3 Bold predictions for Texans rookie Jalen Pitre

There has been nonstop chatter about Texans second-round rookie Jalen Pitre.

Rookie safety Jalen Pitre played well in the Houston Texans preseason opener versus the New Orleans Saints. It was easy to see that he had his nose in the play, every snap he took. He finished the night with four solo tackles, including a tackle for loss, and he had fairly limited snaps against the Los Angeles Rams, but still made his presence known.

Coaches for Houston are praising Pitre’s abilities early in his career, and he is out to show us why the Texans passed on safety Kyle Hamilton. With all of the excitement and solid play thus far this training camp and preseason, here are three bold predictions for Pitre’s upcoming rookie season, which begins in the regular season opener as the Texans are scheduled to host the Indianapolis Colts.

Pitre leads the defense in tackles. While this seems farfetched, his versatility and ability to get to the football put him in a position to lead the Houston Texans’ defense in tackles. While it is unlikely that a defensive back out-tackles a linebacker, it is possible and it has been done. Will Pitre prove he is that great?

Pitre leads the defense in forced fumbles. We all loved watching Justin Reid put his shoulder into the ball, forcing a fumble. It is something Pitre did well at Baylor, and with high hopes of him tackling well, there is high hopes of him forcing turnovers.

Pitre is in the conversation for the rookie defensive player of the year. There’s no doubt the defensive class of ’22 is filled with straight dogs. With Pitre being named starting safety by a legendary defensive coach in Lovie Smith, it says a lot about his talent.

Pitre has an opportunity to get substantial playing time as a rookie, and with the expectations that they will play well, the rookie safety is sitting in the conversation to be the defensive rookie of the year.

While these predictions are bold, there is a lot of football to be played. There is a lot of optimism coming off of Kirby, and a lot of it is directly related to Pitre.