The Houston Texans are stirring the NFL Draft pot with a little bit of news on the eve of this year's big festivities.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, general manager Nick Caserio and co. seemingly have been making calls around the NFL in order to potentially move up from 28th-overall to the middle portion of the round (picks 15-20). Appearing on NFL Network's Path to the Draft, Pelissero stated,
"One team that was particularly aggressive about trying to move down, the Houston Texans, who've been calling people for weeks, I have been told they've started to make calls about moving up, potentially into the middle of round one. Could they be potentially targeting additional defensive line help? That will be one to watch given the fact that Nick Caserio is never shy about moving around the draft board."
This is a massive statement by Pelissero, as it helps illustrate a larger sense of urgency on the part of the Texans as they embark on their next attempt to break through the AFC Divisional round ceiling and finally make it to their first Conference Championship game in franchise history.
This wouldn't be the first time that Caserio has swung big on a player by way of a trade up, as he's acquired key players like Pro Bowler Nico Collins and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr by way of timely pick swaps.
Nick Caserio has a track record of acquiring franchise stars by trading up in the Draft
In the 2021 NFL Draft, Caserio traded the 109th (fourth-round), 158th (fifth-round) and their 2022 fourth rounder to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the 89th-overall pick (third-round). With the pick, Houston selected the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins.
He's gone on to become a two-time Pro Bowler (2024-205), while also becoming only the third receiver in team history to put up three consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards (Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins).
Fast forward to the 2023 NFL Draft, and Caserio made a trade that has become the stuff of local legend. For, in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals that saw Houston send the 12th-overall (first-round) and 33rd-overall (second-round) picks, as well as their 2024 first-round and third-round picks, in exchange for the third-overall and 105th-overall (fourth-round) picks. Then, after snagging quarterback C.J. Stroud the pick before, the Texans selected Alabama linebacker/edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. The rest is history.
From that point on, Anderson has become one of the most destructive human beings in the NFL, racking up the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, two Pro Bowl nods, a First-Team All-Pro selection, a runner-up finish for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and now the richest contract for a non-quarterback in NFL history.
Those selections have helped lead to the best three-year stretch in franchise history.
The Texans are enjoying their greatest stretch in franchise history
Those landmark moves being made, the Texans then went on to become a perrenial AFC playoff contender. After going 11-38-1 from 2020-2022, they then flipped the script to the tune of a 32-19 regular season record, back-to-back AFC South Titles, three consecutive AFC playoff berths and three-straight trips to the AFC Divisional round. They've become one of the greatest success stories in the history of the NFL, with much of it due to the aforementioned aggressive resource management of Caserio and co.
Needless to say, Caserio and the Texans have more than earned the equity to make a move like this if they feel like the player is well worth it.
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