Nick Caserio in-studio to recap the Draft | Texans All Access

Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio joined the Texans Radio Crew in-studio to recap the team's 2025 Draft.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello Texans, Welcome to the program. Such a pleasure to
have you along for the ride tonight, the ride home,
the ride wherever you're going. If you're stationary, that too, well,
let's get right to it here. Executive vice president and
general manager Nick Cassario.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
He's been busy, but.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Not too busy to give us some time in the
Hundai Texans Radio studio.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Let's visit with Nick.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
First off, good to be here, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 4 (00:24):
Overall, I think we made some progress, you know, felt
like we added some players that are going to help
our team in some capacity. So a lot of people
are involved in the process. Scouting department did a phenomenal
job of keeping things organized, had a lot of information
that we were able to process through.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Let's say, our draft room is pretty open.

Speaker 4 (00:41):
We kind of talked through kind of each situation in
each scenario kind of in real time. So just try
to keep it moving and try to make good decisions
and hopefully we've we've been able to accomplish that, you know,
over the last three days or however many it was.

Speaker 5 (00:54):
Yeah, it's about time you got back at studio. What
you've been doing. Seriously, come on, wasting my time.

Speaker 6 (01:01):
Nick, if you don't, Mike, can you take us through
the kind of your thought process on trading down from
twenty five to thirty four and kind of what you guys.
I know you mentioned your press conference that you were
doing a lot of work, maybe maybe more work than
in other drafts. Kind of what was going on, kind
of what was the thought process of moving twenty five
to thirty four.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
Yeah, it's funny, I didn't realize until after the fact
even go down and grab like the sushi that they
had out of right now, because that was in the
bat Thursday night, because that was in the draft room
the whole time. But no, we were we kind of
looked at some different scenarios. We were positioned down there
at twenty five. There was a couple of situations opportunities
where if we could maybe move up, you know, to
the top of the draft, not the top of the draft,
but move up a little bit, either pick a twenty
five or move back and just base. It's always based

(01:40):
on kind of a pool or a pot of players.
So once we kind of got down there in eighteen
nineteen twenty range, we were kind of looking at you know,
I had a few players that potentially could have factored in.
But even before that, there was a couple of trade
scenarios that were presented to us that we started them
all a little bit, and then when we got to
the actual pick twenty five, you know, there was a
few players that we're on the board that we would

(02:01):
have felt comfortable taken. We had three different actually three
different trade scenarios that were on the board at that time.
They were kind of waying, and then when we factored
everything in, we ultimately decided just moving back to thirty
four and picking up the couple extra thurs was the
right thing to do with the time. So once we
made the move, I mean, there was an opportunity or
two where if we can get back in maybe in
the bottom a little bit and get and grab a player, great,

(02:22):
if it works, if it didn't, no worries, then we've
been prepared to pick. Really, we felt we were probably
gonna pick that second pick on Friday at thirty four,
which is a second pick. Cleveland was gonna pick first
more than likely, and then we were more than likely
gonna pick and then after that then it was an
amalgam of like a lot of different things that could happen.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
You have to think quickly on your feet, no doubt.
And I know you probably played out every possible scenario, right,
How important is it to not fall in love with
one possible move or possible play.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
No, Mark, It's a really big part of it.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
So I think that goes back to understanding the players
and being comfortable with certain level of players. And if
you lose on on this one, all right, if we
go to this nice group, are we comfortable?

Speaker 3 (03:01):
All right, here's our options.

Speaker 4 (03:03):
And that's where it goes as applying to man, how
far you move back could affect whether or not you
actually consummate a trade or not. So you try not
to get emotionally tied to one particular player. You understand
the player, you've grated the player, he has a certain
role or value for your team, or you think if
you have the opportunity to draft him, great, If you don't,
then you just kind of move on to the next thing.
And we were doing that really Thursday, Friday and even

(03:25):
into Saturday as well. I know there's a little bit
of a gap for us once we trade it back
in with the Marks pick, but then we didn't have
a fifth round pick.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
We had the sixes and the sevens. So even at
that stage.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
We were kind of maneuvering around a little bit, and
there were some players Okay, here are the next three
or four that are up. Okay, you lose one right
then you go to the next group. So you just
have to just continually keep the ball moving.

Speaker 5 (03:48):
Nick, how much I'm trying to make sure I say
this right? How much?

Speaker 6 (03:52):
Is the draft sort of like a game in a
sense that you got to be super prepared, but you
got to be willing and able to move when something
happens that maybe you didn't see happening, like, for example,
when you moved back in a buck up in the
second round to get up to get to ursiery. That
was something in Mark and I talked about that it
felt like between twenty eight and fifty, where you were

(04:14):
twenty five and fifty whatever, you maybe would have felt
more comfortable maybe getting into the forties. Is it kind
of like a game in a sense, like you gotta
be prepared, but you'd be willing to strike when the
iron is hot.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Very much so, Dimiko and I have talked about this.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
There you go into the game, the game gets started,
and then what's going on around you?

Speaker 3 (04:31):
What happens. Okay, this change, you got to make a modification.
You have to make an adjustment.

Speaker 4 (04:34):
I would say, specifically, in that situation, we were thirty
four and then we had a little bit of a
gap until the next pick. We had a couple extra thirds.
So depending how far back you are, there's a shot
you're gonna lose a certain pool of players. So we
felt if we could probably get into the middle there
somewhere in that second round, there was an opportunity for

(04:55):
us to grab a player that we had great at
a certain level that we felt good about, which I
would say that was probably the impetus for the move
to get Tay and to draft Aay.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
So that's kind of how that one came to fruition.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
It's got to be tough to decide now now is
the time to do it right, because you mentioned a
pool of players, Because if you missed out on Woody
Marks or whoever the player might be, there has to
be another one for you to take.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
Yeah, and you have to there has to be a
willing traded component on the other side. So start with
that team they're not interested, go to the next team.
I think we ended up trading with Vegas at forty
eight whatever that was, So.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
For some reason they didn't do it.

Speaker 4 (05:32):
Then you go to the next team and try to
figure out Then if you lose that player, all right,
do you want to continue to trade and go back
in Maybe there's a different entry point. So those are
all things that you weigh. But to your point, John,
it's very much like a game. You're prepared, you under
think it's going to happen a certain way. While something changes,
then you have to adjust and turn as well.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (05:52):
Absolutely, I'm glad you're not a bitter guy and that
you still deal with Matt Campbell even though he went
to Mount Union, you know, you being John Carroll you
all those years. I'm glad that you still deal with him.
But this is one of the questions that Josh and
have Me ask you in the in the video we
did for Iron Schopman's Iron about relationships and especially those

(06:13):
at the head coach level.

Speaker 5 (06:14):
You draft two guys from Iowa State.

Speaker 6 (06:16):
I imagine that the relationship with Matt Campbell is really important,
but also the fact that you could trust what he
was telling you that you do draft both of his
Iowa State receivers.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
No, it's a huge part of it.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
And we're in the information gathering business and they're trying
to present a player in a certain fashion, and a
lot of times the information is accurate. Doesn't mean it's
not accurate, but sometimes a coach or someone else might
say one thing and then it's purported to be maybe
a little bit something different. So you kind of have
to sift through it because they want their players to succeed.
They want what's best for their players. But the relationship

(06:47):
that coach Campbell and I have goes back a long way,
not necessarily to Mount Union, but Matt and I have
a good working relationship with a lot of respect for
how he runs his program and the success that he's
had at Iowa State. And even going back to a
Hutch over many years ago, that was we talked about
Hutch and everything that he said about Hutch has come
to fruition. So when that happens, you can put a
lot of stock in what that individual has to say

(07:08):
about particular players.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
What about the USC connection here two more players from
USC after Klen last year, and I know there's some
familiarity there overall for sure.

Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah, I mean, you know, coach Riley has done a
good job with that program. Now, it's interesting some of
these players were like what he was a transfer, is
only a one year player. But even going back to
jay Lynn in Kalyn Kaylyn, Yeah, so Kaitlyn was there
last year. They have a little bit of a relationship.
They played kind of two different positions. Jalen was a
player like where you saw the skill, good athlete, runs well,

(07:38):
has some quickness, has some toughness. He was a player
that we brought into NRG as part of our thirty
man visit process and just to kind of continue to
gather information there. And then Woody he kind of fit,
you know, Riley's offense there fairly well, was very productive
with the opportunities that he had this past season. So
that was a situation where going going what you said,

(07:59):
little bit early, we didn't have a fourth, We didn't
have a fifth. By the time we picked in the
sixth round, there was probably a good chance that wood
he was not going to be there. So it's trying
to figure out where do we have to go. Are
we willing to give up the compensation associated with that?
So I would say that was part of the rationale
behind the Woody decision.

Speaker 6 (08:16):
Man Sean Penry Gash and I were so happy when
you made the one trade you got a fourth round pick,
Like yes, then you.

Speaker 5 (08:21):
Traded up to get Jalen.

Speaker 6 (08:22):
We're like, no, traded up to get Woody and We're
like yes.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
You were just trying to feel airspace on Saturdays.

Speaker 6 (08:28):
So that I mean, we were just doing radio shit
that we were doing until you ended up trading to
get up to get Woody and you moved up, you know,
a decent amount to go get him.

Speaker 5 (08:38):
What was it about him that you that you liked
that you wanted to move up and go get him?

Speaker 7 (08:42):
Right there?

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah, good football player.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
I'd say his versatility kind of has some three down
elements in some respects. I think his over his course
of his career, he got over two hundred and fifty
sixty receptions, so which I would say not all running
backs have that same kind of profile. So, and that
was even going back to Mississippi State and coach Leach's offense,
which is a pass happy offense. But you saw him
this season. They carried a ball quite a bit, ran

(09:04):
for over a thousand yards. Elusive has some makemissibility, fairly
instinctive as good vision. He's go with the ball in
his hands. You know, top end speed is good, not great,
but he was kind of a versatile player that as
a staff we collectively like coaching staff liked him, scouting
staff liked them. So it was trying to figure out
how do we get the player on the team, and
we had to give up you know, a certain level
of compensation associated with it, but we were comfortable in

(09:26):
the end.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
It looks like at so many different positions, you have
a veteran and then you have a rookie who could
possibly compete or at least develop behind that veteran. What
about the overall depth of the team as you draft
some of these players.

Speaker 4 (09:38):
Now, yeah, Demiko and I were talking about that the
other day, like, we feel like we've put together a
pretty competitive team that has depth across all positions, and
in the end, now the players are going to sort
it out, like their performance is going to determine who
are the players that we have on the roster and
then who else we have in the building on the
practice squad. So our job is trying to create as
much competition as possible, and we feel like we've done

(09:59):
that at this point. Under standing that nothing is really
set in Stone probably have some other opportunities here along
the way April May June to add to the team
and even in a training camp once we get to
the cutdown. So but overall we feel we have a
pretty competitive team and the players are going to sort
itself out, you know, when they get here and ultimately
in training camp.

Speaker 5 (10:17):
Nik, you've been doing this a while.

Speaker 6 (10:19):
There was a time back in the day where it's
only two days where you just had that night after
the first night to kind of get ready for the
second night. What is that the night in between both days?
How much does that help you? I mean, you're picking
second of on Friday. How much did that Maybe not
so much the night, but just the fact that you've
got the rest of the morning to kind of make
sure you got the board where you want it, how

(10:41):
you're looking at it, any questions come up, You've got
some time to kind of do that before six o'clock hits.

Speaker 5 (10:45):
How important are those nights before?

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Yeah, No, it's great. Honestly, After Thursday night, everybody packs up.
You're done eleven thirty, twelve o'clock, So you pack up
and you just go home and then you just come
in the next morning. And kind of get started, and
we've done some different exercises here. Let's look at this
group of players, Let's make some calls, how to do
some information gathering, Let's do some research, Let's kind of
figure out maybe what do we think is going on?
And when you're picking that early, you start to get

(11:07):
a sense of what you think is going to happen
at the top of the round. So we've tried to
take advantage of that time. The morning afternoon meet get together.
What are some of the things that we have to
address or talk about. What are some of our opportunity
is going to be? All right, we have these four
picks or whatever many we had going into that second day,
we're gonna use them all, all right. We feel like
we're gonna get four good players. All right, if we

(11:27):
give up a pick, we're probably gonna lose a player,
but we're going to gain the player. So honestly, however
you utilize that time, it's up to you. And we
feel like we've done a good job of taking advantage
of the day.

Speaker 1 (11:37):
We want to hear about the conversations that didn't result
in trades, like what's discussed how close were you must
be a lot of phone calls and what happens. I
want to know this, and I think the viewers and
listeners do too. You're on the phone with somebody, somebody
else calls call waiting. Is somebody else taking that call
for you? Do you have like ten seconds?

Speaker 4 (11:55):
You have a draft room phone, so everybody kind as
a number which is only used during a drafty. But
he's probably using everybody's cell phone. But we have other
people in the draft room that are contacting kind of
their equivalent on the other team, So they're talking to somebody.
We're I'm talking to somebody. Then we put all the
information together and then you have to talk to the team.

(12:15):
If once you are going to do a trade, you
talk to the team. Okay, we're good with the terms.
Then you call the league, the league make sure it
matches up. Okay, you're good. Then you're on the clock.
Then you have to get the player on the phone
to tell them you're gonna pick him. So it moves
pretty quickly. But as long as you're prepared, long as
you have the accurate information, you know, hopefully you can
make a good decision.

Speaker 6 (12:34):
Katta Hamilton from O to Rutgers guy that I can say,
I know, I didn't see coming and we were gonna
figured we were gonna draft Interiory from the lineman. Would
you like about him? I know I like the wrestling background.
Does that matter?

Speaker 4 (12:46):
You know, good size, runs well, has some straight line speed,
has a little bit of quickness, has some playing strength.

Speaker 3 (12:51):
So I think we look.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
View that as a player that has an opportunity to
compete from a depth standpoint. We're gonna have four or
five defensive tackles that are on the team. They're probably
all gonna pay at some point. Everybody that's seen us
play understands we're going to play a lot of different people.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
You them good program.

Speaker 4 (13:05):
Again, Coach Ciano does a great job of sort of
developing those players so well coached, well schooled, has some
physical traits and attributes that we like.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
So which is why we drafted them. You know when
we did.

Speaker 1 (13:15):
Nick, this has been a big topic in the off
season offensive line, as you've made many changes here. You
draft urse three and you said moments ago, sometimes you
let the players sort it out themselves. Is that the
case here in a way, because I know you have
a lot of possibilities with that front five.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
Yeah, for sure, have a lot of confidence in the
players in our building. Some players that have been in
our system. Other players haven't been in our system. So
that's what the spring is for, kind of put the
foundation in place, and once we get into training camp,
we'll kind of see.

Speaker 3 (13:40):
How the competition goes.

Speaker 4 (13:42):
Some players inside can play all three position spot all
three spots. Other players are kind of one position players,
tackles or tackles, some have guard flex So we have
a number of players in the building that have played
a lot of football, some haven't played. I mean Tay
gets out of the mix. He's a lot of experience,
but not at the NFL level. So the competition is
going to sort itself out. And you go back and

(14:02):
look at what happened in twenty three. There were three
or four players that weren't on the team in training
camp in August then play in the first four weeks
of the season. So we'll kind of see how it goes.
But we have a lot of confidence in the players
that in the building and hopefully we can put the
best the best five out there when we have to
play our first game.

Speaker 6 (14:18):
Nick, as soon as the first five guys went off
the board, it just registered because I was going Higgins's
Senior Bowl, Ersery Senior Bowl, Joe Smith's Senior Bowl, Noel
Senior Like the first five all went to the Senior Bowl.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
How important was that as an evaluation point for you guys?

Speaker 4 (14:31):
The Senior Bowl is always a great evaluation tool because
you get to see him against like players, against good players,
kind of in a different environment. It's really you're focused
on sort of the individual drills, the one on ones,
those are the big thing, seven on seven, the team
bits and pieces of it. But Jim Nagge's done a
great job. You know he's going to be missed. I mean,
Jim took the job as a general manager at the

(14:52):
University of Oklahoma. I think Drew Fabianis has you know,
been put in charge of Drew as a background in
the NFL at the Cowboys for a number of years. So,
but the Senior Bowl EXPERI at Seamobowl opportunity. We've gotten
a lot out of it the last few years and
don't see that really changing.

Speaker 1 (15:04):
How many times to the course of a draft, especially
later when we get to rounds five, six, seven, do
you see players on the board or off the board
or whatever where I wasn't I didn't see this one coming.
And do conversations like that happen in the draft room?
Take us inside.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
Here's a little bit of everything.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
So at that point, everybody's kind of maybe views a
player a little bit differently. So you have a certain
cool court of players everybody kind of probably sees similarly.
You have some others that maybe you're not as familiar with,
or that player didn't necessarily fit what you're doing. So
I want to say, sometimes they come from everywhere, but
sometimes they come from everywhere, so and everybody's just got
to do what they feel is best for their team.

Speaker 6 (15:41):
We've always hammled this point home. The message that you
send in that is we are drafting best available. We
draft best available. If you don't mind, can you go
into the selection of Graham Merch it's a quarterback. I
know a lot of fans are out there going, we
got CJ, We've got Davis.

Speaker 5 (15:56):
Why would we draft a quarterback right here?

Speaker 6 (15:59):
But I know you guys in New England were always
drafting a quarterback, always looking for maybe a developmental guy.

Speaker 5 (16:04):
But why Graham? And why quarterback?

Speaker 3 (16:06):
At that point, Nick, Yeah, No, Graham probably falls into
that category.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
And each team is probably little bit different, but every
year or two, just getting a young quarterback in the program.
I'd say Graham was a player, so it was at Wisconsin.
Then when coach Fickle came in, he kind of transferred
to Florida, played a little bit and it was injured
this year, but smart kid, good arm kind of has
subtle athleticism. Obviously, he was injured kind of midway through

(16:29):
the year. At some point that he'll be ready to go,
but we visit him here at NRG. It's part of
the thirty men process, and just has a good way
about him. So I mean, I think this was a
player that we felt it would be good to work
with in some capacity. CJ is not going anywhere for
a long time and Davis has done a great job,
so just kind of solidifying that room a little bit.
I would say, even going back to Keaton Slovas, who

(16:50):
we brought in last year in the practice squad, he
made a lot of progress.

Speaker 3 (16:53):
So we have four players here in the building.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Some teams carry three, some teams carry four, So we'll
kind of let's sort it out here once we get going.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
You're always quick to give credit to your staff, and
I couldn't help. But notice that other people were also
making phone calls to the draft choice of saying, Hey,
you've gotten drafted by the Texans James Lipfort in company,
why do that?

Speaker 2 (17:11):
Why delegate that?

Speaker 3 (17:12):
Yeah, we kind of spread around like everybody's invested.

Speaker 4 (17:14):
Everybody's put a lot of time and energy and effort
into this, and it's an opportunity for them to, you know,
really change life of a player. So it's a collaborative effort.
Everybody involved, and we talked about this. I talked about
this before the draft started, and it's not a one
man show. That's not how we operate. To Miko and
I don't believe in that. So everybody's involved, so we
can give other people opportunity to be a part of

(17:35):
what we're doing on draft day. They've earned that opportunity
with the work and the effort that they've put in,
so it's nice to be able to give them that chance.

Speaker 6 (17:42):
If you have a disagreement, do you settle it with
arm wrestling? How do you settle a disagreement? If you
have one in the.

Speaker 4 (17:48):
Room, We've had very few, so we usually come to
this and if we do, he'll beat my ass. So
we'll probably go with this selection that he covets.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
That's beautiful, all right, So what happens now?

Speaker 1 (18:01):
We've got OTA's Mini camp coming up, all of that,
but it never stops for you because we can count
to or point to multiple players that you've gotten during
training camp or after that have contributed to the team.

Speaker 2 (18:12):
How do you handle thing?

Speaker 4 (18:12):
Yeah, you said it, Mark, So even the last few
days here feel like I've been just as busy as
we were leading up to. So there's gonna be some
players going on and off rosters or a certain pool
of players that's still available. There's some players are on
the street. So we're just trying to evaluate what our
opportunities are there, players that we can bring in the
work out just to kind of get an evaluation so
we can kind of update their progress so that if

(18:32):
we do need somebody, we're prepared for that. So we're
moving forward with that, I would say a whole process,
and then I would say at some point here we're
going to transition to the twenty six draft prospects and
start to do some of our spring scouting to kind
of get ready for that. And then once the schedule
comes out, which you know, everybody's excited about that, not
except for me.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
But once the schedule comes.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
Out, then we'll have a better idea of who we're
going to be playing here and you can start some
of the offseason scott and reports and some of those
types of things.

Speaker 6 (18:58):
I so totally want to be in the room. When
they asked Nick to be on the schedule video, yeah,
it's never happened yet.

Speaker 5 (19:05):
I don't think it will schedule video.

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Yeah. All right.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
So I'm not saying you're old, but you've been in
the league for two and a half decades. Said, so,
how has the draft room changed over those two and
a half decades in the NFL?

Speaker 3 (19:18):
Wow?

Speaker 4 (19:18):
The technology, Uh is a big part of it. Kind
of how the draft rooms are set up. I would say,
who the people that are in there, it's probably changed
for the years. Some are smaller, some are bigger. So
we're kind of including everybody Here's a little bit different
than maybe you know, some other teams have done it.
But uh so, I'd say the technology is a big thing.
We kind of went off, we went away from the
tags this year on the board begrudgingly. So I was

(19:40):
like the last of the Mohicans on that but we survived,
adapt and adjust. So everything's becoming very digitized and very
technologically based.

Speaker 3 (19:49):
So I'd say that's probably the biggest.

Speaker 5 (19:51):
So no taking a magnet off, guys. Yea more magnets throw,
I can see where that would be.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
I've got one more for you because the video is out.
Frank Ross John Carrol Hall of Famer. What about that,
your special teams coordinator gets into the hall.

Speaker 4 (20:07):
Yeah, it means we had a pretty bad program that Frank.
Frank was a really good player.

Speaker 3 (20:12):
He was like that.

Speaker 4 (20:13):
I don't know if he still is, but he was
all time leading receiver. So it's a great honor for Frank.
I mean, nobody puts more, nobody put more into the
program at John Carroll than Frank. That nobody's put more
into our program here in Houston since he's been here,
and he does a lot of great things, not only
for our team but in the community as well. So
for him to be recognized it's a great it's a
great honor and he deserves it. So we're happy to

(20:34):
be a small part of that. So he earned it
and I'm sure he'll be excited in October when he's
when it's official.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
He had more catches than McDaniels.

Speaker 3 (20:43):
Way more, Yeah, way more.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
You didn't throw the ball as all right, Nick, thanks
a lot for joining us. Congrats on the draft.

Speaker 3 (20:49):
Thanks fellas.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
All right, there's Nick Cassario, Johnny.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
I think the offensive line question is the big one
here among everybody who follows this football team.

Speaker 2 (20:59):
Are they better enough?

Speaker 1 (21:01):
Obviously they're different, and are they better period on the
offensive line?

Speaker 2 (21:05):
We won't know it till we see it.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
That's why I said, Hey, he says he lets the
players kind of solve it. I think Demika would say
the same thing, because the competition will ultimately take care
of itself. You get your best five on the field
and the best possible slots.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
Is that how you see it.

Speaker 6 (21:19):
I don't know that you can put together an offensive
line after what you had last year, in particular Laromy Tunsil,
and say your line is more talented. But that's not
what this is about. It's not about being the most talented.
It's about being the best group of five you can have.
And so I think there is a better opportunity for
that how they're constructed now, I think there's a better

(21:44):
opportunity for that to happen than is it better.

Speaker 2 (21:47):
Is it worth?

Speaker 6 (21:49):
It's not as talented as last year, but I think
it's got an opportunity to be a much better offensive
line because I do think the pieces are gonna fit
together better, and I do think that they will get uh,
they will.

Speaker 5 (22:04):
Get coaching Kole Popovich. I think they need.

Speaker 6 (22:07):
I think they will have the adaptability in past pro
schemes and things like that to make them better from
off its coordinator Nick Keyley, and you put all that
together with a scheme that's going to be a little
bit more fluid and adaptable, with a group of linemen
that is going to be more adaptable and hopefully can

(22:29):
be more cohesive in there in line, you'll have a
better overall offensive line than having a talented one that
was underachieving, which it felt like it was last year.

Speaker 1 (22:38):
This is for another show, probably, but you could almost
see you thought Ursery could bump inside to start his career.

Speaker 5 (22:45):
Maybe. Yeah, I could see that it'd.

Speaker 1 (22:46):
Be interesting if he bumped to the left guard spot.
Tell me this just from a sheer Layman question standpoint,
Why can't Titus play right guard?

Speaker 2 (22:55):
He plays right tax me?

Speaker 5 (22:56):
Could he could?

Speaker 6 (22:57):
I mean, Titus is the Titus is the type of
guy to be able to do something like that for sure.
And the thing is is, if you do move move
Tay into guard, He's never played guard, so it's gonna
be all foreign to him for the most part, whether
it's right or left. So at that point, maybe you
want to eliminate the moving parts, you know what I mean.
Titus has played left guard. Hey, let's leave Titus there

(23:18):
for the first time. Let's leave Titus in a spot.
Let's let Tay adapt and adjust as he's learning the
right guard spot, you know what I mean. Whereas if
you move Tay to guard and he and Titus moves
to right guard, now there's not a whole lot that
changes for Titus, but it is on the right side. Okay, Well,
you're putting this hand down versus that hand, this foot
back versus this foot. You're just kind of changing. And

(23:41):
then Nursery would be learning guard. So now you've got
two guys that are kind of learning on the fly
in a sense, right, And I don't know if you
want that. So I think if you are gonna move,
you are gonna move Tay into into guard. It probably
makes sense that if Titus is healthy and playing left guard.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
Leave him there left guard.

Speaker 6 (23:58):
Let Tay be the one that adapts because he's basically
playing in the NFL and playing guard.

Speaker 5 (24:04):
He's not.

Speaker 6 (24:05):
I mean, it's all one and the same at that point.
So I do think there's obviously differences in playing tackle
and guard. And you know, set this has brought up
a great point and it's something that pointed out a
long time ago about Ersa in a first sung. You know,
he's a taller, kind of stiffer. He doesn't have a
ton of knee bend, and that can can kind of
hurt you a little bit at guard. But he's so
strong and powerful that it makes me think that they

(24:27):
can move guys off the line of scrimmage, and that
because of the way he can anchor and with his
strength he can go against you know, the heavies on
the inside. He can go against Simmons and hold his
own physically because he can't anchor and he is that strong.
So that's why I think going into guard, and if
he's one of the top five, and that's I think
what they're trying to get to. They've got to put

(24:48):
the best five linemen on the field. All right, figure
it out.

Speaker 1 (24:51):
We'll talk to Jonathan Alexander more about the NFL Draft
the Houston Texans haul over the weekend. Let's do that
next year on Texans Radio. Back in the groove here
on Texans Radio, Let's get right to our visit with
Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle. Jonathan, your take your
assessment the weekend that was the twenty twenty five Texans Draft.

Speaker 7 (25:15):
I mean it was eventful.

Speaker 8 (25:16):
I mean, you know, looking back at it, you know,
the Texans obviously they tried to trade up to get
high am I reporting any case, as high as number twelve,
to try to get one of the top offensive linemen.
Kelvin Banks was their favorite. Tyler Booker was another guy
they were wanting to trade up for, but they couldn't

(25:39):
reach a trade agreement with the teams that they negotiated with.
And ultimately I thought they made the best decision in
trading back and getting good value, and that second round
they got their favorite ride receiver in his draft class,
and so I thought they made the best of an
unfortunate situation.

Speaker 7 (25:56):
It was always difficult to be picking at number twenty five.

Speaker 6 (26:00):
It was in Johnathan, I remember one of your mock drafts.
She had I'm moving up I think the nineteen to
go get Kelvin Banks Junior. Do you think there was
any desire to move up to get Banks Junior and
then when they couldn't get Banks that they wanted to
trade up to get Booker? What and kind of how
do you know that that situation to be. Was it
Banks then Booker kind of how they were going about
it or do you think it was kind of Booker

(26:21):
all along? What are your thoughts about how and what
maybe the order of what they were trying to do
to get up.

Speaker 8 (26:27):
Yeah, based on my reporting, I know that the Texans
initially going into the process, we're hoping they could get
Kelvin Banks, so they were trying to trade up pretty high.
They found out through Kelvin Maks's agent that Kelvin Banks
was definitely going to come off the board early. He
ended up coming off the board at nine, So they
their next guy that they wanted to trade up for.

(26:49):
Was they were trying to trade with the Cowboys was
to get Tyler Booker. I do know that for sure,
and then the Cowboys opted to stay with that twelfth
pick because they didn't like the Texans. I also know
that the Texans tried to trade with the Minnesota Vikings,
and I suspect I don't know this as much as
I know Booker and Banks, but I suspect they were

(27:09):
trying to get a Mecca at Buka, and then when
he came off the board at nineteen, they started looking
to trade back. They like Donovan Jackson, but would have
preferred him as a late first round early second round pick,
and the Vikings obviously.

Speaker 7 (27:22):
Valued him and took him at twenty four.

Speaker 8 (27:24):
So a lot of their favorite players when the board
ended up coming off, which is why they ended up
doing what was smart and trading back.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
Well, you talk about their favorite receiver in Higgins, and
I got to think that they are excited about him,
and I'm also excited about when you look at the
body of work here that you can get out of
Jailen Knowle and Jaden Higgins.

Speaker 2 (27:46):
That's pretty exciting to me. What do you think of
the two receivers?

Speaker 7 (27:48):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (27:49):
Absolutely, I think we talked about it before the draft
that Jalen Nole was one of my favorite guys. I
had mocked him in I think my first two or
three mock drafts as a guy who I thought that
they could take at number fifty eight, and somehow this
guy who was productive, who played special teams as well,
who kind of reminds you of Christian Kirk, somehow fell

(28:09):
to seventy nine and they.

Speaker 7 (28:10):
Were able to double up.

Speaker 8 (28:11):
I don't blame Nick Casario at all for doing that,
but Jada Higgins give you another option and another big
receiver similar to Nico Collins. I don't know if they're
playing stars are the same, but they definitely have similar
size and a lot of people say great things. He
was always going to go early in that second round,
So just having those two guys together who have both

(28:33):
went off four thousand yards in the same season, is
a big get and I'm sure CD Stroud is happy
about that that particular the way it played.

Speaker 6 (28:41):
Out on Thursday night press conference, I know what we
were getting close to packing up over at the draft party.
Nick Cassario went to his press conference, and I believe
it may have been the last question that he was
asked about, and I can't remember who asked it, but
it was is there a player when you traded down
from twenty five? Was there a player that was essentially

(29:03):
still on the board, that was still on the board.

Speaker 5 (29:06):
Was that I thought that was you what.

Speaker 6 (29:08):
Yeah, when Nick said, yeah, there's a guy that's still
on the board, do you believe that to be Jayden Higgins.

Speaker 7 (29:14):
I do.

Speaker 8 (29:15):
I think he wasn't trying to exactly give it away,
but I think he was one of the guys that
they were considering that at twenty five. I think Josh
Connery was another guy they were considering at twenty five,
and they opted that to trade back, and ultimately they
got their guy who they thought highly of.

Speaker 7 (29:33):
Who you know, in the end, they're looking for great players,
and I mean.

Speaker 8 (29:36):
Great people who are also great players, and I think
Higgins kind of fits that mold.

Speaker 6 (29:40):
And I think when you look at number twenty five,
it was Higgins and and I'm trying to remember, I
think it may have been Higgins and Ursery. I think
they were able to kind of Nick moves around so
much it's kind of hard to remember exactly what. But
it was like they got two players for the price
of twenty five, and you think it's Higgins and anybody
else they got, I mean, you got kind of a

(30:01):
two third. I mean that that kind of solves two
issues in some sense, instead of getting just one at
number twenty five, so I kind of felt like the
move down to thirty four, you didn't have to go
down as far. You had the second pick of the
second round. I don't think Carson Sweesssinger you were going
to take a linebacker, so you ended up getting the
guy that you thought all along later in the draft,

(30:22):
Jonathan I got that I was really really excited about,
and I know some fans were like, well, you could
have got him later. I love the Joquavius Woody Marx
your thoughts about grabbing him right there, in fact, trading
up to go get him on Saturday, which gave Sean
Pengass nine opportunity to talk about a pick which was fine,
to go get a Woody Marks running back from out

(30:42):
of USC formerly Assissippi State as well.

Speaker 8 (30:45):
Yeah, he was obviously a guy that they really valued,
given that they traded up into the fourth round to
get him.

Speaker 7 (30:52):
But Mars, you know, has it.

Speaker 8 (30:54):
I think they were They've been looking for a guy
who could really catch the ball out of their backfield,
and Mark I do that. I think he had an
eighty seven catch receiving eighty seven catch season while he
was at was It Mississippi State before going to USC
and then still had a good year catching the ball
and ran for over a thousand yards last year for USC.

(31:17):
So he's a really good back. And to me, it
makes a lot of sense that they would target a
running back given that this could be Damian Pierce's last
season in the Texans jersey and they'll be looking for
number two after next year for Joe Mixon. So why
not start that process while getting somebody who was an

(31:37):
additional weapon for CJ.

Speaker 7 (31:39):
Stroude in the passing game.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
All right, let's talk about the dvs here and taking
rounds apart, but we'll group them together for sake of
this conversation. Jalen Smith the corner from USC in round
three and round six. Jalen Reed, the safety from Penn State.
How do you think those guys fit into the mix
in the defensive backfield.

Speaker 8 (31:57):
Yeah, I see Jalen Smith being as a backup, you know,
nickel cornerback.

Speaker 7 (32:03):
That's how he projects.

Speaker 8 (32:05):
And Nick Casario talked about it that Frank Ross sees
him playing special teams and potentially being a contributor there.

Speaker 7 (32:13):
He has that familiarity with Kaylyn Bullock having played three years.

Speaker 8 (32:17):
They are super close and attended each other's draft parties.
So and it was funny talking to Jalen Smith. He
knew everybody in the secondary, just just named them all,
but he seems to be a guy who they're pretty
excited about.

Speaker 7 (32:33):
And then of course you know Jalen Reid.

Speaker 8 (32:35):
He's a guy who fell in the draft and who
start to be probably drafted in the fourth round, ended
up they getting him in the sixth, so that was
good value. It'll be interesting to see what happens with
that safety. But I did a depth chart fifty three
man roster projection, and I was trying to figure out
who are the four safeties are going to keep? And
I had trouble ended up parting ways with m J. Stewart,

(32:56):
who I think is key to the special teams. But
how do you you know, you know, part ways with
a pick you got a guy you got in the
sixth round, who you got for really good value.

Speaker 5 (33:07):
Yeah, it's true.

Speaker 6 (33:07):
Uh, And I think part of this is gonna be
determined by Jimmy Wart's health, which hopefully Jimmy is gonna
be okay, but I think some of that will be
definitely determined.

Speaker 1 (33:17):
I just saw him today, By the way, nothing wrong
with his handshake and conversational skills.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
I can vouch for those, right.

Speaker 5 (33:22):
Yeah, I'm not worried about that.

Speaker 6 (33:24):
I mean, Jimmy's linguistically, he's good like I'm good with
I'm just I'm worried about that.

Speaker 5 (33:30):
Like that leg I'm worried about he's walking.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
Okay, he's ambulat.

Speaker 5 (33:34):
That's good that.

Speaker 6 (33:35):
That's I can touch that too, Okay, Doctor Vandermerk, good job, Jonathan.
I know that you and Sam do you never write
the headlines for the tweets from the Houston Chronicle, but
I took a little bit of umbrage with something that
actually was said by them, because they're like, the Texans
did everything in the draft except this one thing.

Speaker 5 (33:57):
They didn't get a guard. And I was like, are
we sure?

Speaker 6 (34:00):
Are we absolutely one thousand percent sure that tay Erserie
is going to be a tackle? Now I've even said
he projects the tackle long term, but if they got
to get the best five on the field, then maybe Ersery,
with his strength and his power, ends up.

Speaker 5 (34:15):
Moving into guard.

Speaker 6 (34:16):
Your thoughts, because we haven't talked about it, tay Erserie
being brought here. I know it's his tackle, but what
about potentially playing him at guard. What if he is
one of the better five, he could win the tackle
job right out. I don't know, but I just thought, Okay,
they didn't take a guard, but I think Ersery could
be a guy that might be able to play guard
if they want to get the best five in the field.

Speaker 7 (34:35):
Your thoughts, Yeah, I think it's possible.

Speaker 8 (34:38):
I mean, I asked Nick Cassario that question directly, do
you anticipate tay Ersery potentially playing guard? And the first
thing he said was he's never played guard before. He
played only left tackle throughout his career. I asked him
that on Day two. But you know, after the draft
they seem to indicate the day we're open to moving

(34:58):
guys around to get the best five on the field. So,
you know, I think it's interesting. You know, I don't
he definitely doesn't have experience there, but I think they'll
do everything in their power to get this best offensive
line combination.

Speaker 7 (35:11):
You just don't know until you actually see it put
together on the field, all right.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
Jonathan Alexander for The Chronicle with us Your reaction when
they took the quarterback, Graham Mertz. Good teams take quarterbacks
every couple of years, But what did. What did you
think when you saw that happen.

Speaker 7 (35:27):
I was a little bit surprised.

Speaker 8 (35:29):
But as you dig into because you know, Nick Sterio
indicated that that.

Speaker 7 (35:33):
Was probably like the one position that they went and target.

Speaker 8 (35:35):
But as you dig a little bit more into it,
and you hear that he met with the Texans throughout
the process and that he's coming off the injury.

Speaker 7 (35:43):
Still he's not ready yet.

Speaker 8 (35:44):
I could foresee, you know, Mertz being a guy that
they put on the pup list of the i R
and you essentially have him for a red shirt year
and then you played with cj and and Davis Mills,
and then davis contract ends after next year, and maybe
if they like enough, if he's improved enough, then they

(36:05):
keep them on the roster. When Davis Mills goes elsewhere,
or if Davis Mills continues to want to be with
the Texans, then you know they have to make a
decision on Merts. I think it is more of an
insurance kind of policy, just in case what happens with
Davis Mills.

Speaker 6 (36:22):
Yeah, And I mean we talked about it on the
draft show that when he got drafted, like man the
Patriots drafted Garoppolo Brissett.

Speaker 5 (36:29):
I mean, they had Brady and they did all that.

Speaker 6 (36:31):
So I just feel like I don't have a problem
drafting a quarterback and developmental quarterback totally. You know, the
Texans just haven't been in a position where they could
do that. They needed so many players and so many
bodies that they just haven't been in that position.

Speaker 5 (36:44):
To do it.

Speaker 6 (36:45):
And then this year kind of felt like this is
the right time to be able to do that. And
I think Mertz is the right guy to be able
to do that too, with everything he's been through at Wisconsin,
everything he went through at Florida, kind of fighting off
the DJ Lagway thing and then playing well all that,
so I think mert ends up being kind of guy.
Speaking of quarterbacks, everybody has had a chance to opine

(37:06):
about Shador Sanders, and now we want Jonathan Alexander to
do it too. Your thoughts about Shador falling to the
fifth round on Day three, Jonathan, your thoughts about Shador.

Speaker 7 (37:18):
Yeah, I didn't.

Speaker 8 (37:19):
I don't think that Shador is a fifth round talent.
I think at worst he's a third round talent. But
I really do think he's a high second round talent.
But I think more so That probably speaks to the
fact that Shaduur kind of turned some teams off, maybe
during the pre draft process, maybe during their meetings with him,
because there were a few teams that really needed a quarterback.

Speaker 7 (37:42):
The Stealers passed.

Speaker 8 (37:43):
Over him, what five times, the Browns passed over him
four times before time finally he's taking him. The Giants
went up and got Jackson Dark obviously, so I was
a little bit surprised that he felt as far as
he fell. But I think that just speaks to, you know,
what teams thought of him as a potential leader of

(38:05):
their team. The talent's there, but is he the guy
you want running the show? I thought that just more
so spoke to how teams felt about him during the
pre draft process.

Speaker 1 (38:16):
I've got one more for you here, Jonathan, and look,
free agency it's not over. It's never over, but obviously
the initial waves of it are over. The draft is over,
they've got the undrafted free agents signed. We all know
they can add somebody. They added Derek Barnett late once
upon a time, they added George others in recent years
and in not so recent years, they added real contributors

(38:39):
past training.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
Camp or during or whatever.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
But you tell me, are they better in twenty twenty
five than they were in twenty twenty four? What is
your assessment of this team as we break draft here
and get ready for OTA's in mini camp, and we'll
ask you this question a lot, probably, But state of
the Texans right now late April, your thoughts.

Speaker 7 (39:00):
I think they're around the same as they were last year.
I mean, I remember last year they brought in a
ton of talent to add and they didn't really go
super hard in free agency this year.

Speaker 8 (39:13):
But the reason why I say that they're the same
is because I think, you know, the young players that
they have will develop and become even better players. You
get CJ. Stroud entering year three. Your three is for
most quarterbacks, it's better than your two. Will Anderson just
seems like he's about to really turn it up and start.

Speaker 7 (39:30):
To be in the defensive player of the Year conversation.

Speaker 8 (39:33):
You know, you got Stingley, who got his contract and
now he can breathe and continue to play freely.

Speaker 7 (39:39):
I think their young.

Speaker 8 (39:40):
Players are going to continue to get better, even if
the free agency class wasn't as good as it was
last year. So I think they're about the same and
I think having a new coaching staff and a new
offensive staff will help put This will give the Texans offense.

Speaker 7 (39:57):
And in the team overall team another boost.

Speaker 6 (40:00):
Jonathan Tyler Warren goes to the Colts, camp Ward goes
to the Titans, and the Jaguars completed their deal to
go get Travis Hunter. Which of those three, because I
think all three of them are gonna have massive impact,
Which one of those three do you think had the
most impact in the ANFC South.

Speaker 8 (40:20):
I think from day one, I think it'll be Travis Hunter.
I think that was I think he's going to be
a phenomenal weapon for both size of the ball. I
thought it was a good pick for the Jaguars. I
just thought they gave up a little bit too much,
Like I wouldn't have given up a first round pick
a future first round pick to move up just three spots.

(40:44):
Having said that, I think he's going to be probably
the most impactful player in year one for their respective teams.
I think it will take a little time for camp Ward,
but I think eventually he'll get it. And I think
Tyler Warren will be huge, But I'm just not convinced
that the quarterbacks situations it's set in stone right now.

Speaker 1 (41:03):
All right, Jonathan, what do people have to look forward
to with the Chronicle?

Speaker 8 (41:07):
Please check up my fifty three man roster projection which
we posted this morning on Houston Chronicle dot com and
let me know if.

Speaker 7 (41:14):
You disagree or you agree with it.

Speaker 8 (41:17):
So we got that out and as well as our
coverage from the draft in the week and what happened
with the inside you know, them building this team and
the trades and the trades that did not happen.

Speaker 2 (41:28):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (41:28):
Fifty three man roster projection sounds like a segment for
me and Johnny. Thank you for the content. Jonathan, Hey,
thanks for joining us. Have a great day.

Speaker 7 (41:36):
Absolutely thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (41:37):
That's our buddy, Jonathan Alexander from the Houston Chronicle.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
Coming up.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
We gave you many of the interviews last night with
the draft choices, but we did not give you Jalen Smith.
This is a dB from USC that could make a
big difference this year. Let's get to know him better
next year on Texans All Access. Final segment on the
show tonight. It's a good one. As the Texans have
their drafting the books. Jalen Smith one of the selections

(42:02):
that we did not get to last night when we
played the interviews that took place over the weekend with
Drew Doherty and Friday night, they make this pick Jalen
Smith from USC, one of two USC players picked this year.
Last year, you know, they got Caitlyn Bullock, so there's
a lot of USC familiarity. It's fun they get to
know these guys. Bullock was with Smith when he was picked.

(42:23):
Awesome stuff. And Drew catches up with Jalen Smith the dB.

Speaker 9 (42:27):
Jalen, First things first, congratulations looked like you were having
a fun time there celebrating, and you were celebrating with
the guy who's a former teammate and who's now a
teammate again and Kaylen Bullock.

Speaker 7 (42:37):
Weren't you, Yes, sir, Yes.

Speaker 10 (42:38):
Sir man. It was a great time and great experience.

Speaker 7 (42:40):
Man.

Speaker 10 (42:40):
Sometimes you can always remember man for the rest of
your life.

Speaker 5 (42:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (42:43):
In addition to him being there, who else was there
with you for the big moment?

Speaker 10 (42:47):
So you know, I have friends and family.

Speaker 11 (42:48):
You know, my DC came, coach Lynn, my defensive backs,
coach Bell.

Speaker 10 (42:55):
It's a lot of people.

Speaker 6 (42:56):
Man.

Speaker 11 (42:56):
Coach A c row Chris Rowland. He's now plays for
the for the Kansas City chiefs. Uh So, a couple
of a couple of guys show their face. Man, it
was great man.

Speaker 10 (43:05):
A couple of my teammates, man, it was just great
to see their faces.

Speaker 7 (43:07):
Man.

Speaker 9 (43:07):
Sure well, A happy evening indeed, And it's come to
fruition because you're a pretty darn good football player. For
those who might not have seen you play much in college,
who are you? What type of player are you?

Speaker 11 (43:19):
Yes, sir, I'm a super versative player. Can play at
any position at a very high level. Can can fit
in the run, Uh, can play, can play excellent man coverage, uh?
And can I can can also you know, do a
lot of special teams and just be a lot of
energy shifter, a great player, a selfless player, a team
a team first player.

Speaker 10 (43:39):
But ultimately, man, just getting a competitor all in one.

Speaker 9 (43:42):
You know a lot of times when we do these
interviews right after a draft, the pick says, well I
can do anything, and and yeah he can sometimes, but
you actually walk the walk. I mean you've played cornerback,
You've played both safety spots, you played nickel corner. I
mean I think you probably could sell hot dogs, build houses,
do everything.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
You're a very versatile guy.

Speaker 9 (43:59):
So with all that in mind, how exciting is it
to join a defense like the one that Texans have.
I know Bullock has told you a lot about it.
I'm sure you've seen a little bit of it over
the years, so he's been here.

Speaker 10 (44:10):
Yeah, yeah, No, they get after it.

Speaker 1 (44:12):
No.

Speaker 11 (44:12):
You just watching film, you know, being a FOOTBA addict
like me, Man, I just like to watch film. And
you know, they do a great job of playing together,
you know, with with Derek and Camari, Jalen Petrie, CJG.

Speaker 10 (44:23):
All those guys.

Speaker 11 (44:24):
Man, they come together for real, and uh, I just think, man,
it's gonna be great and a lot of energy in
the back end for sure. Just can't wait to get
out there and you know, build that broad in that
brotherhood for sure.

Speaker 5 (44:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (44:34):
You bring up that energy and it's driven in large
part because of the head coach, Tamiko Ryans. He's a
former defensive player, former star here starred Alabama. What are
your interactions with him been like? And what do you
think of Demiko Ryans?

Speaker 11 (44:46):
Nothing with great vibes And you know, my first time
meeting in the move is nothing with great vibes. You can
tell how genuine he is as a person, and when
you have a conversation with the former player, it's nothing
but love. Just understand they have a different sense for
the game. It's you like just how you have it,
same view, same clear out view. So just talking to
him was just great.

Speaker 7 (45:03):
Man.

Speaker 10 (45:04):
He's super energetic and you can.

Speaker 11 (45:06):
Tell he loves the game of football, you know, being
a dema guy coming from Bamua and stuff like that.

Speaker 10 (45:10):
It was it was just great man. You can tell
he has that great and that and that and that
hunger you know, the win. So it's just great to
be a part of it.

Speaker 7 (45:16):
All right.

Speaker 9 (45:16):
So what's next for you? Ah?

Speaker 10 (45:18):
So right now, man, we're just gonna hang with the family.

Speaker 7 (45:20):
Man.

Speaker 10 (45:20):
Just enjoy it. Enjoyed his time, Enjoyed this experience. You know,
I got my little brothers.

Speaker 7 (45:24):
My twin sister just.

Speaker 11 (45:25):
Had her baby, like a couple of days ago, and
she made the trip. So I was gonna hang with
her and just enjoy this family man.

Speaker 10 (45:30):
Enjoyed my time.

Speaker 9 (45:31):
Did you say your twin sister.

Speaker 10 (45:33):
Oh yeah, so yes, I have a twin sister. I'm
older by two minutes. I always have to put that.

Speaker 5 (45:37):
Your baby a I like that.

Speaker 11 (45:38):
Okay, So I got a nephew, a little nephew, and
as well my nephew Jace, so I want to welcome him.
You know, it's a special week and just excited and
excited man, ultimately, just excited to be a Texan man.

Speaker 9 (45:51):
It is tough to top that. You got a nephew,
you got a new home for your job. That's exciting stuff.
Jalen Smith, We're really happy that you're Houston Texan. We
can't wait to see you here in town. Go celebrate
and live it up and come see us soon.

Speaker 10 (46:04):
Okay, yes, sir, most definitely man appreciate y'all. Man and man,
Houston got a problem.

Speaker 1 (46:11):
There's Drew Doherty and Jalen Smith out of USC and
you know how it went last year with rookie DBS
Kamari Lassiter plays. We thought he was just gonna compete,
maybe plays starts, makes huge plays, Kelen Bullock huge place
pick in Game one at Indy. Let's get Jalen Smith
doing stuff like this and certainly playing on Frank Ross's

(46:33):
Special Teams units, because you know, Frank likes to use
those guys who can fly, make plays, gunners, whatever the
heck he does in his special team's concoctions, the recipe
for success with Frank Ross, Hall of Famer from John
Carroll University. We talked about that with Nick Casserio, fellow
John Carrol alum, who was on the show earlier. If

(46:55):
you missed it, get it in podcast form soon enough.
Odyssey app right way everywhere else. Takes a few hours,
but you can enjoy that and our conversation with Jonathan
Alexander Tomorrow night back with a full show Area forty
five coming your way next.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Have a great night, Go Texans.