‘I can’t remember a catch caught on him in a long time, he’s locked on,’ Texans rookie corner Kamari Lassiter excelling

HOUSTON – Backpedaling smoothly, Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter retreated into coverage as he shadowed Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

As the pass from Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud arrived, Lassiter was poised and positioned for another pass defensed.

That incompletion has become a familiar scenario at Texans training camp as Lassiter continues to make his bid to become an immediate starter. Since being drafted in the second round out of Georgia, Lassiter has worked with the first-team defense.

“I can’t even remember a catch caught on him in a long time, so he is doing what he is doing,” Pro Bowl alternate cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said. It is the reason he is here and locked on that side of the field.”

Whether it’s Diggs, Tank Dell or Nico Collins, Lassiter has been up to the task against all of the Texans’ talented trio of wide receivers. The speed of the game and its complexities aren’t too big for him.

“Kamari has shown up every day,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Quiet, but he’s locked in, focused and intense. You don’t notice him much because he’s always doing his job. He’s always where he should be. He’s always in position. He’s always doing what we ask him to do and as a rookie, that says a lot.

“For a young guy to come in and not be noticed a lot for doing something negative, everything has been positive with Kamari and he’s exactly the guy we saw from the Georgia film. Dialed in and a lot of people call him a dawg. He is a dawg. He’s locked in and it will show up even more I think once we get the pads on. Encouraged with where he is.”

Selected 42nd overall and signed to a four-year, $9.014 million contract that includes a $3.376 million signing bonus, Lassiter has high expectations for himself. And so does his coach.

Lassiter yielded the lowest amount of passing yards last season in college football, according to Pro Football Focus analytics. He did a great job shadowing and limiting the production of first-round wide receivers Malik Nabers (LSU, New York Giants) and Xavier Legette (South Carolina, Carolina Panthers).

Lassiter worked regularly with the first-team defense during offseason practices. Now, Lassiter is primed to earn a starting job.

“I just want to come in and show everybody that I’m a savage,” Lassiter told KPRC 2 days before reporting to training camp. “I feel like I’m a physical corner. I feel like I’m a guy that brings a lot of energy to the game and I feel like I can help a team out and do whatever it takes to win.”

“I feel like I just always want to prove myself right,” Lassiter said. “I never sought out to prove anyone wrong. I just thought that I could always be here. I always thought I could play at the highest level in college and my family always believed that. It’s just always about proving ourselves right. Everything that I do is really just to kind of just prove myself right just to make sure that I know I’m here for a reason.”

The competitive mettle Lassiter is displaying is convincing teammates of his readiness and skills. Nothing has overwhelmed him.

“He could be ready, he might even be ready right now,” Diggs said. “Technique is sound, seeking knowledge and wants to compete at a high level and he ain’t running from it. I’m talking my junk to him a little bit, just to kind of get him going, and he’s right there. He’s standing 10 toes down, so something that you like to see in young players is that confidence.

All of the Texans’ top draft pick’s energy is done with a specific goal in mind: establishing himself as a reliable player who can be counted on to immediately contribute as part of the defending AFC South champions’ team concepts and strategies.

During a June minicamp, Lassiter adeptly read the eyes of Stroud, moving instinctively to undercut an accurate throw intended for Diggs.

Instead of another completion from last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year to a decorated, proven downfield target, Lassiter disrupted those plans with a pass deflection.

The Texans’ rookie corner and top draft pick, a second-round selection from the University of Georgia, batted away the football that was headed toward Diggs’ outstretched hands. After deflecting one of two Stroud throws as the Texans wrapped up their minicamp, Lassiter celebrated by placing his hands behind his back and swiveling his helmet as if to say: ‘It’s Locksmith time.’

“I’ve just really trying to get better at everything, really try to work my technique, work on my progressions and stuff like that, just kind of getting comfortable with the basics,” Lassiter said. “Really just trying to come back and be a whole different kind of savage.”

Lassiter is already making a positive impression on teammates, including veteran safety Jalen Pitre.

“He’s a dawg,” Pitre said when asked about which younger players have stood out. “He’s locked in.”

For Lassiter, after excelling in the Southeastern Conference, to know he has left established teammates with confidence in him is emotionally significant.

“It’s just good to hear,” Lassiter said. “Honestly, that’s what you want to do when you come into a situation like this. You want to earn the respect of your teammates and come in and show them that I’m here to stay and earn that respect from them. It’s good to hear that from one of your teammates. It means a lot and you also want to earn the respect of your coaches. That’s what I came in to do, to earn the respect of everyone.”

Lassiter has been building a strong relationship with Ryans, a former Alabama standout and Texans Pro Bowl linebacker.

“I can tell from the time I got on the phone with him when I was drafted, you can just tell his energy and how he interacts with us in the meetings,” Lassiter said. “There are very few coaches who lead meetings and he’s hands-on with coaching and that’s someone I can gravitate towards.”

Lassiter has been making a convincing argument that he deserves strong consideration for a starting job as outside corner opposite Stingley Jr., or as a nickel, as he competes with former first-round draft picks Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson. One of his performances at practice earned him Ryans’ daily SWARM play of the day. The acronym stands for Special Work Ethic and Relentless Mindset, Ryans’ primary adage.

“I’ve been so amazed by him, man,” said Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year last season. “He’s been making plays left and right all over the field. He’s electric, man. Another young guy that we can’t wait to keep seeing grow and stuff like that. And I think he can do great things for this defense and be a part of something special that we have going on here.

“It’s just that mentality that you have coming from the SEC. So, he gets it. He knows now is the time. He don’t have to wait for nobody. He’s not scared to jump up in front of the line. He’s not scared to go make plays. That’s the type of mentality that he has coming from a place like that, but that’s just who he is. And he understands what we’re trying to do here.”

Playing opposite Stingley, a polished coverage specialist from LSU, Lassiter has a great example to learn from.

“He’s on the other side, you don’t have to worry about nothing,” Lassiter said. “Consistency, it’s easy to make one big play. You see him make a good play and do it again and do it again and do it again. He doesn’t talk a lot, but you see how detailed and locked in he is. That’s something to learn from and gravitate towards.”

Lassiter has been bonding with his fellow rookies, forming strong relationships.

“It’s been great,” he said. “A group of guys I came in with and we clicked instantly. We’re going to be brothers for life, I can tell and see how far we can go with this.”

Heading into his first NFL training camp, Lassiter is experiencing a blend of emotions between anticipation, a slight dose of anxiousness and, primarily, enthusiasm for the task at hand.

“Really a little bit of both,” Lassiter said. “I’m really excited, a little bit nervous, but I was always told if you’re not nervous you really don’t care.”

• Source: Texans agreed to four-year, $9.014 million deal with second-round corner Kamari Lassister

Lassiter won two national championships with the Bulldogs.

Lassiter (6-foot, 180 pounds, 4.64 speed in the 40-yard dash) was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection. Lassiter had a foot injury when he tested and normally runs in the 4.5 range.

“We’re drafting football players, we’re not drafting track teams,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “I know speed is important. I’m not saying speed is not important. We don’t feel that’s an issue for this particular player. When you watch him play in the SEC, you don’t walk away and have that concern.”

Lassiter yielded only 136 passing yards and no touchdowns on 15 receptions off 37 targets last season to rank first in the NCAA among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lassiter has a special silver chain with an engraved lock with ‘K3′ stenciled in the middle. He’s nicknamed the Locksmith

“You see the mentality of just his eyes and his demeanor,” Ryans said. “Like in the meeting room, he’s locked in. You can see it in his eyes that he’s truly taking in what you’re giving him when it comes to coaching points or directions. I mean he’s locked in from that standpoint. When he comes out here on the field, it’s the same thing. He’s not a loud guy by words, but he’s a loud guy by his actions.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com