Jalen Pitre Building Early Defensive Rookie Of The Year Case

In the wake of the 2022 NFL Draft, much of the focus for the Houston Texans surrounded cornerback Derek Stingley Jr, whom they selected with the third overall pick. However, after his impactful performance in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, it is the man they took 37th overall, Jalen Pitre, who is commanding more attention.

Pitre recorded two interceptions of Justin Fields as the Texans suffered a 23-20 defeat at Soldier Field. Though his display was not enough to help the Texans register their first win of the season, it was a superb illustration of the influence the ultra-versatile safety can exert on the game.

He also broke up a further two of Fields’ passes and registered eight total tackles, including two tackles for loss.

Both of Pitre’s interceptions saw him drop to the deep half and then come across the field to make plays on poor throws on poor throws from Fields, with a player known for his ability to attack downhill coming into the draft showing he has the instincts to thrive playing as a deep safety at the highest level.

Yet there was also plenty of his game-wrecking ability from the box on show in Chicago, with Pitre able to burst into the backfield unblocked to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.

The amount of faith the Texans already have in Pitre is demonstrated by his level of usage and the variety of ways in which they have used him. Indeed, Pitre has played every defensive snap so far this season and has been deployed at both cornerback spots and at linebacker as well as in the deep and box safety roles during his still embryonic NFL career.

Pitre was used in much similar fashion in his collegiate career at Baylor and, while it is early to jump to conclusions, the second-round selection looks primed to develop into a premier Swiss Army knife at a position that is growing ever more valuable in the modern NFL.

Safeties who can drop down and effectively cover from the slot have become prized assets in a league where more and more teams are moving bigger receivers and tight ends into the slot to create an advantage on offense.

Pitre can excel from the slot and adds value against the run and as a blitzer when deployed from the box, while his playmaking ability that was obvious at Baylor has quickly translated to the highest level.

Ranked by the NFL’s NextGen Stats as the fourth-best safety in the NFL through three weeks, Pitre is already attracting recognition. Safeties are rarely in the mix for the top individual honors but, though playing for the Texans may limit his chances, Pitre will have an increasingly compelling case for Defensive Rookie of the Year if he maintains his strong start for the remainder of his maiden season.