The start of free agency has brought some new additions to the Bayou City, though many Houston Texans fans have already turned their attention to next month's NFL draft.
Houston holds the No. 2 and No. 12 overall picks, with the bulk of mock drafts predicting the Texans will target what they hope is a franchise quarterback with their first selection. But with a plethora of holes to fill on a team that's spent the past three years in the NFL cellar, they have plenty of needs outside the quarterback position, too.
Texans assistant director of player personnel and college scouting director James Liipfert spoke with the media on Friday, and in doing so, peeled back the curtain a bit on the team's draft process. This included a look at how Houston weighs the difference between fit and need.
"I would say you've got to have the fit first. I think it's on me, and it has to trickle down to our scouts who do a helluva job. We have to be on the same page with our coaches with how a player fits a particular scheme, and I think if you start going crazy on need, need is more of a gameday situation. ... I would say that any player that you're serious about drafting, you better have a long, hard conversation about where this player fits," Liipfert said.
"The worst thing you want to do is take athlete X and, 'Hey man we'll get him here, and he'll be this.' Then, your DBs coach is like, 'I really don't like the way this guy fits.' Well, we screwed up somewhere. I would say let's get the fit right and then the need sort of organically happens as names fall off the board. I think you go into it saying we need X, Y and Z. Well, if the board doesn’t fall to you like that, now you're stuck. Get the fit right, identify the players that you like for each position, and hopefully one is there when it's your turn to pick and go get them."
Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide throws a pass against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesLiipfert also answered a question about the presumed top two quarterback prospects in the draft: Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. He didn't provide specifics in terms of strengths and weaknesses, but did have positive things to say about both of them.
"They are both productive players, and they played in big games and they both shined in big games," Liipfert said. "Regardless of position, you want to draft productive players and you want to draft good people. Those are guys, along with a lot of guys in this draft, they check a production box and they're both good dudes. I've talked to both of them, and I would say they're both good guys. I like both of them. ... I enjoyed watching these last couple of years, and we'll see what their future holds."
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As for whether the Texans put more stock into combine and pro day performances versus the tape from prospects' college careers, Liipfert noted he "will always go back to the tape." He added that he doesn't heavily penalize players who don't work out at the combine or only do specific drills at their pro day because "those guys are trusting what their agents are telling them."
"What I can control is evaluating how a guy played. To me, that will always be the most important thing," Liipfert said. "I don’t think that's a state secret. Every team in the league probably feels that way. Ultimately, when there's a helmet on their head and there are shoulder pads on their shoulders, that to me will always be king. That’s not some secret. It’s football. You’re drafting them to play football, so you want to know how they play football."
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Fit vs. need: A glimpse into the Texans' draft process - Chron
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