Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock weren’t first-round picks, but they’ve been Day 1 standouts for the Houston Texans.
Lassiter, a second-round pick out of Georgia, has transformed into a quality No. 2 defensive back opposite All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. In Saturday’s wild-card round win, didn’t allow a catch and forced an interception on Chargers quarterback Justin Hebert.
Turnovers are a part of Bullock’s language. Entering the playoffs, the third-round pick out of USC was tied for the team lead in interceptions with five. He also has been considered one of the Texans’ most improved tacklers since training camp.
ESPN recently named its All-Rookie team following the conclusion of the regular season. The offense was headlined by Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Iriving and Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
On defense, Lassiter and Bullock made up a half of the secondary. In Lasstier’s case, he was considered in the hunt before the playoff game. After his performance, the case was closed.
“Perfectly cast for the DeMeco Ryans defense, Lassiter is unbelievably physical against the run, can suffocate routes at the line of scrimmage and wins the football in the air against much larger receivers,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote. “Among corners with at least 200 coverage snaps, only Marshon Lattimore allowed a lower completion percentage over expectation than Lassiter did (NFL Next Gen Stats). He plays with a short memory, which is critical for such a physical play style, and a playmaker’s instinct. You couldn’t build a better running mate for Derek Stingley Jr.”
For Bullock, Solak pointed out that when talking “true” free safeties, the 6-foot-3 defensive back in a rare class that emulates the mold.
“From Week 1, Bullock leaped off the film for the Texans. (He was on our Week 4 All-Film team.) The young man can absolutely fly, and Ryans couldn’t have employed his brand of defense this season without Bullock as their center-field safety with true sideline-to-sideline range,” Solak wrote. “He also showed good ball skills with his interception production.”
