Four Things Houston Texans Fans Should Be Watching For at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine
Sean Pendergast.
Check out these four highlights for Houston Texans fans at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine (SEAN PENDERGAST, FEBRUARY 26, 2024, 4:00AM).
Nick Caserio’s busy season has started at the NFL Combine this week.
Nick Caserio’s busy season has started at the NFL Combine this week. Photograph by Jack Gorman.
In the tapestry of the 2024 NFL offseason, one of the most critical offseasons in Houston Texans club history, the path to the NFL Draft begins unofficially in mid-January with the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. However, the highlight of the route to the April draft is this week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
The Combine, of course, is the yearly meeting whose ostensible goal is to give the 32 clubs the opportunity to thoroughly assess some of the best college prospects in this spring’s draft, both through interviews and a series of inane, position-specific drills. The combine’s true, usually unacknowledged aim is to provide as a quasi-summit for all 32 front offices to chat, tinker, and build the groundwork for deals and free agency in a few weeks.
To that purpose, Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans are in Indianapolis this week for the festivities. The Texans’ draft moves aren’t getting as much attention this year as they did the prior two years. Picking 23rd overall and having your franchise quarterback in hand, as opposed to the second overall choice and Davis Mills as your quarterback, will produce that effect.
That being said, there are still plenty of reasons for Texans fans to keep a watch on Indianapolis and the headlines this week, all of which are combine-related. Here’s four of them:
Aside from a few Caserio media appearances at the Super Bowl, including one on my show on SportsRadio 610, we haven’t heard much from either Caserio or Ryans since the season finished in Baltimore. That will change this week, when head coaches and general managers from all 32 teams (at least those in Indianapolis) will meet with national media for 15 minutes. Ryans has his session at noon on Tuesday, and Caserio’s is at noon on Wednesday. I think the talk around both sessions will be a 180-degree shift from the “rebuilding” queries of the previous two seasons, as the Texans are still basking in the afterglow of their pleasantly surprising 2023 season.
It cannot be understated how much non-draft business will be discussed this week in Indianapolis, including at the combine, in back rooms at Lucas Oil Stadium, and over costly steaks and shrimp cocktails at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse. Hundreds of agents and the majority of key decision makers are gathered in one location. Back channel meddling will be common, therefore we will hear a lot of reports about teams “possibly” (read: certainly) being interested in particular free agents from other teams.
Above the board, we may see some movement in teams signing their own free agents. The Texans will keep a watch on tight end Dalton Schultz, who appears to be the Texans free agent most strongly tied to sticking in Houston in 2024 and beyond.
For the average Texans fan, this Combine probably doesn’t carry as much prospect-centric intrigue as the last couple off-seasons, since the team is improved and the Texans’ top pick is in the early 20’s overall. That said, if some of you are interested, here is the schedule of which positions work out on which days, all of which can be viewed on the NFL Network:
If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pic:
If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:If you want to keep track of individual names, you can utilize Drew Dougherty’s mock draft tracker to compile a list. The following are the names that major mock drafts have linked to the Texans’ 23rd overall pick:
It certainly is! Even with C.J. Stroud already on the roster, it’s entertaining to see informed football fans swoon over throws against air. Even if the level of difficulty in looking good is quite low, at least a handful of top-rated signal callers will avoid throwing in Indianapolis in favor of throwing in the comfort of their own Pro Day on their college campus. Bryce Young did it last year. Be happy, Texan supporters, because our hero, C.J. Stroud, the ultimate competitor, threw caution to the wind and decided to throw at last season’s combine (ironically, AGAINST the wind), so no one can dispute your quarterback’s bravery! I suppose we’ll know.By mid-week, we’ll know which quarterbacks have confirmed their participationEvery Houston Texan fan who follows NFL free agency (and I strongly advise you to do so this year) has their own shopping list, complete with a pecking order or priority “purchases” throughout the early stages of free agency. When you combine the ascension of C.J. Stroud with simple geography, it’s easy to see why many Texans supporters want to see the team make a move for Tampa Bay wide receiver and Galveston native Mike Evans.
Evans has been a model of consistency throughout his likely Hall of Fame career, having spent a decade in Tampa Bay and never playing fewer than 13 games or receiving fewer than 1,000 yards in a single season. You could argue that his most recent season, at age 30, was his greatest, with 1,255 receiving yards and a league-leading 13 touchdown receptions.
Understandably, as the greatest receiver in franchise history, Tampa Bay would like to keep Evans, but the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement. On Monday afternoon, Dianna Russini of The Athletic gave this update on the status of Evans’ conversations with the team:
So, in summary, Evans appears to be headed toward free agency, and when a scenario with multiple possible outcomes becomes a reality, we must be able to wager on it! So, here are the first set of chances on where Evans could wind up, following Russini’s tweet:
Evans will be 31 years old in August, so while his production places him among the league’s elite receivers, aging will likely restrict his price from reaching the top of the market. Right now, a receiver making $20 million per year is in the top ten of the position’s average earnings. I believe this is around Evans’ range. I could see Evans’ poker salary being around $80 million over four years, with a guaranteed $50 million to $60 million. If this happens, it will most likely be the Texans’ largest free agency splurge this offseason, indicating that they believe they can win the Super Bowl right now.
Keep the
This is an intriguing subject, given Collins and Evans’ relatively identical statistical seasons in 2023. Collins had slightly more yards and yards per reception, while Evans scored more touchdowns. Stylistically and physically, the two are strikingly similar. Obviously, the main difference is that Collins is younger and has had one excellent season. Collins is due for an extension this summer, thus handing him a large raise would most certainly prevent Evans from being signed. The concern is, would signing Evans restrict Collins from being extended after the 2024 season? It might. The good news is that C.J. Stroud is still in his rookie contract phase for a few more years, so you can be a touch greedy, especially if you’re providing weaponry for Stroud himself.
Ultimately, I believe the Texans will pass on Evans in favor of extending Collins (and, in a few years, Tank Dell), adding some more complimentary experienced receiver pieces (upgrades above Noah Brown and Robert Woods), and investing in defense. DeMeco Ryans has been adamant about developing the defensive line on defense and the running game on offense. Both of these areas are significantly more likely to see free agency spending than Mike Evans.
