HOUSTON – There are a lot of tangible reasons why the Texans are so confident in their decision to immediately plug in and play rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
The Texans’ second-round draft pick from Georgia has excelled in man-to-man coverage, applying sticky skills in mirroring receivers’ routes. Lassiter has been ultra-competitive for the football, intercepting passes and disrupting others. And Lassiter, true to his form in the Southeastern Conference for an elite defense, is a willing and hard-nosed tackler.
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Lassiter will make his regular-season starting debut Sunday on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.
Lassiter is considered emblematic of what Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio want from their entire rookie class, which includes second-round offensive tackle Blake Fisher, third-round safety Calen Bullock, fourth-round tight end Cade Stover and undrafted running back-fullback British Brooks on the 53-man roster.
“The class as a whole, I think you can see what DeMeco and what Nick are trying to do as far as the type of guys we’re trying to get in here,” Texans executive director of player personnel James Liipfert said Tuesday during a video call with Houston reporters. “So, I’d say a lot of these guys, what they have in common is dudes with really high work ethic, guys that are competitive, guys that love ball. I think it starts there. I mean, all these guys in their own way, they’re all unique type of dudes, but they all have those traits about them.
“Just to use Kamari as an example, Kamari was hardened by three years in Athens. Really good program, kind of knew what we were getting from a worker standpoint and the guy just showed up and, really, he’s been the same guy since Day One. He’s done a really nice job. My final thought on the class is a lot of really high-level dudes that work and love ball and they’re competitive.”
[Blanco] “Yeah, just piggy-backing on what James said, we brought in a lot of guys who fit our culture, with DeMeco, with Nick. Just the things that they ask us to look for and identify in players to help build a competitive roster and I think all the rookies, they embody the things we look for in a Houston Texan. Like James said, they’ve all come in hungry, eager and everything that they’ve gotten they’ve earned. That’s something we’re all looking forward to seeing not just the two players you asked about but all of them.”
Lassiter participated in eight coverage snaps and six runs plays during his NFL debut.
Lassiter wasn’t involved in any heavy lifting against the New York Giants, but he certainly didn’t look out of place or like the moment was too big for him.
It was the usual status quo for the defending AFC South champions’ top draft pick as he recorded one tackle.
“What stood out the most to me about Kamari is his consistency every day,” Ryans said. “He showed up every day, whether it was that rookie minicamp, OTA’s, no matter who lined up across from him, I just love that he never wavered. Whoever lined up across from him, he accepted whatever challenge was thrown his way. A very smart player, he finishes the right way and that’s what it’s all about. Initially, everybody is about the same, talent wise, but you have to make up in your mind, how are you going to finish each play? He finishes with the right mindset, which has allowed him to continue to grow as a rookie and be consistent because of his mindset of how he finishes things.”
Since being drafted, 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 Stefon 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.
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.
“I would say I’m very critical of myself,” Lassiter said. “I would say I’m itching to watch the game. As soon as the game is over, I’m itching to watch it probably right after. I just want to see what the call was, how well did I execute the call, what could I do better on that play, what was my pre-snap process? Kind of just going back, jogging my memory throughout the game and just kind of seeing what I was thinking, remembering what I was seeing throughout the game and just seeing what I can do better. I feel like rookie is just a word, honestly.”
Like Lassiter, Bullock, who intercepted nine passes at USC, showed range and sound technique. He forced a fumble against the Chicago Bears in the Hall of Fame game. He ran a long way to nearly intercept a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Calen is another guy who’s he’s continued to rise throughout camp, from where he started his first day, to where he is now,” Ryans said. “This guy has been outstanding to work with, a smart player as well as Kamari, two smart young rookies who made plays on the practice field. So, when you do it in practice, you want it to translate to the game, and that’s what Calen has done. He’s shown that he can be a consistent playmaker for us. So, I’m excited to see his growth and development through his work here.”
Texans assistant director of pro personnel Chris Blanco first took notice of Stover while scouting Stroud at Ohio State during his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings’ scouting department.
Stover caught five passes for 58 yards during the preseason and provided push as a blocker for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and the quarterbacks.
“Watching Cade, previous exposure, at the time I was with the Vikings, so we were studying the quarterbacks watching C.J., and the tight end was always popping up on tape,” Blanco said of the former Big Ten Conference Tight End of the Year. “So that really piques your interest. You do some background and you find out what class he’s in, you make a little note. You’re constantly building profiles like what James was talking about, the college process being a multi-year study. So, Cade is somebody, speaking for myself, and I know James, we’ve talked about it, other people in the building, that this is a player that popped on tape early, we’re going to track him.
“Fortunately, we were able to make some moves to acquire him in the draft. In terms of his role this season, obviously the chemistry, the relationship that he has with C.J., it’s very valuable. We’ve seen it all throughout training camp, in preseason, and that’s something we’re excited about seeing throughout the regular season. I believe we have a deep tight end room. We’ve got Dalton (Schultz) we’ve got Brev (Brevin Jordan). Cade is going to be a nice piece in that room and he’s a versatile player and I’m excited to see how Bobby deploys him and just really excited to see him on the field. I think he’s a good pass catcher. He’s a good blocker in both phases. We’re just really excited to see him.”
The Texans have seen steady development and toughness from wide receiver Tank Dell, their third-round draft pick from last year.
Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns last season before he broke his fibula. He overcame that medical setback and made a speedy recovery from being a victim off an offseason shooting as he suffered a bullet wound through his leg.
Dell has been electric throughout the preseason, renewing his chemistry with Stroud.
“Just with Tank, very impressive work ethic, really second to none,” Blanco said. “That’s a guy, he obviously plays bigger than he measures. With Tank, the speed is real. Great route runner. With him, the rapport, the chemistry that he’s developed with C.J. right off the bat, very impressive. That showed out last season. You talk about being resilient, he attacked his rehab throughout this entire off-season, training camp, preseason. The guy didn’t miss a step. Tank is another player of ours that we’re very, very excited about. Looking forward to seeing him produce and have a great season.”
Signing and developing Brooks, who scored two touchdowns during the preseason against the New York Giants, went back to co-director of college scouting John Ritcher and area scout Najja Johnson doing the homework on a sixth-year player who overcame a torn knee ligament and was a special-teams captain for Tar Heels coach Mack Brown.
“Just to use British as an example, sixth-year player, misses a junior season with a bad injury, was there for six years, started three games, but he was a special teams captain, special teams MVP, very highly thought of in the program,” Liipfert said. “He’s talked about his relationship with Mack Brown. So British is an example of there’s half a dozen college All-Star games and British wasn’t at one, not at the combine. Pro Day for British Brooks was massive. John Ritcher was there for us. John spent time with him. John and Naj went in the school and got great information all throughout the fall, and then the spring process, to give John credit, he tracked him, developed a relationship with him.
“So, when the draft concluded and now British has a decision to make, he thinks highly of, not to speak for him, but the idea is that he will hopefully think highly of the Texans. He and his representation are going to be aware of our situation. It’s going to make good sense for him to come here. He came here and took advantage of his opportunity.”
Blanco emphasized that Brooks has checked every box for the Texans since his arrival. They nailed the evaluation.
“British Brooks is another example of just good process,” Blanco said. “It’s a guy, just going back to James’s earlier point, just touching on what DeMeco and Nick said, everything here is earned, and British has earned every opportunity he’s gotten, and we’re excited for the season that he’ll have this year.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
