Ranking the 5 best rookies from the Houston Texans 2023 draft class
By Chad Porto
#4 G Juice Scruggs
It's hard to know if Juice Scruggs had a bad season because of his play or if the injury he sustained at the start of the season hindered his development. It's fair to wonder that, as injuries not only affect on-the-field improvement but also hinder you physically after the fact.
In a sport like football where so much of the preparation that goes in in August ends up paying off in October, getting hurt earlier can derail the whole season. Even if you do come back in time to play. Scruggs' physical development for the season was certainly limited by his injury, as was his ability to build the muscle memory and instincts needed to play on the line.
It's part of the reason why he struggled with blocking during the seven games he played (six of which were starts). He never really proved his ability to move bigger tackles, and his overall pass-blocking was atrocious.
He graded out at a 51.5 overall according to PFF, while his pass blocking was a miserable 49.8. His run-blocking was slightly better at 54.7, but as a whole, he had a rocky rookie season.
There's potential here, but he has to work on his game.