He's had 2 drafts and one he didn't have picks in the 1st 2 rounds. Last year he had a very good draft. It's just that the two 1st rd draft picks got hurt. The other pics like Petrie, Pierce, Harris, and I will even add Quitoriano were good picks. I do believe that Petrie is one of the top players at his position and is only going to get better. This doesn't even take into account the cleaning up of the cap and Watson messes. Both of which he's done a great job on. What were your expectations? This is what a rebuild looks like.
He's had 2 drafts and one he didn't have picks in the 1st 2 rounds. Last year he had a very good draft. It's just that the two 1st rd draft picks got hurt. The other pics like Petrie, Pierce, Harris, and I will even add Quitoriano were good picks. I do believe that Petrie is one of the top players at his position and is only going to get better. This doesn't even take into account the cleaning up of the cap and Watson messes. Both of which is done a great job on. What were your expectations? This is what a rebuild looks like.
If Stingley comes out and looks like he was predicted to be and Metchie proves himself a worthy pick it will look good for Caserio. I predict Green will have a strong sophomore season as well and suddenly NC looks like a genius in these scenarios. People often overlook the fact you have to give guys a couple of seasons sometimes - especially QBs. Lawrence looked like a bust his rookie season and Peyton Manning's first season was ordinary. AJ was ordinary his rookie season and he's not the only one - the examples are numerous.
I don't love him but I definitely give him a passing grade. "Passing Grade" would have fallen between "I love him" and "Meh".
The problem is he may have "whiffed" on his first round picks. He traded down to get Kenyon Green while originally he could have had Jordan Davis or Kyle Hamilton(he did make that up with the Pitre pick.) Jury is out on Stingley, but you don't take an injury prone guy with the 3rd overall pick and then also misuse him in a scheme(Lovie's fault.) Stingley over Sauce is going to haunt us if Stingley doesn't fulfill his lofty expectations. I do give him credit for Pierce, Pitre, and jury is still out on Harris and Metchie
There is unlikely to be a single player of note from the 2021 draft still here in the next 1-2 years. Sure: grade it on a curve. He's still going to go 0-fer in '21, including wasting his most valuable pick on a mediocre QB the team absolutely, positively did not need and then trading picks to draft Nico Collins. Just a disaster of a draft. He did not have a "very good" draft. Oft-injured Stingley getting hurt is 100% on Caserio; his health was an active concern, pre-draft. And taking him over Gardner (no health concerns) looks like a fatal swing-and-miss. When healthy, Green was one of the worst guards in the NFL. No flash at all. It looks like he almost certainly blew his first round picks, which makes the "he had no picks in '21" narrative all the more flaccid because there's zero reason to believe he would've done better with more picks. Pierce was a nice pick, sure - he was also a waste of resources, given RB is the least essential position in a rebuild. Likely, unless this is turned around immediately, his better days may be in the past by the time this team is a playoff contender in 2-3 years... if it ever is playoff contender. Pitre played decently on a team with almost no talent. But he is not, by any measure, one of the top players at his position. Here are PFF's rankings of the top 25 safeties in '22. You're welcome to find another reputable source that ranks Pitre as highly as you do - but I specifically referenced the PFF rankings for two reasons 1) #25 scored a 70.9; Pitre's score was 54.7 - he is nowhere near the top, per PFF (who, no offense, I trust more than you); 2) #7 was Kyle Hamilton, a player the Texans could have drafted at #13 - but they traded back and took Green instead. I didn't mention, among his failings, him losing the #1 overall pick, which, yes: he has to own. He didn't move Cooks at the deadline, didn't actively remove Lovie Smith before the final game, letting a coach who almost certainly knew he wasn't coming back seize control of your franchise. Just an all-around disaster. In terms of the cap... sure, he has managed it well, But he inherited a boatload of dead money and a roster completely bereft of talent and draft resources. He did not have to make one single difficult decision getting under the cap. You or I could've gotten this team under the cap. As for Watson... since the allegations scared away exactly NOBODY, Caserio was essentially tasked with trading away a 25-year old franchise QB his BFF managed to run out of town. He literally had suitors lined up. I suppose there was a chance he could've f'ed it up - but it is REALLY hard to trade an asset as valuable as Watson & not get a significant return so I'm not in a rush to throw a parade for him. Again, you or I could've traded a 25-year old franchise QB in this league.
Yeah, look, I'm not issuing a final grade on Caserio and I think you kind of have issues with him that aren't provable (like he's hard to work with, or condescending, etc. ) BUT I'm 100% with you that his drafts two years in are scary. We'll see on Stingley, but it's not JUST that he was hurt and didn't look impressive, it's that someone at his position picked right after him that the Texans did not want has become an All-Pro already. So the bar for Stingley isn't just being healthy and competent. As for Pierce, he was fine last year, but not special. Half the fanbase is already wanting to draft his replacement lol. Pitre was a flashy player on an awful team. Again, rookie, we'll see what he becomes, but again as you pointed out, an elite safety was taken as a rookie that we passed on. We haven't hit on a single stud under Caserio. This needs to be a draft that produces multiple year 1 impact players or he needs to be out. It's that simple. Can't go 3 years without producing high end production out of the draft. I was REALLY hoping the Texans would hire Kubiak to an official personnel role.
Also, worth another post just to echo what you said about Green being absolutely awful as a rookie. One of the worst guards in football and then 1 year later he may not be a fit for the offense. He's more likely to be gone after the year than be considered a building block. You just can't miss like that. Worst team in the league, bereft of talent (partly by design, partly because your previous regime was so bad) you should be plugging in obvious starters. Your draft picks can't win starting jobs or they do and are truly awful...ehhh....that's not a good look.
Haha. I *personally* find him, and his word salad/"Look how smart I am" bullshit insufferable. But, to be clear, I've never assumed anyone else feels the same way. Whatever my personal opinion of Caserio, I have no issue sticking to his results, which, as you've articulated, have been - at *best* - mediocre. Yep. As with Young/Stroud this year, you simply can't get that pick wrong. And that Stingley had more than a touch of Caserio trying to play "smartest guy in the room" and reach for Stingley over a player with much better/recent results, makes it sting all the more (..."reach" really isn't the right word, I know - but Stingley absolutely was a reach *over* Gardner.) Exactly. Fans need to remember he inherited a roster with almost no viable NFL talent. So praising a rookie for making an impact on *this* team doesn't really translate to how good a player might actually be. Pierce is probably, maybe a top 10 running back? Fifteen, for sure. But, again, it's not a premium position. Otherwise, he has not added a single notable player during his tenure.
I don't like to pass judgement on players until after their sophomore season. Even then it may not be cut and dried - for example, was their arrow pointing up or are they meh?
I agree which is why I say incomplete for Caserio is the best you can give him. Anyone saying he's done a great job is being a fanboy. But after this year he'll have had 4 top 25 picks, 2 top 10 picks. Can't walk away from that without an obvious elite player.
I was hopeful of Watson, but if you think about it, what has he done? I reckon we got a yuge haul for him.
It's only incomplete in that his tenure has not concluded. He's been here two offseasons, though - as he has almost nothing to show for it. Not trying to be pedantic - but 4 top *15* picks (and, really, top *13*). I don't know how viable 4/4 is - but to call drafting one "obvious elite player" a success is grading on a tremendously generous curve. You have to hit 3/4, minimum, IMO: the 1.3 and 1.2 are *must* hits, and having two top 13 picks - which, this year, could really be considered a top 10 pick because it's looking like 3-4 QBs may go top 4, which gives you a shot at a top 10 non-QB prospect... He has to hit a grand slam - *especially* if he is indeed starting 0-2 after last year.
I'm saying incomplete because Stingley could still turn out to be great. I think he's going to be a miss, but technically can't say that definitively yet. I couldn't remember the 2nd pick last year's spot so just went 25 to not be wrong lol. You are right though. I agree with you.
Yeah. I tend to agree with this line of thought. First, he was involved in two TERRIBLE head coach hires, and the Texans are still financially paying them. This isn't a massive deal, but it still costs the organization and it also sheds a negative light on the team with really poor coaching hires. As far as the draft goes, I don't think either of his drafts have been good. At best they have been "okay", and that is being generous. What has he done in free agency really? He just has really at best been mediocre.
