The Houston Texans had a bevy of needs across their talent-deficient roster, which meant going with best player available would be an easy way to add quality players.
However, the Texans had some targets to improve the pass defense, and the selections of LSU cornerback Derek Stingley No. 3 overall (Round 1) and Baylor safety Jalen Pitre No. 37 overall (Round 2) truly improved the secondary.
According to Ben Linsey from Pro Football Focus, the additions Houston made throughout the 2022 NFL draft considerably improved their unit when compared to the rest of the NFL.
Derek Stingley Jr., the No. 2 overall player on PFF’s big board, perhaps was the most talented player in the entire draft. He was never able to build on a dominant true freshman season at LSU in 2019, but that performance was impressive enough to keep him as a top-three selection. Stingley tallied 21 combined pass breakups and interceptions and earned the highest PFF coverage grade in the FBS as an 18-year-old going up against a laundry list of elite SEC wide receivers.
Jalen Pitre lined up primarily in the slot as the “Star” in Dave Aranda’s Baylor defense, but he can wear several different hats for Houston, whether that be as a nickel, dime backer or more traditional safety. He put up PFF grades above 75.0 as a run defender, coverage defender and pass-rusher in each of the past two years and provides the Texans with a well-rounded skill set.
What general manager Nick Caserio liked about Pitre was his ability to cultivate takeaways and also defend in space.
“It’s about taking the ball away, so you want to play with an aggressive mindset and mentality,” said Caserio. “It’s a passing league. You have to be able to defend the run, but it’s a passing league, and you have to be able to defend space.”
With the Texans improving their secondary, it should be able to help second-year quarterback Davis Mills keep up on the other side of the ball.
