Texans Jalen Pitre

Texan Safety Jalen Pitre: 19th IDP Off the Board / Selected 37th Overall

” A little undersized, but offers great versatility.”

–  Gridiron Ratings 2022 Rookie NFL Draft Guide

The Houston Texans bolstered their secondary with the selection of Safety Jalen Pitre. Pitre is a versatile player who will provide playmaking ability to their defense. A converted Linebacker at Baylor, Pitre was switched to Safety for his junior and senior seasons. He blossomed into an All-American while playing the “Star” position as a hybrid Safety/Linebacker. He’s a ferocious tackler despite his lean frame. Pitre uses his great speed and instincts to blow up ball carriers in the backfield. He recorded an astonishing 18.5 tackles for loss in his senior season.

Pitre was also a standout in coverage. He does a great job of jumping routes while receivers are coming out of their breaks. He flashed big-play upside by returning 2 interceptions for touchdowns in college. It should be interesting to see how creative the Texans get with where they line him up on defense. In the Texans’ Cover 2 scheme, their Safeties very rarely play in the box. Last season Justin Reid and Eric Murray only blitzed 5 times total all of last season. However, Head Coach Lovie Smith advised that drafting #3 overall pick cornerback Derek Stingley will allow him to get creative on defense. Therefore, it’s possible that Pitre could be used some in the box where he excelled in college. Pitre is projected to be a day one starter next Strong Safety Eric Murray. He’s a great pick in Dynasty and has DB1 upside.

Gauging Dynasty Vs. Redraft

Top 5 rookie DB in Dynasty drafts. Potential top 5 Dynasty option.
Should be drafted as a DB3 in Redraft leagues. The Texans Cover 2 scheme could limit his upside.