Higher picks receive larger compensation, and when they succeed, general managers and scouts are seen more favorably.
Has a rookie done enough to start on day one?
Team sports has changed a lot, but there are things that have never changed and likely will never change. There is a push and pull battle between making decisions based on past performance and making decisions based on what you are currently watching on the field or court. Preseason football and training camp is a veritable science lab for this dilemma in action.
The Texans invested a second round pick in Jalen Pitre back in 2022. He had a solid rookie campaign if you simply base that on counting statistics like tackles and interceptions. Unfortunately, 2023 was not as successful when it you base it on those numbers alone. Furthermore, he was benched in key moments late in the season in favor of the embattled Eric Murray.
Enter Calen Bullock. Bullock was a third round pick, so according to the way the world works he shouldn’t be as good or accomplished. We all realize that drafts are an inexact science and we could all rattle off low round picks that end up being stars. We can rattle off higher draft picks that weren’t. Yet, most NFL organizations show preferential treatment to those higher picks.
There are all kinds of real world and valid reasons for this. Higher picks are paid more money and general managers and scouts look better when they are successful. Furthermore, unless you completely miss on a guy, they have athletic skills and mental skills that made them a top pick. Jalen Pitre is no different. He was the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He did good things. The question is whether there is a spot where he can demonstrate those strengths.
In that vain, the Texans have decided to move Pitre in the box where he can be a nickel back. Will this work? That’s where he spent most of his time in college. He was almost a hybrid linebacker in Baylor’s system and he made a whole bevy of plays. Can he do that in Houston? Covering NFL slot receivers is different than covering Big 12 slot receivers. NFL offenses can explot holes in a defense even when they aren’t particularly good overall.
That also means someone needs to pick up the slack on the back end. The Texans officially have nine safeties on the depth chart. Eric Murray, M.J. Stewart, and Lonnie Johnson are set to back up Jimmie Ward and Pitre. This doesn’t even include Brandon Hill who had a key fumble recovery and interception in the last preseason game. Quality depth doesn’t appear to be an issue.
This is much like the discussion I had about Dameon Pierce and John Metchie on Monday. Pitre is another guy to root for. If he is good then the Texans defense is that much better. However, Bullock has looked spectacular in camp and in the first preseason game. He didn’t do as much Friday night, but for defensive backs it is usually a good thing if your name isn’t called.
So, here is where that push and pull debate comes into play. Do you give the position to the guy that has been there before and has a longer track record or do you give the job to a guy that looks better now? I guarantee every team is having the same debate with at least one of their positions on their team. It’s never quite as simple as everyone makes it out to be.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself why someone is not being successful and whether the guy experiencing success will have that same success when the lights are bright. Who is Bullock playing against? Will opposing offensive coordinators draw up plays and schemes that confuse him? Will first string receivers expose him? On the other side of the coin, is Pitre the kind of player that plays better on Sundays than he does on Fridays? Is this just a case of the defensive staff not quite figuring out where he plays best?
These are all possibilities and they are possibilities that will sort themselves out one way or another in the coming weeks. My instincts tell me that Bullock is going to find his way on the field the more he makes plays in practice and in preseason games. Still, if he finds his way on the field then someone will find themselves off of it. That’s just the way these things work. We do know that Ryan is injury prone, so it is possible that both players will be on the field when and if that happens. It’s also possible that any of the other safeties could wind up in that conversation too.
