Draft Grade: Dameon Pierce brings versatility and power to Texans at RB

Round 4 brings the Houston Texans draft a running back to lift their rushing game.

The Houston Texans are doing their best to not be the worst rushing team in the NFL for a second straight year. Houston did that by drafting Dameon Pierce from the University of Florida in the fourth round with the 107th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Remember last season the Texans were either at the bottom or near the bottom with veterans at the position who didn’t get the job done on a weekly basis, and this offseason the Texans fixed that issue with the addition of Marlon Mack in free agency and now drafting Pierce.

Pierce can block, and he’s a power rusher, and that is exactly the type of player Houston needs to pair with Mack, especially if Mack becomes the player he was before he was injured while playing with the Indianapolis Colts.

The newest Texans running back had a 4.59 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine with a vertical jump of 34.5, 21 reps at bench press (225 pounds) and a 119 broad jump … simply put, Pierce is an athlete and a very talented running back with all of his strength and athleticism.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares Pierce to Isaiah Crowell, as Zierlein also said this of Pierce in his pre-draft profile:

"“No hesitation charging through the line of scrimmage. … Violent runner who is hard to knock off his feet.”"

If Houston gets the Mack of past success, and now add in Pierce with his power running and blocking abilities, plus adding Kenyon Green (the 15th overall pick) at guard, the Texans’ offense could surprise many in ’22.

What is the Texans grade for Dameon Pierce for Round 4?

This is a very nice pick for the Texans, and it is the type of player general manager Nick Caserio seems to be drafting as the ESPN draft coverage described Pierce as a leader and spoke highly of his leadership abilities as he played in the Gators’ bowl game this past season.

Houston needed to improve at running back, add depth at the position and find ways to protect second-year quarterback Davis Mills more in ’22, and this pick does that. It also gives Mills and the Houston offense another weapon to make their offense better than the product that was on the field in ’21.

Pierce isn’t the perfect running back, but his ability to play hard-nosed football with his strength and his athleticism will make fans of the Texans happier in ’22.