One national outlet projects a Texans running back to earn All-Rookie honors
When it comes to rookies and the Houston Texans, 2022 is going to be a fun year to watch the progress of some of the new players joining the NFL when September arrives.
One of those players is Texans running back Dameon Pierce, as he might be the best steal in all of the draft for not only the Texans, but possibly the entire NFL.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com recently gave his projections for the 2022 NFL All-Rookie team, and on offense he selected Pierce, whom Houston drafted with the 107th overall pick in the fourth round out of the University of Florida.
When he released his projected All-Rookie team for defense and special teams, Reuter had two Texans players on that team, those being safety Jalen Pitre and linebacker Christian Harris.
In the offensive All-Rookie team article, here is some of what Reuter had to say about Pierce:
"“Pierce’s tough running and underappreciated short-area quickness allow him to move the chains and excel in short-yardage/goal-line situations.”"
Reuter also spoke about the potential number of carries Pierce could obtain if another new member of the Texans — Marlon Mack — doesn’t have success like he and the Texans hope he has in 2022.
Thinking about the short-yardage game potential that Pierce brings to the Texans, the fact is with the receivers the Texans have with Brandin Cooks, John Metchie III and Nico Collins having big-play potential to get the ball close to the goal line, Pierce could be the player that barrels through the defense for six points and the touchdown.
Pierce is going to spark the Houston offense, and with that, the rookie is going to spark the offensive line because let’s face it, run blocking is much more fun than pass blocking. Plus, with the potential of a better running game in ’22 compared to the ’21 season, second-year quarterback Davis Mills is going to be a better overall QB as well.
Texans: How many players have earned All-Rookie team honors in the past?
Houston has had 14 players selected to the All-Rookie team since 2002 with the most recent player being current offensive guard Tytus Howard in 2019. Other Texans greats such as DeAndre Hopkins, Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt have also been selected to the team in past seasons.
As for this year’s group of rookie, they can be a special group, not only this year, but in future seasons because they have the ability and talent to help the Texans in the rebuild of the franchise and make the team a respectable contender once again.
It may take a couple seasons, and more rookies in future drafts are going to need to be added, but once all the players are in place, including Pierce (who does have a real chance to be named to the All-Rookie team), Houston can eventually become a feared team that opponents don’t want to face when they see them on the schedule.