Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio Talks Drafting TE Cade Stover, What's Ahead For Him

The Houston Texans are in a lovely spot heading into the 2024 NFL season after reloading their already strong roster. The offseason was one of the best that we have seen in some time, with the addition of star players all over the place and added depth to go along with it.
A large part of what the Texans have been able to build has come from the work of general manager Nick Caserio. Caserio took over the GM position in 2021, and ever since, the Texans have trended upwards thanks to the plan he and his staff have laid out.
READ MORE: Texans Place Five On CBS Sports' Top-100 Players of 2024
Caserio has been involved in part of the NFL draft process. He has been reasonably accurate on hitting since entering his role, which is most evident from his top two selections in the 2023 draft with the selections of C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr.
Caserio and the Texans' 2024 draft class might not be as eye-popping as that from a year ago, but they still believe they hit on a couple of stars in the making. Caserio joined Payne & Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 and discussed one of those players with high upside, Cade Stover, specifically the decision that went into taking him in the fourth round.
"We moved up a few spots, made the pick just to make sure that we could secure Cade and get him on the team; so I mean, this is a player going back probably two years," Caserio said. "We were talking about trying to get into the football team, but in every person that you talk to from Billy Davis to C.J. [Stroud] to coaches at Ohio State to our interview at the combine, I mean this guy walked out of the room in the combine, we all kind of looked at each other like, all right, we're done talking about this guy."
The knowledge over years of scouting tremendously expedited the pick of Stover 123rd overall. Stover is coming off back-to-back seasons at Ohio State, putting up over 400 yards receiving and five touchdowns, and will look to implement himself into touches as we get into training camp.
Caserio continued his exclusive interview by acknowledging that Stover has come in and exemplified the type of character and effort of Will Anderson Jr. when he entered the league before laying out how he would fit the system and that he still has some development to occur before reaching his true potential.
"Cade kind of fits our system and he definitely has some work ahead of him," he said. "He's not a finished product, but he's got the right mindset. He is got a good attitude. And the one thing about him, he does, he has really good hands and he catches the ball. So you're talking about just looking for easy completions. There's an opportunity 6, 8, 7, 8 yards, you're second and three, kind of keep the chains moving. I mean, kiddo's a dynamic player, I would say there's not too many players like him in the league. So we'll see how it goes."
As Caserio mentioned, Stover still has a way to go to becoming that reliable tight end who can play almost every down, but there is potential for him to get there. The former linebacker converted to tight end will have to earn his snaps in the Texans' offense as he will have an uphill climb to snag some away from clear starter Dalton Schultz and former Miami Hurricanes standout Brevin Jordan.
READ MORE: CBS Sports Lists Former Texans LB As Most Notable Offseason Departure
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