Nick Caserio has spent the previous week at the NFL Scouting Combine, preparing for his fourth draft as general manager of the Houston Texans.
It’s part of a pre-draft process for Caserio, which includes Nick Saban, who stepped down as Alabama’s coach in January after 17 seasons.
“Nick is great to talk to,” Caserio told reporters at the combine. “It is similar to Bill (Belichick) in certain ways. They offer a library and a history of players that you may compare to one another. You’re talking about two of the best brains in football, so I’ve had a number of conversations with coach Saban prior to the draft, not only this year, but in previous years, and his perspective is extremely helpful and useful.”
Caserio worked with Belichick for 20 seasons in New England, including serving as the Patriots’ director of player personnel from 2009 to 2020, when he left for Houston.
In each of the Texans’ previous two drafts, Caserio selected two of Saban’s Crimson Tide players: wide receiver John Metchie III in the second round and linebacker Christian Harris in the third round in 2022, and outside linebacker Will Anderson in the first round and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o in the fifth round in 2023.
Prior to Caserio’s arrival, Houston had not picked an Alabama player since choosing defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan in 2014. However, with four Crimson Tide picks in the previous two years, Houston has taken eight Alabama players in its 22 drafts, tying LSU for the most frequently tapped college program.
Saban coached seven of the Alabama players chosen by Houston. The exception is DeMeco Ryans, who just finished his debut season as Texans coach. (Saban also coached two of Houston’s picks at LSU, when he was head coach from 2000 to 2004.)
In the 2023 draft, Caserio selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick, then made a trade to gain the third pick, which he used on Anderson.
Stroud was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Anderson was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, as the Texans won the AFC South and a playoff game in 2023, following three triumphs in 2022.
“I think everybody who spoke on Will’s behalf and the way Will was presented, we saw that in spades, and maybe it was even better than maybe we even thought,” Caserio remarked at the time. “We’re glad Will is on our team. Henry did an excellent job this year as well, sort of in his role. Kind of came in as a backup. He was forced to play in the middle of the year, I’m going to say Weeks 4–6, where we had certain players who were
