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Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio knows that the only way to help C.J. Stroud improve is by shoring up the offensive line. It was the top priority entering free agency last month.
It remains the top priority entering draft season next Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
But Caserio, who enters his fifth draft since joining the back-to-back AFC South champions, knows the team could be further along in their plan with better calls when building the trenches. For that, he’s admitted to the mistakes.
“Every decision we make is not going to be perfect,” Caserio said Wednesday in his predraft press conference. “I’ve made more mistakes than anybody. I’ll be the first to admit it. But we try to make more good decisions than bad decisions and try to do the best we can. And in the end make good decisions for the organization, which is the most important thing.”
While Caserio’s calls on building an offensive line with a high budget haven’t hit, not all can be blamed on the draft. In fact, Jarrett Patterson is expected to start at center entering 2025 and he was the highest pick selected in the Caserio tenure at No. 201 in 2023.
But the other three picks in the past three years haven’t gone as planned. Kenyon Green, a first-round pick in 2022, is no longer in Houston since Caserio traded the third-year pro to the Philadelphia Eagles in March after he was benched midseason. Juice Scruggs, a 2023 second-round pick that the Texans traded up for, was benched for Shaq Mason in Houston’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The most recent lineman, second-rounder Blake Fisher from the 2024 draft, was a reason for quarterback C.J. Stroud’s struggling performance ended with eight sacks. He was credited for allowing three of them, including two of fourth down.
Offensive line remains the top need for Houston as it waits 24 picks to make a selection that could elevate the Texans. Several names have been rumored to the Texans, including Oregon’s Josh Conerly, Ohio State’s Josh Simmons and fellow Buckeye Donovan Jackson.
All could be fits for Houston, but Caserio isn’t looking at just the talent. He’s also not just looking at only the fit. It’s a combination of all things and he’s gone back to look at the mistakes he’s made and tried to learn so this draft season will differ with better results.
“I’m pretty curious and always trying to find ways to get better. I’m not going to talk about them publicly, what some of those things are,” Caserio said. “So honestly, I just try to do the best I can every day for this organization, try to put it in the best position possible and hopefully we can just keep making progress.”
The Texans own seven picks in next week’s draft, including four in the top 100.
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