more time to reflect on their moves this offseason and in previous years under Nick/DeMeco. I am “self scouting” as the teams say!
 
Hottoddie said:
Am I missing something here? Wasn't our biggest position of need going into this draft the IOL? Not one guard or center in the draft & so far, no UDFA interior linemen? The new WRs are great, but if CJ is running for his life on every play, what good are the WRs going to be for us? Oh well.
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Isn’t the Texans new OC’s style designed to get the ball out of CJ’s hands quickly? Sure seems like it with these new receivers and RB. That would help any OL IMO.
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Nick targets players from “power 5” schools. And high football character guys who have extensive starting experience. Team captain types. 30+ starts in college ideal. Luke Lachey had the lowest number of college starts in the Texans draft class with 24, but he played in 42 games at Iowa and would have crossed the 30 starts threshold if not for injury in 2023. Jaylen Reed had 29 starts but played in 50 games for Penn State behind highly drafted NFL talent. Everyone they drafted has a lot of experience playing football at a power 5 school. This will help them transition to the NFL. They will understand expectations, they have had high level coaching. Presumably they have been in high level S&C programs at these schools.
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I thought of any year Nick was going to go against his “Power 5” only trend it was going to be this year, but I think it’s fairly safe to say that Nick has a “type”
 
Hottoddie said:
Am I missing something here? Wasn't our biggest position of need going into this draft the IOL? Not one guard or center in the draft & so far, no UDFA interior linemen? The new WRs are great, but if CJ is running for his life on every play, what good are the WRs going to be for us? Oh well.
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Ersery?
 
Hottoddie said:
Am I missing something here? Wasn't our biggest position of need going into this draft the IOL?
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Depends. Do you think the IOL lacked talent? Do you think it wad a schematic problem?

Did Nick, Demeco, or Nick say it was our biggest need? Did they address IOL in FA?
 
thunderkyss said:
Depends. Do you think the IOL lacked talent? Do you think it wad a schematic problem?

Did Nick, Demeco, or Nick say it was our biggest need? Did they address IOL in FA?
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No they did not say it, but the 54 sacks allowed were yelling it at the top of their lungs. Hopefully it was just a schematic problem, but from what I saw, many of the sacks were a result of the players not holding their blocks or missing the defensive player all together. I guess we'll just have to wait & see what next year's o'line looks like.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
They don’t like his feet….me, I’m fine with his feet. What he lacks in dancing, he makes up with…with sheer length and power. Finish the coaching process b/c he’s got the rest of the tools already.
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Well my man, I think it's time. I'm with you, we all have misses with our hits. Do you want to say the last words for Hollin Pierce?


:winky:

edit: Just saw that the Eagles picked him as a UDFA, so there's still has a chance. (I would LOVE to have the Eagles OL coach.)
 
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cland said:
Well my man, I think it's time. I'm with you, we all have misses with our hits. Do you want to say the last words for Hollin Pierce?


:winky:

edit: Just saw that the Eagles picked him as a UDFA, so there's still has a chance. (I would LOVE to have the Eagles OL coach.)
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Hollin Pierce and TE- Maliq Carr (Houston) got picked up by the Eagles. Good luck guys, you have nothing to lose at this point.
 
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