Texans Rookie Has Been Terrorizing Opponents Through Two Weeks, Looks to Keep It Up in a Tough Week 3 Matchup vs. Vikings

The Houston Texans made massive strides forward during the 2023 season.

A big reason for this was their 2023 NFL Draft class, which included the Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud, as well as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, Will Anderson Jr.

Now, the Texans seem to have found another stellar rookie in their 2024 second-round pick, Kamari Lassiter, who has been an absolute terror for opponents during the first two weeks of his NFL career.

Texans Rookie Off to a Terrific Start

Lassiter was selected with the 42nd overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft and was the sixth defensive back off the board.

Lassiter played his collegiate ball at Georgia where he was a part of both national championships in 2021 and 2022. Throughout his three seasons with the Bulldogs, Lassiter put together 86 tackles, nine tackles for loss, a sack, 14 passes defended, and a single interception.

Those numbers certainly aren’t the most gaudy, but Lassiter’s physical play along with solid speed and decent size at the position gave him plenty of intangibles that could lead to long-term success at the NFL level.

So far, the numbers suggest that Lassiter will be just fine as a pro.

Lassiter began his NFL career with a strong debut against Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts. He was targeted three times, according to PFF, and allowed just one reception for eight yards. Lassiter did get penalized in the game, though, which may have been a factor into why PFF graded him out at 52.0 in pass coverage.

That all led to a truly magnificent Week 2 performance against the Chicago Bears in a primetime matchup against the No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. Lassiter was untouchable throughout the Sunday Night Football matchup, being targeted seven times and allowing just two receptions for 20 yards.

Lassiter also came up with an interception in the second half of that game, helping Houston claim a tough 19-13 victory in their home debut.

Through two weeks, Lassiter has the best PFF grade among all rookie cornerbacks at 80.0, and his coverage grade of 80.3 ranks 12th among all NFL cornerbacks. He has an immaculate opposing passer rating of 0.0.

Now, though, Lassiter has a very tough matchup ahead of him against the Minnesota Vikings. Assuming Justin Jefferson is fully healthy from his quad injury suffered in Week 2, he will be on the field and prove to be a tough matchup for this young Houston secondary.

Jordan Addison could also be involved in this Minnesota offense if he is able to return from his ankle injury while Jalen Nailor has surprised as one of the better WR3s in the league to this point in the season.

Regardless, Lassiter has proven capable of living up to expectations through the first two weeks of his NFL career, and the Texans will need him to continue doing so if they want to win this battle between a pair of 2-0 teams.