As a first-year coach, DeMeco Ryans may have to learn some aspects of his new gig while on the job.
Preparing for the NFL draft is not one of them.
The Houston Texans’ sixth full-time coach in franchise history is helping the organization gear up for one of their most consequential drafts in the past decade, and Ryans is no stranger to the process.
While defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2021-22, Ryans was part of the pre-draft meetings under coach Kyle Shanahan.
“When I was in San Francisco I’ve sat through draft meetings for every position, so, this is not a new year for me,” Ryans said. “It’s the same as it’s been the past three years. Sat in and heard evaluations from all the offensive prospects and defensive prospects. For me, it’s very important to have the coach’s input, have the scout’s input, have everybody’s input on a player to make sure that we are adding the right guys to our team. It’s not a new process for me. Been through it a couple years. It’s the same.”
One of the years Ryans sat in on was 2021 when the 49ers intended to take a quarterback in Round 1, which they did in a trade with the Miami Dolphins that led to picking Trey Lance. Ryans was also in on the 49ers’ meetings last offseason when they chose quarterback Brock Purdy with the 262nd and final pick of the draft. The knowledge and experience Ryans picked up from those two processes may benefit the Texans as they seek to use the No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 draft on a franchise quarterback.
“It’s pretty interesting to see when you go through it a few times, it’s easy to kind of comp players to different players from the past,” said Ryans. “It’s been an interesting process.”
