Kamari Lassiter spent three seasons at Georgia perfecting his craft in coverage. In the SEC, there’s no shortage of premier talent at wide receiver.
En route to helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national titles, Lassiter was tasked with going up against names like Alabama’s Jameson Williams, LSU’s Malik Nabers, South Carolina’s Xavier Leggette and Missouri’s Luther Burden III, among others.
Williams, Nabers and Leggette were all first-round picks in their respective draft classes. Burden, who enters 2024 as the favorite to win the Fred Biletnikoff Award, should be a top-10 pick come next offseason.
Lassiter, the Texans’ newest defensive back, has already gone through the wringer when facing pass-catchers in the SEC. He now faces a different challenge in practice daily with reps against Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, plus two rising stars in Tank Dell and Nico Collins.
Diggs, the Texans’ prized acquisition of the offseason, praised Lassiter for not only his maturation but also his ability to win reps at a young age. There’s been some jarring during drills and post-practice.
Lassiter, however, considers it a more friendly yet competitive quarrel.
Kamari Lassiter on Stefon Diggs trash talking on the field:
“He’s a guy who’s very passionate. When he makes a play he lets it be known. I’m the same way.” pic.twitter.com/84Kl8X6zLn
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 23, 2024
“I just stand on business, so if there’s smoke in the air, imma blow it,” Lassiter said following practice on Tuesday. “Diggs, he’s just a guy who really loves the game. He’s just really passionate about what he does, and he lets it be known. And I like that because I’m the same way.”
Drafted No. 42 overall, Lassiter is still a young gun. He can see similar traits in Diggs that were bestowed on him from his early playing days at age three.
There’s a humbleness cloaked over their alpha menalties. Teammates have praised Diggs’ work ethic but unrelenting eagerness to win.
Lassiter, who lives off perfections, plays a similar football brand, often looking to beat the best regardless of the rep or drill.
Diggs, who enters his ninth season in the NFL, said Lassiter’s running mate Derek Stingley Jr. is already one of the league’s top defensive backs. The four-time Pro Bowler also said that Lassiter isn’t far behind and is always “seeking knowledge.”
“[He] wants to compete at a high level and he isn’t running from it,” Diggs said on Monday. “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 ten toes down, so something that you like to see in young players is that confidence.”
Kamari Lassiter on having to go against “elite” guys like CJ, Tank, Diggs & Nico:
“I gotta be elite too” pic.twitter.com/zJWfRJyPnj
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 23, 2024
Every rep won is earned in Lassiter’s mind. He plays with the intention of not just beating a receiver, but also the quarterback delivering the pass behind the line of scrimmage.
“Every play because it is two-in-one,” Lassiter said. “I am one-on-one with the receiver and then I have another match up with the quarterback, and [Stroud] is elite.”
Lassiter admitted he’s got a long way to go, so the smack talk might have to wait against an opposing team, but he is improving. One reason for success? He’s going up against an “elite” offensive core daily.
DeMeco on Lassiter:
“He’s a DOG”
“He’s exaclty the guy we saw from the Georgia film” pic.twitter.com/thX6Vs3bWL
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 22, 2024
“I want to earn the respect of everyone in the building before it is time to play,” he said. “So just by the way I come in every day, I just want to be a student of the game.
They’re not slowing down, so he can’t, either.
“Those guys are elite,” Lassiter said. “So I have to be elite at the same time.”
