Latest news with #NickCaserio
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Texans offered three future picks to move up into top 40 of draft
Report: Texans offered three future picks to move up into top 40 of draft Knowing Nick Caserio, the Houston Texans were always going to make trades during Day 2 of last month's NFL Draft. They did, targeting Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up 10 spots in the second round from No. 58 to No. 48. But was there another move in mind for Houston? What about another player other than the All-Big Ten tackle and three-year starter for the Golden Gophers? According to one report, the Texans might have been after another Big Ten talent to bolster new offensive coordinator Nick Caley's personnel. In the first episode of the New England Patriots' Forged in Foxboro video series, cameras inside the draft room showed the offers the Patriots were getting while on the clock at No. 38. In the video, the Texans called, offering the Patriots a package of three picks in a swap: The No. 58 and No. 79 picks in the 2025 draft as well as a third-round pick in 2026. The Patriots declined, leading to the selection of Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson. The Chicago Bears also made a phone call, specifically for Henderson, though the offer was just for a 2025 seventh-round pick to move down one spot. With New England wanting another running back to pair with Drake Maye, it elected to stand pat and select the national champion playmaker. But the Texans' willingness to move up 20 spots must mean they were interested in one specific player. Ersery very well could have been the selection, but Henderson's pass-catching ability and downhill running style is exactly the type of play Caley was accustom to seeing during his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Houston eventually targeted receiving threat Woody Marks in Round 4, giving up a future third-round pick to secure his services. He'll be a Day 1 contributor, but Henderson's arrival would mark not only another former C.J. Stroud teammate but also a long-term plan to replace Pro Bowler Joe Mixon after his contract expires in 2027. But say Henderson wasn't the target. Who was? Could the Texans have been going after another receiver like Luther Burden III? LSU's Mason Taylor was rumored to be an option in the passing game, so could Houston have been targeting its next starting tight end? Regardless, the Texans landed a starting-caliber offensive tackle without breaking the bank. New England received solid offers, but they liked Henderson so much that they passed on talent. They see him having a big role in their offense, and they were willing to turn down extra picks to ensure they got him.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans make history with record-setting deal for second-round pick Jayden Higgins
Jayden Higgins is locked up for the long haul with the Houston Texans. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Texans and the second-round pick have agreed to a four-year rookie contract, though that's only one part of the deal. After moving down nine spots in the draft with the New York Giants, Houston is giving Higgins a fully guaranteed $11.7 million contract, marking the first time ever a second-round pick has gotten a fully guaranteed contract. Drafted 34th overall, Higgins was arguably college football's most consistent weapon over his two seasons in Ames. In 2023 as Cyclones' top weapon, he caught 53 passes for 983 yards and six touchdowns. Last year while helping Iowa State secure its first-ever 11-win season, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound pass-catcher caught 87 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns. "Very productive player. I mean, go watch him play," general manager Nick Caserio said following his selection."He went down to the Senior Bowl and he had a good week. Why did we pick him? Because he's a good player, he's a great kid, he's got the right mindset." Houston selected Higgins early to address a position of need at wide receiver entering the summer. Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs inked a three-year deal with the New England Patriots this offseason, while Tank Dell is recovering from a significant knee injury that required multiple surgeries. The Texans kickstart rookie minicamp on Friday afternoon. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: New WR Jayden Higgins makes history on contract deal with Texans
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
A quarterback? A quarterback. With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz. A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239). Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024. Here's a quick rundown on Mertz: The Basics Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 217 pounds Age: 24 From: Overland Park, Kansas Breakdown "Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly Lance Zierlein's Scouting Report 'A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He's pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.' What Texans GM Nick Caserio Said "He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.' RAS Score Grade: C- "Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson Highlights
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
A quarterback? A quarterback. With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz. Advertisement A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239). Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024. Here's a quick rundown on Mertz: The Basics Height: 6-foot-3 Advertisement Weight: 217 pounds Age: 24 From: Overland Park, Kansas Breakdown "Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly Lance Zierlein's Scouting Report 'A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He's pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.' What Texans GM Nick Caserio Said "He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.' RAS Score Texans Relative Athletic Score Grade: C- "Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson Highlights This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
NBC Sports
02-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nick Caserio: Texans tried to trade up before trading out of first round
Before trading out of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Texans tried to trade up. Texans General Manager Nick Caserio said the Texans were initially attempting to move up in the first round, but when they couldn't find a team in the top half of the first that wanted to move down, they started listening to offers and ended up taking the Giants' offer of a second-and third-round pick in 2025 plus a third-round pick in 2026 for the Texans' first-round pick. 'It was pretty fluid. We were kind of moving around. We were scheduled to pick at 25. We had a handful of players during the course of Thursday we felt comfortable picking. We tried to move up a little bit, it didn't really work out,' Caserio said on Up & Adams. 'At about the 18, 19, 20 range we started to get some calls about our pick, so we were putting the information up on the board. We had actually three different traded scenarios that were on the board at one time. We had trade scenarios, we were prepared to pick a player — you always have to be prepared to pick a player — and then we were on the clock, and a pick before, I think when Minnesota picked at 24 and after they picked we were able to consummate the trade with the Giants, so we scooted back there to the second round and then had the second pick there to start Friday. Houston ended up with nine draft picks, and every pick the Texans made had been traded, cementing Caserio's status as one of the draft's most aggressive traders.
