There was plenty of hype surrounding Dameon Pierce following his fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft.
The former Florida running back averaged 5.7 in his final season with the Gators, but that stat was subject to debate. Was Pierce really that good, or was Florida merely giving up on the run and it shadowed how pedestrian he was?
Pierce answered the question in the Houston Texans’ 17-13 win over the New Orleans Saints Aug. 13 at NRG Stadium, and earned a spot on the Touchdown Wire’s secret superstars list for the first week of preseason.
If you’ve read Touchdown Wire for a while, you probably know that we had Florida’s Dameon Pierce as the top running back in the 2022 draft class. You had to look to find his best reps, as former head coach Dan Mullen had Pierce in a misbegotten committee situation, but when he did get on the field, Pierce proved to be incendiary — specifically against Georgia’s historic defense.
Pierce looked just as sharp against the Saints on Saturday, gaining 49 yards no five carries, including this impressive scamper.
Feed Dameon Pierce pic.twitter.com/i6YV7ZFUBT
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) August 14, 2022
There’s no reason to believe that Pierce won’t continue to make life difficult for opposing defenses. It’s just what he does at any level.
Pierce did have a have a 20-yard carry to start his Texans career, even if it was in the preseason. Factor out the carry, and he still generated a 7.25 yards per carry, which may not be realistic over the course of a ballgame, but lends itself to the reality Pierce can be productive.
The Texans will get another chance to work with their run-first offense and give Pierce more carries when they take on the Los Angeles Rams Aug. 19 at SoFi Stadium. Pierce may not go against defensive tackle Aaron Donald and the rest of the Rams’ first-team defense, but he can still have a productive night and give Texans fans peace of mind that the run game may finally be fixed.
