The Houston Texans are a total wild card when it comes to the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Will the Texans stay put at 25th overall, move up to land perhaps an offensive lineman or wide receiver, or move down and add more draft capital? What the team does is anyone's guess.
Texans GM Nick Caserio has proven himself as a general manager not afraid to take risks in the draft. Two years ago, after the Texans selected C.J. Stroud second overall, Caserio moved up to the third pick in the draft and added Will Anderson Jr. to the young roster. It proved to be a wise decision.
The risks Caserio has made since Stroud has been with the team has proven to the quarterback that he's got the team's best interest in mind. Stroud spoke about that during his recent press conference.
"I think something that I learned about Nick [Caserio] is that he has a plan," Stroud said. "No matter what happens, he always has something up his sleeve. So, of course, sometimes we don't know what that is, and you just have to have trust. We actually talked about it today, having blind trust and having earned trust, and for Nick, he's gained my trust in both areas. So, I'm excited."
Texans GM Nick Caserio gets major respect from C.J. Stroud
Of course, Texans fans know that Caserio is going to take risks and do what he can to keep the Texans ahead of the rest of the competition. He's done his part in making the Texans a contender, especially once Stroud got to Houston. The Texans have won the AFC South in each of Stroud's two seasons at the helm and they've won a playoff game both years as well.
With the next step being to reach the AFC Championship Game, Caserio knows his work is cut out for him this offseason. Owning the 25th pick means that landing a franchise-changing offensive tackle is unlikely so maybe the GM will try to swing for the fences and move up to snag one. Or maybe the goal is to reunite Stroud with his former Ohio State teammate Emeka Egbuka, giving the Texans a lethal threat on offense.
Whatever the plan is, Texans fans know they can trust Caserio and hopefully whatever move he makes pans out for the back-to-back AFC South champs.