The Houston Texans used their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter, and so far, coach DeMeco Ryans likes what he’s seen from the former American Christian standout.
“He’s locked in, focused, intense,” Ryans said at training camp last week. “You don’t notice him much because he’s always doing his job. He’s always where he should be, he’s always in position, he’s always doing what we ask him to do. As a rookie, that says a lot, for a young guy to come in and not be noticed a lot for doing something negative. Everything has been positive with Kamari. He’s exactly the guy we saw from the Georgia film – like, dialed in.
“A lot of people call him a dog. He’s a dog, he’s locked in and that will show up even more once we get the pads on. I just remember the Georgia tape, how physical he was when it came to tackling. Encouraged by where he is. Starting out such a young career, where he is in training camp, what he did in OTAs, I think he’ll continue to ascend and get better.”
Lassiter could make his pro debut on Thursday, when the Texans play the Chicago Bears in the annual Hall of Fame Game at 7 p.m. CDT at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. ABC and ESPN will televise the kickoff of the NFL’s preseason schedule.
“The first thing you want to do as a young player, as a rookie coming into a new organization, a new atmosphere, a new everything, you want to earn the respect of your teammates and your coaches,” Lassiter said at training camp. “I feel like that’s something that I really focused on, and I’m still focusing on. Like I want to earn the respect of everyone in the building before it’s time to play by the way I come in every day.”
The Texans obtained Lassiter with the 42nd selection in the NFL Draft on April 26.
Houston has Derek Stingley Jr., the third pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, at one cornerback spot. After letting Steven Nelson go unsigned this offseason, the Texans have two high draft picks to fill the vacancy left by the 16-game starter. But Lassiter is making a run at the starting spot against Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson.
Lassiter is bringing his Locksmith persona to the competition.
“That’s just me,” Lassiter said. “That’s who I am. I feel like it’ll continue to be earned the more I progress. But I feel like I came in and I kind of showed that’s just who I am. That’s the person I am: I’m the Locksmith. I want to lock stuff down on the opposite side of the field or wherever I’m at.”
The No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft, Okudah started nine games for the Atlanta Falcons last season. The No. 9 pick in the 2020 draft, Henderson started seven games for the Carolina Panthers last season.
“I feel like I got a long way to go,” Lassiter said. “… I feel like to get to the point where I really want to be at, I have a long way to go, I have a lot to learn, I have a lot to work on, so right now’s OK, but I want to be a lot better.”
The Texans boost one of the deepest wide-receiver lineups in the NFL with Stefon Diggs, former Clay-Chalkville star Nico Collins, ex-Alabama A&M pass-catcher Tank Dell, former Alabama standout John Metchie III and Robert Woods, who are catching passes at practice from quarterback C.J. Stroud, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023.
“It just makes me so much better because my technique has to be sound on every play because it’s two-on-one,” Lassiter said. “I’m one-on-one with the receiver, and then I got another matchup with the quarterback, and the quarterback is elite. Just knowing that I make one wrong step or I think too long, the rep might be over because whoever I’m going against, whether it’s Steph, Nico, Tank, Metchie, Noah (Brown), it doesn’t matter. Those guys are elite, so I have to be elite at the same time.”
Lassiter won the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A Back of the Year Award for the 2020 season at American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
