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A quarterback? A quarterback.
With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz.
A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239).
Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024.
Here's a quick rundown on Mertz:
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 217 pounds
Age: 24
From: Overland Park, Kansas
"Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly
“A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He’s pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.”
"He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.”
"Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
Continue reading...
With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz.
A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239).
Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024.
Here's a quick rundown on Mertz:
The Basics
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 217 pounds
Age: 24
From: Overland Park, Kansas
Breakdown
"Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly
Lance Zierlein's Scouting Report
“A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He’s pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.”
What Texans GM Nick Caserio Said
"He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.”
RAS Score
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Grade: C-
"Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
Continue reading...
