Texans’ rookie minicamp kicks off this weekend in Houston.
There shall be 15 beginners in attendance —
nine draft picks
and
six undrafted free agents
. Every prospect has their hold myth and route earlier than them. It’s attention-grabbing to ponder how every occupation would possibly perhaps perhaps play out. At this level, it’s all speculation however the first chapter of their NFL myth is able to be written.
Right here are the tip 5 storylines that you would possibly aloof hold a concerned stumble on on at some stage in Texans rookie minicamp this weekend.
Contents
5 storylines to peer at Texans rookie minicamp
Kamari Lassiter’s usage
Lassiter has a versatile sport
. The questions of whether or no longer he’ll be traditional inside of or outside would possibly perhaps perhaps aloof delivery up to concept answers quickly. The Texans would possibly perhaps perhaps either devour a particular role, like nickel cornerback, planned out for him and exhaust their time predominantly coaching him at one place to no longer overload a rookie.
The quite quite a lot of concept is that they would possibly perhaps perhaps give him reps at nickel, outside cornerback and the safety role. It’ll be attention-grabbing to concept the route they selected for their first resolution in this previous draft. Over the lengthy haul, Lassiter would possibly perhaps perhaps additionally very well be handiest suited for the safety role attributable to his lack of length and velocity. Alternatively, the Texans devour starters in Jimmie Ward and Jalen Pitre at the role. They would possibly perhaps perhaps well aloof devour an originate competition at nickel and the skin cornerback role opposite of Derek Stingley Jr., though.
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Predicting the fifty three-man roster
Lassiter would possibly perhaps perhaps aloof be concept to be the favourite for the starting nickel role
. He has a legit shot at profitable the skin corner role besides if the Texans are inspiring to make exhaust of him largely in zone and off-man protection. He’d be a liability if they desired to accept the most of their outside cornerbacks to play heavy press-man jam.
There’s to take into accounta good quantity of alternatives for the Texans with Lassiter’s skill enviornment; how they elect to accept the most of it and have him as a prospect is no longer handiest a sizable myth for his rookie season but at some stage in his occupation.
The concept for Calen Bullock
Houston seemed to target versatile defensive backs in two of their first three picks within the draft. Bullock has the versatility like Lassiter to play at security, within the slot or outside at corner. Every of the younger possibilities has various skillsets and traits that add price to the Texans by giving them a lot of ways to play the duo to their strengths whereas making the defense and the beginners collectively better.
Bullock is seemingly to delivery up at the free security role.
Ward would be earlier than him but he averages nearly 5 disregarded games a season. There are two ways the Texans would possibly perhaps perhaps proceed in their concept route of with Bullock slated to come support in within the support of a talented frail: They would possibly perhaps perhaps well decide to rob the time as a cushion to accept Bullock NFL-ready for action at the free security role so he flourishes when he’s known as upon, or they would possibly perhaps perhaps resolve to concept at him as clay to mould with prototypical NFL length, burst, velocity and fluidity for the skin cornerback role.
Bullock would possibly perhaps perhaps compete for a starting outside cornerback role besides with Lassiter, Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson. Bullock would possibly perhaps perhaps shock and win the skin cornerback role and delivery up with Lassiter within the nickel, along with Ward, Pitre and Stingley Jr. The transfer would allow Okudah and Henderson to scheme depth at the skin corner positions and Myles Bryant and Desmond King II to attain so on the inside of.
Would head coach DeMeco Ryans belief two beginners to delivery up within the secondary of his talented nickel circulation defense? Within the event that they proved to be two of the 5 most talented defensive backs in camp, then sure, Ryans would possibly perhaps perhaps delivery up them both.
Which rookie linebacker will emerge?
There’s
restricted depth
within the support of the Texans’ talented starting linebackers of Christian Harris and Azeez Al-Shaair. Second-twelve months participant Henry To’oTo’o and Jacob Phillips, who has struggled to raise on the realm, are the next males up, adopted by a few special groups avid gamers and a few beginners.
The Texans can devour a few rookie linebackers who would possibly perhaps perhaps come up the ranks in camp to no longer handiest accept the roster but push for a backup place with extra upside than having a pure special groups role. The Texans drafted Jamal Hill within the sixth spherical at the role besides to undrafted free agents Max Tooley and Tarique Barnes.
Hill appears to be like to be like like he can accept the crew and flourish in a favorable groups role. Barnes has skill too, but it’s Tooley that would be the shock of the bunch and seemingly transfer into the two-deep at the role with To’oTo’o. Tooley would possibly perhaps perhaps make contributions at the role at once if known as upon as an older, skilled and broken-down participant at the role. How it shakes out is price monitoring at some stage within the season.
TE Cade Stover’s role
Stover has sizable
skill and upside
, and he landed within the glorious recount. Stover comes staunch into a friendly locker room along with his former college quarterback C.J. Stroud at the helm. The Texans additionally re-signed Dalton Schultz whom he can be taught from.
Stover obtained’t devour to be asked to be the man at the role for as a minimum a few years as lengthy as Schultz stays healthy and productive. That’s appropriate. Stover is a twin-threat skill at the role that hasn’t reached his doable but.
The Texans would possibly perhaps perhaps resolve to bring him along slowly with the concept being to appropriate accept optimistic he understands the tight cease role and is ready for heavy reps in 12-personnel this season with Schultz. They additionally would possibly perhaps perhaps concept to maximise his skill and versatility to be creative with the prick support down to a fifty three-man roster. In doing so, they would possibly perhaps perhaps insist him to rob fullback reps and additionally prepare him to be the man at the role if the recount arose whereby Schultz were to fail to spot time.
It’ll be attention-grabbing the tempo the Texans bring Stover along at and if Stroud helps expedite the approach with some whispers of encouragement in his head coaches’ ear.
Who’s the rookie sleeper?
When searching out for the sleeper of the rookie class there
are several attention-grabbing candidates
. The rookie linebackers devour already been talked about and Tooley or indubitably one of the most trio would possibly perhaps perhaps rob the crown. Open air of the linebackers, the defensive kind out role has two candidates in their seventh-spherical resolution Marcus Harris and undrafted signing Pheldarius Payne.
Stover and the Day 2 picks, namely at defensive support, would no longer qualify as sleepers. Running support Jawhar Jordan will get heavy consideration for the title and makes it to the rest four of the decision with Harris, Tooley and Payne.
Harris takes dwelling the title of “sleeper” for the 2024 Draft class
, as he would possibly perhaps perhaps aloof provide a return that would devour been extra exceptional of being selected initially up of Day 3 of the NFL draft versus the cease of it. Harris can explode off the snap, plays violently, is stuffed with life and blends vitality and balance in his attack.