The 2023 NFL Draft class for the Houston Texans is already one for the record books. The team found pillars for their team's long-term future in C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, and Will Anderson, while guys like Henry To'oto'o seem to have some potential. One of the names that we're hoping succeeds, but struggled mightily in 2023, is a second-round pick, Juice Scruggs.
The Penn State product came in with grand aspirations. Many thought he could come in and push for a starting job as a rookie. Yet, injuries derailed his offseason, setting him back some. When he finally debuted, he did so as the team's starting left guard and struggled in that role. He was a versatile player at Penn State, but he struggled trying to play guard for whatever reason.
The working theory that we want to believe is that Scruggs's early-season setback held him back from where he was supposed to be. Now, he's expected to move over to center and compete for the starting job there, according to Pro Football Focus.
Scruggs is getting so much hype heading into year two, that PFF is not only suggesting he starts, but that he bucks off last year's poor performances. The outlet has Scruggs as the 24th-best center in the NFL, a wildly too high ranking for a variety of reasons.
One, we don't know if that change in position will help him, or if we're going to get more of the same from last season. We hope he's greatly improved, but you can't assume he is. He has to prove it. Secondly, everything we've seen from him so far has been a guard spot. It'd make a ton of sense to put him this high if he had played center as a rookie, but he didn't. A more accurate ranking would be at 32, if not lower.
He has so much potential but potential will get you fired if you don't turn it into talent. Scruggs is starting at the bottom with his move to center. While it may end up being a huge move for his career, as he could surely live up to the hype of his lofty draft positioning, he still has to go out and prove that he's a capable center before anyone hands him such a moniker.