Nick Caserio On Texans QB Search; Draft Philosophy

Holding the No.2 overall and No.12 overall selections of the 2023 NFL Draft makes the Houston Texans one of the most influential players in the first round. Houston GM Nick Caserio discussed his approach during the combine.

Opening Statement:

Hopefully, we'll have a few productive days here in Indianapolis. Our coaching staff actually stayed back in Houston and DeMeco (Ryans) will be here a little bit later this afternoon. We just felt the best thing for the new staff was to stay back and work on scheme and familiarize themselves with our team, continuing to work through that. We'll try to be efficient with our time and try to get some work done here. Our college scouting staff has done an awesome job up to this point. Lip (James Liipfert), Tom Hayden, Zeke (Mozique McCurtis), John (Ritcher), the whole group. They've done a lot of the heavy lifting to this point. We'll try to maximize our opportunities here this week and then head back to Houston later in the week to get ready for free agency and keep building the team. Exciting time for the team. Exciting time for the organization. Exciting time for the city. Just try to keep building on some good days here and keep stacking a few things together.

Can you tell us about your plans for the quarterback position this offseason?

We're really looking at the entire team building process, so we've started with our team. We've had DeMeco (Ryans) and his staff to have an opportunity to look at our team. We know we're going to add to this (QB) position. We have one player on the roster currently. I would say it's probably going to be a combination of the Draft, two free agency. It could be two, however, it goes. We're going to look at whatever resources we have available to us and try to make the right decision. But really, it's about the total team building process. It's not really about one position. We're going to be very thoughtful, and we're going to take our time to try and make good decisions all throughout the spring.

How do you use data to evaluate the quarterback position and other players?

I don't think you're making decisions based on data. You're making decisions based on what you think is best for your organization and your team. We have 50 players on the team, give or take, so we're going to add 40 players to the team. We're probably going to add, I don't know, 15 or 20 in free agency, give or take. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Probably a little less. Right now, we have 11 draft picks, so call it 10-to-12 draft picks. Then, however many players we sign after free agency. Again, philosophically DeMeco (Ryans) and I feel the same way. It's not about one player, it's not about one position. It's about building a good team, and if you have a good team, that gives you the best chance to go out there on Sunday and have some success. That's what our focus is going to be.

How does your staff approach nutrition and sports performance in order to reduce or mitigate injuries?

It's becoming more and more commonplace, I would say. Really, you want to try and be as healthy as you can by the end of the season and have your best players available. When you look at the teams that were participating in the postseason, that was the case. I mean, look at where Kansas City and Philadelphia ended up. I would say the whole sports performance injury component of your team, we put a lot of time and a lot of resources into that. It's really about giving the players the best opportunity. Making sure they are resilient, making sure they are durable, making sure they can go out there and physically can perform the job they are asked to do. Injuries are a part of the sport, so what we need to do is build a team where if we lose a player or two here or there, that we have some supplementary pieces in place. I think holistically, the league is looking at that, and it's becoming more and more commonplace. Teams and organizations are allocating more resources to that particular area.

How do you approach the balance between team needs and best player available during the Draft process?

It's not necessarily team needs. It's more player specific or player driven. I think a lot of teams have had success in rounds five through seven and then post-draft free agency. So, the same process you use with your early round picks you apply to the end of the draft as well. I would say we probably allocate as much time and resources to the players at the later end of the draft than we do at the front end. If you can't figure out the players in the front end, we have bigger problems, right? Once we can put a player to bed, we're in the thought process of, 'Let's move on from a player. We kind of know what that is. Let's focus on the next group.' Then, we have certain players graded at certain levels in that later realm. We're not a round-based team. We're kind of numerically based where we grade a player for their role, so there's a role commensurate with their value. We try to identify the line of demarcation-drafted or not drafted. But that grouping of players, really between now and probably the draft, that's where the next two months we're going to put as much time and resources into that group because you could build a team a number of different ways. Those players are sometimes as important because they're cost-effective and they kind of supplement some of the things you do at the front end of the roster. I'd say we take a lot of pride. I don't want to speak for other teams in the league but I think teams take a lot of pride in being able to find players in the late rounds. It just goes to show there are good football players that are littered throughout the draft and you don't want to limit yourself and say, 'Well, if we don't get this guy in the first round, then we can't put a team together.' I think that's probably an inaccurate characterization.

Do you know what it would take to move up and how do you evaluate that?

We'll look at all of that. We actually have a trade chart simulator where you factor in the points and what's the costs associated with it. I would say it's twofold. Some teams have an analytically driven chart, here's what that summation of the numbers is and then you have the Jimmy (Johnson) chart. I think most teams are still using the traditional Jimmy chart as a reference point, but each team has its own sort of model. The issue you have is you're trying to do a trade and their model says one thing and your model says another thing, so we're speaking two different languages. How do we find a resolution? I think that's more of an exercise for when we get into April. We're positioned here. What would it cost to move up one spot? We're at 12. What would it cost to move up a few spots? What would it cost to move back? We'll look at all those. February 28 is probably not the time to do that.

Do you have a timeline for success with the team?

I have never talked about the timeline. I've never talked about rebuilding. What we've tried to do, each year is its own entity, kind of look at our team, try to build a team for that year, focus on 2023 with an eye to 2024. I've talked about this. We try to look at it in two-year windows. So 2023 and 2024, how are you positioned, draft capital, players under contract, cap space, all those types of things. It's kind of a moving target. You have to be ready to adjust and adapt and as you go. The more flexibility you have, that's what our mindset has always been.

What does having a lot of draft capital give you in terms of moving around in the Draft?

(Having extra Draft capital) gives you optionality, which you don't necessarily always have. We've kind of created some optionality for ourselves organizationally. In the end, it's about what we do with those picks, with those resources. We can have all the resources in the world, but if you don't use them wisely - again with the draft, there's an element of chance with just about every player that you take. I don't want to say it's a 50-50 proposition but in some respects, it is. But the later you get, the percentages go down. 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.

Does how much football matters to a player factor into their draft profile?

You're looking at the profile of the player and sometimes some non-football-related things like their work ethic, their mindset, how do they take coaching, their willingness to improve. There's a lot of factors that go into being a really great player. Are they committed to being great? A lot of people talk about being a great player. Is the player actually committed to be great? The physical is very important. How well they play on the field in the end, that's what people care about. That's what is going to make them a good player. There are so many other things that go into it. Our job is to evaluate those traits and characteristics and make sure we're identifying the players that have the right qualities. DeMeco (Ryans) has talked about this, the SWARM mindset, that whole mentality. That's going to be pervasive throughout the organization. Trying to identify those players with that mindset. The more types of people and the more types of players we get in the building with that mindset, then it will give ourselves a better chance.

When looking at a draft prospect, how much does the prospect's view of the game of football matter?

It is. How important football is to the person matters. Everybody plays. In the end, these players have transitioned from going to class to going to school. This is your full-time job. This is a full-time commitment. Honestly, it's a year-long endeavor. Are you committed to actually doing that when the season is over? What do you do? What is your process? Do you have a routine that is in place? What are you doing to proactively recover? There are so many things along the way and when you look at some of the great players over the course of our league and history, everybody talks about how great of a player Tom (Brady) is. Everything that Tom put into being a great player sometimes isn't talked enough about. Players like Tom, players like Jerry Rice, we're talking about two of the best players at their position, but there's a reason why they had such longevity. Not everybody is wired that way. Are there players that have those traits and characteristics? They're out there. Our job is to find them, and I think what Brandon says about their give-a-crap level absolutely matters and is important.

How do you think the game has changed and how does that factor into your evaluation process?

It's a space game. Really it's a multiple receiver, multiple defensive back game. I don't know what the percentages are, you guys can probably look at it. It's probably around 70 percent nickel defense. Nobody plays base defense anymore, right? How do you handle the different personnel groupings so you're trying to defend space horizontally and vertically and teams are doing a really good job of implementing some of the concepts in college to our game? Trying to stay ahead on some of those trends. The league is constantly evolving. We have to evolve on our end as well. How we evaluate players, how we evaluate what we put a premium on, all those types of things are relevant.

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