The Texans entered the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday night with three picks at 37th, 68th and 80th overall. They finished the night with three picks that came in at 37, 44 and 75. General manager Nick Caserio worked all night to ensure he finished with five picks in the top 75 overall and he arguably won the night with Crazy 8’s. He drafted the two number eights from Alabama and the number eight All-American from Baylor.
The night began with Baylor’s DB Jalen Pitre, who persevered in his career more than most. It paid off with a wonderful final season that saw Baylor win the Big 12. Here’s my scouting report on the versatile safety from Stafford, TX (another Houston homeboy, too. He got the call from Nick Caserio and the Texans about ten minutes from your future home).
“Pitre is one of the most versatile talents in all of college football and has battled through one of the craziest college situations to get to the other side, so to speak. Trying to figure out what his top NFL position will be is a challenge for NFL teams, but it’s a good one, honestly. I was a HUGE fan of former Oregon star Jevon Holland and Pitre’s number eight isn’t the only thing that reminds me of Holland. The former Oregon Duck Holland played a lot of time near the box, but he had the range to make plays as a MOF player. Pitre has shown the same thing, especially defending Dave Aranda in 2021. He will make effective takedowns in space and find the ball in a hurry. In the Senior Bowl, he was effective in coverage, had hits near LOS and was the overall/floor leader he was at Baylor. There’s a definite Tyrann Mathieu-esque “we don’t know where he’s going to line up on every play” style of play that makes Pitre a star. I’ve seen him sniff screens. He has bombed the rim as an OLB for sacks. He has been the back-running defender running on a zone play going the other way. He is fearless as a run defender and tackler – he NEVER makes business decisions, that’s for sure. Against BYU, he dove from the rim against a wide zone play. The H-back caught him but Pitre never stopped his effort. When the BYU ball carrier had to slow down to back up, Pitre made the save from behind to gain two yards. He is a midfielder without a flash. He makes a play and hands the ball to the referee or returns to the group. With Baylor ahead of BYU by THREE touchdowns with just three minutes left in the game, he ran after a BYU receiver who made a tremendous catch downfield as the Bears CB fell. Pitre ran BYU’s pass catcher to keep him out of the end zone … with a 21-point lead. My God, a real football player without a doubt.“
It was that BYU game that really caught my attention. He was just brilliant. At the Senior Bowl, I was impressed with his consistency regardless of the task he was asked to complete. Pitre is simply a good soccer player with incredible quickness, change of direction and soccer IQ.
Then the Texans started making deals and moved up to 44th to select one of the most interesting players in this draft, WR John Metchie III. Although he tore his ACL in December in the SEC championship game, he said in his draft presser that he should be ready to roll in July. That’s such sweet music because, like Pitre, he’s a guy who plays ball. Here is my scouting report on Harris 100’s Metchie III.
“Metchie III has a really interesting background. He was born in Taiwan and lived there for five years before moving to Canada for most of his young life. When he got to high school, he moved to St. James in suburban Baltimore. He then transferred to The Peddie School in New Jersey for a preparatory school year before enrolling at Alabama as a true freshman in 2019. Metchie III is a physical guy who played mostly outside in his two years as a starter, but he can transition inside when necessary. , tough and reliable anywhere in the passing game. He was overshadowed in 2021 by the transfer of Jameson Williams, but Metchie III does the little things that are sure to attract an NFL team. I think anyone in this draft class who can emulate Deebo Samuel (49ers/SC) could be a healthy Metchie III. I struggled for two years trying to figure out what I would do with him on my roster, but when I saw him run routes from the slot against Florida in 2021, it hit me. He’s not as big, strong or quick as Samuel, but he’s tough after the catch and showed the acumen to get loose against inside defenders as a slot WR. His recovery from the ACL tear he sustained in the SEC championship game will be key to his overall evaluation, but we’ve seen a lot of players recover well from that surgery. As such, I could see a team tapping him in the backfield in a pinch. Now, having an internal IQ like Samuel is hard, he shoots, even Samuel didn’t know he could do it the way he does.“
Metchie III strikes me as a guy who could find a role doing it all with the ball in his hands, and that’s not a bad thing. He is a technician in his routes, he plays the game the right way and will deliver in the clutch. In the 2021 Iron Bowl, Alabama’s offense couldn’t move the ball an inch, it seemed, aside from what Metchie III was delivering in the passing game. He wrapped up the night with the game-winning touchdown against All-American CB Roger McCreary.
Then Nick Caserio decided he needed another eight from Alabama and drafted LB Christian Harris. Here is my scouting report on Harris from the Harris 100.
“Before I really immersed myself in the Harris movie, I thought he was a good player, but he wasn’t up there with Nakobe Dean or Devin Lloyd. Then on National Championship night, he was arguably one of the top three defensive players in the game. I heard some scouts really liked Harris, but I wasn’t there yet, but that performance certainly got me fired up to take a closer look at him. When I did, wow, this guy can absolutely play and I wish I hadn’t said that other part out loud. On the first play of the National Championship game against Georgia, he read the contraband immediately and took off as a shot to sack Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV for a significant loss to start the game. His anticipation and his football IQ got him there, his speed got him there. That work may not have been patient, but it was; he just recognized and figured that play out so quickly. However, he is patient in diagnosing him and doesn’t start moving around until he knows for sure. When he does, GO. When he doesn’t, he can’t get caught crawling in LOS. He will be trapped inside and won’t be able to provide a top chase at all. He takes blocks better than most linebackers in this and many other draft classes. He gets lazy/fatigued and plays on the feet and doesn’t always react well to RB/TE on passing routes, in particular. Against Florida in 2021, the Gators were left without QB power RPO. Harris was the outstanding player in the formation of trips to the limit. When the throwing guard came through the formation, all 330 pounds of him, he ran into Harris. The Crimson Tide defender set it up incorrectly to spill the run deep into the alley and the back run through LB. Now, when I say poorly armed, I mean, Harris picked him up, stoned him, and completely knocked the burly guard off balance. That guy just hits people and I love it. Then a few plays later, on the goal line, he lined up as an edge defender, a wide 9-foot OLB. The Gators RT took a direct step towards him and Harris violently snatched/torn the big tackle from him. Then, as the Gators RB rebounded the run to the outside, Harris ran him over for a four-yard loss. That was impressive when everyone came out.“
It was a wild Friday night, but the Texans played a little football with Jessies, as Nick Caserio pointed out in the press after the night was over. Now, it’s time for the third day to bring this draft home.
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Reference-www.houstontexans.com