Texans rookie CB Kamari Lassiter will always be compared to these players

The Texans needed to add defensive backs in the 2024 NFL draft. That was no secret.

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Texans general manager Nick Caserio had used 10 of his previous 22 second-round picks on defensive backs, dating back to 2009. Since 2015, six of his nine second-round selections have been defensive backs.

So it was no surprise when the Texans selected cornerback Kamari Lassiter with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft at No. 42 overall. Caserio dipped into the defensive back position again in the third round with the selection of safety Calen Bullock . However, the players chosen with those selections raised a few eyebrows considering the other prospects available in their vicinity.

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Texans rookie CB Kamari Lassiter will always be compared to these players

The draft fell perfectly with the Texans, who had already traded out of the first round from the No. 23 pick. The first two cornerbacks of the draft didn’t come off the board until Quinyon Mitchell at pick No. 22 and Terrion Arnold at pick No. 24, sandwiched around the Texans' original selection. The next cornerback didn’t come off the board until Nate Wiggins at pick No. 30. Houston had to go home after Day 1 feeling good about the position with the prospects remaining after only three were selected.

However, three other defensive backs were selected within two picks of Lassiter: Cooper DeJean (No. 40 to the Eagles), Kool-Aid McKinstry (No. 41 to the Saints) and Max Melton (No. 43 to the Cardinals). It's not his fault, but much like when quarterbacks are drafted around each other and compared throughout their careers, Lassiter's will be tied to whatever DeJean, McKinstry and Melton do on their respective teams.

The Texans reportedly made calls and tried to move up in the second round, but the price was too high. The Eagles and Saints, though, both jumped the Texans for two defensive backs that most viewed as first-round talents. Philadelphia sent Nos. 50, 53 and 161 to the Commanders for Nos. 40, 78 and 152 to get DeJean, while New Orleans traded Nos. 45, 168 and 190 to the Packers for pick No. 41, which turned into McKinstry. The Cardinals, meanwhile, traded back with the Falcons and landed Melton one pick after Lassiter.

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DeJean is a dynamic defensive back who can play safety or nickel cornerback.  McKinstry ran a reported 4.47 40-yard dash at his pro day with a Jones fracture in his foot. He’s also one of the best press-man covers who has a stifling punch. Melton felt like the prototype of a Ryans’ cornerback with his team-first mentality, energy, communication and versatility to play inside or outside with solid athleticism combined with length. He ran a 4.39 40 and has a 40.5-inch vertical, 11-foot-4 broad jump with 32-inch arms and a 6-foot-4.5-inch wingspan.

It's impossible to know which of the four will be the better NFL players right now. Training camps haven't even started yet and Week 1 is still months away. And at the end of it all, the Texans may have the last laugh with Lassiter becoming the best of the bunch. But as it sits now, it feels as if the value of the pick selection wasn’t comparable to other options on the table.

Texans had other options at No. 42

Lassiter won't just be compared to the players immediately around his selection. The Texans also passed on other talent at the position who are projected to be better prospects. Alternatively, there was value outside of defensive back for the best player available if Houston pivoted away from drafting for need. Those players included:

• Adonai Mitchell, WR
• Edgerrin Cooper, LB
• Tyler Nubin, S
• Mike Sainristil, CB
• Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB

Mitchell’s talent and potential are on par with receivers that went in the top-10 picks of this draft. The Texans passed, and Mitchell went 10 picks later to their divisional rival Colts.

Cooper is the best linebacker from this draft class. He was a first-round talent who lasted until the Texans' No. 42 pick but ended up going to the Packers three picks later. The Texans drafted a special teams linebacker in Jamal Hill in the sixth round and added two undrafted free agents in Max Tooley and Tarique Barnes, making up 33% of their six-man UDFA class. They did so because the veteran market has nothing left available and Houston is thin at linebacker behind their starters. Cooper would have been a starter in 4-3-4 looks and provided talented depth behind Christian Harris and Azeez Al-Shaair in nickel. It made too much sense with the perfect blend of talent and need at value at pick No. 42 at a position with few options remaining.

Nubin is a future green-dot safety. The players that mostly wear green dots on the defense are linebackers. There are a few safeties like former Giants and now Packers safety Xavier McKinney who wear the green dot for communications. It’s no coincidence that the Giants drafted Nubin to fill that void as he has the same ability to lead the defense. His presence would have been immense in Houston with his communication ability to keep Jalen Pitre and other young defensive backs right. If Jimmie Ward were to miss time, Nubin would slide in without issue. His addition in the second round would have taken the Texans' need away to force the safety pick in the third round by trading away their top fourth-round selection. In essence, instead of using a second-round pick on Nubin at safety, they used a third and fourth round pick on Bullock.

Sainristil may be the better slot cornerback than Lassiter. Rakestraw Jr. may be the best of all the cornerbacks drafted in the second round. The Texans passed on him twice as he was available at pick No. 59 as well. Houston may not have liked his injury history.

Scouting Texans CB Kamari Lassiter

Enough about what the Texans could have had. Let's look at what the Texans now have in Lassiter.

The bad

Typically, NFL teams want their outside cornerbacks to have 32-inch-or-longer arms and to have a plus wingspan of four to six inches above their height. Lassiter arms came in just shy of 31 inches and he has a two-inch plus wingspan. Outside of length, he lacks the ideal speed for the position with reported Pro Day timings listed from the 4.62-4.68 range.

It’s one thing to time poorly but not see it displayed on film. That’s not the case with Lassiter as when he was in press or close to the line in coverage he’d routinely trail faster receivers and lacked the closing speed to make up for mistakes or poor angles. The lack of speed was masked in a talented Georgia defense that won two national titles while he was there and saw numerous teammates go in the NFL draft. Lassiter was allowed to drop in zone coverage, play off and bail to create a cushion versus speedy receivers and was not tasked with covering too long thanks to the Bulldogs’ stellar front wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.

Despite the talent around him and given the opportunity, Lassiter managed only one interception in 44 games played.

The good

It’s not as if the Texans drafted a kid without skill, though. Lassiter has plenty of positives and NFL talent to thrive in zone coverage, the slot and could eventually move to safety later on. He’s not afraid to fly up and attack in the running game. Despite being undersized at 6 feet and 186 pounds, Lassiter will fight through bigger receivers to make an impact at the mesh point for pass breakups. After only making six PDs in the first 30 games of his career at Georgia in 2021 and 2022, he went on to have eight PDs this past season.

Lassiter makes his presence known in other areas as well with 75 tackles over the past two seasons with a total of 8.5 TFLs during that span. The rookie cornerback is great at shedding receiver’s blocks in the running game and flies down to attack underneath pass attempts. Lassiter does well to not open his hips early and instead mirrors the receiver’s cut. He’s talented in off-man bail with a cushion versus speed and smart in zone with spacing and attacking the receiver at the mesh point or securing the tackle. In press-man, he’d need to break his tendency of latching on to receivers and would struggle with keeping up and closing speed. Lassiter also will show late eyes and awareness at times to plays away from him.

The Texans drafted a defensive back in Lassiter that will contribute immediately and has numerous roles that he could thrive in from outside cornerback in zone or off-man bail, slot cornerback or even safety. It’s not that they didn’t get a player with NFL talent, it’s that they didn’t get the right value at the pick and position.

Did the Texans draft the right player?

It’s worth noting that the Texans get to meet with the players and know them a lot better than those in the media. Houston may have nailed the picks of defensive backs Lassiter and Bullock, and they each could go on to prove that they were steals and not reaches.

It’ll be interesting to look back in a few years and see if Lassiter and Bullock turned into the talent the Texans believe them to be. Whether Lassiter blossoms at the next level or struggles, he'll forever be compared to the three defensive backs that were selected immediately around him.