HOUSTON – Juice Scruggs is in constant motion at the line of scrimmage, delivering the snap before firing his hands into the chests of hefty defensive lineman. It’s a heavy-handed, aggressive approach to football that suited the Texans’ preferences for an interior offensive lineman.
His self-scouting report? In a word: “Nasty.”
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That’s what the Texans were looking for. And they followed the strong impression the Penn State center made in the Big Ten Conference and East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game by trading back into the second round to select him 62nd overall following a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as they sent them their 65th, 188th and 230th overall selections to acquire Scruggs. Scruggs is expected to compete with Scott Quessenberry for the starting center job.
“I’m bringing physicality,” Scruggs said. “I’m bringing somebody that’s going to come off the ball every play and give everything you got, every snap. “I’m trying to be as physical as possible, trying to outbattle the guy in front of me. Whatever it takes, I’m trying to win I’m just ready to learn, ready to get dive in the playbook, get going. I’m just ready to go, can’t wait.”
Officially named Frederick Henry, Scruggs got his nickname as a child who didn’t like to drink milk. Born in Ashtabula, Ohio before attending high school at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania, Scruggs emerged as a blue-chip recruit and state Lineman of the Year who chose the Nittany Lions over LSU, Ohio State and Michigan
Now, the Texans chose him to inject competition into the center position. Although Scruggs, a team captain and third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection has played guard, the Texans view him more as a center. The Texans drafted Scruggs after two centers were selected ahead of Scruggs with the New York Jets picking Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann and the New York Giants selected Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz.
“I think in Juice’s case, it’s probably a little more center than guard,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “But, if he had to go over there and play guard, it looks like he would be competitive. He’s a player that our staff really liked, Multi-position player, played center, more center than guard but has some position flexibility on the interior.
“Great kid, had dealt with some adversity there early on in his life. Really worked his ass off to try and get to the point where he could actually go out there and be a productive player. Great attitude, great kid, great story. Gives us some flexibility there on the interior of the offensive line, so added him to the mix.”
Scruggs (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) has overcome significant difficulty in his life.
Scruggs was in a serious car accident in 2019, fracturing his L3 vertebrae and suffering a concussion. He was in a back brace for eight months and missed the entire season. He battled his way back and got back on the field against Maryland in 2020, nearly two years after the crash and appeared in seven games as a reserve. By 2021, Scruggs was a 13-game starter and an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection.
At the time of his injury, there was legitimate concern about whether he could play football again. Scruggs was determined to get back on the field as soon as possible, and it was a long road back.
“It went through my head, at the same time, I wasn’t going to let that be the end of my career,” Scruggs said. “I just knew it was going to be a long road, and I was just ready to do whatever I needed to do get back on the field again.”
Scruggs used his convalescence time as one to acquire knowledge and learn from the coaches, concentrating on the mental aspect of the game.
“When I got hurt, I was just always in the back with the coaches and I was just listening to see what they were talking about, just seeing how they operate,” Scruggs said. “And it was just cool getting to sit back and look at that from their perspective to see how the game is. I learned a lot, like formations, just learning everything about just the whole offense and not just the line.
“It really benefited me when I was hurt, just sitting back and observing and I was really just learning all the plays and I would just do the hand signals from time to time. It was cool. It was like basically I was got to be a coach for a little bit.”
Scruggs participated in a Zoom call with offensive line coach Chris Strausser that went smoothly.
A 12-game starter last season who bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times, Scruggs visited the Arizona Cardinals. He also had virtual meetings with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers.
“He said that he was interested,” Scruggs said regarding his talks with Strausser. “He liked the way I played. If he has a chance, he’s going to take me. It’s just an unreal moment when you actually get that call.”
Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is proud of the progress Scruggs has made over the past five years in State College, Pa.
“He is going to be a tremendous asset to the Houston Texans,” Trautwein wrote in a statement. “Juice was a great leader for our offensive line and our football team, hence why he was a team captain this past season. He became a very good vocal leader but what impressed me the most was his ability to lead by example and take on a professional approach to his preparation. He did such a great job of making sure our unit was in sync at all times and it was pivotal to our offense’s success.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.