Three key members of the Texans front office are retiring after the 2016 NFL Draft.
Senior Personnel Advisor Bobby Grier, National Scout Ed Lambert and College Scout Bob Beers will conclude their Texans careers on May 1.
General manager Rick Smith began his Friday pre-Draft press conference by thanking each man and describing his relationship with them over the years.
Grier, who started with the Texans in May of 2000, is someone Smith leaned on since 2006.
"I call Bobby the 'Oz' because I would go and see him and tell (Executive Assistant) Rita (Daniels), 'If somebody is looking for me, I'm in the back of Bobby's office,'" Smith said. "He's like the Wizard of Oz. He's been a valuable resource for me in the role and learning how to be a GM."
Lambert's coaching and scouting career spanned over three decades. But in addition to his "wisdom and knowledge", it was Lambert's kindness to Smith in the 1990's that stood out to the Texans' GM.
"Ed Lambert's a guy who a long time ago, when I was a young college football coach at the AFCA Convention and I didn't know a soul, he is sitting in a hallway in the convention lobby and I didn't know anybody," Smith recalled. "Here's an established coach who is sitting with Jim Caldwell and a bunch of guys. He invited me to sit down and at that point I kind of knew that I had a chance."
Beers, meanwhile, will soon head back to his home in Montana after spending 2007-10 and 2012-now as a Texans scout.
"Bob Beers was another guy who was with us in Denver who was just an old, gruffy football coach who's done an outstanding job of evaluating and identifying talent for us," Smith said.
The first round of the Draft starts next Thursday evening at 6 CT.
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