The Houston Texans’ first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was the 10th of the second round, and they selected Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who displayed his alter ego to his new fanbase after explaining the meaning behind his chain that has an industrial-sized lock engraved with ‘K3’ in the center.
“I call myself the locksmith,” Kamari Lassiter said, via Cole Thompson of TexansWire. “I pride myself on having stuff on lock. I really wanted to get a lock [made] with the name ‘locksmith’ on there.”
Lassiter is clearly not lacking in confidence, and he was a key defender for Georgia in recent years as a member of their two national championship teams. He started as a slot corner then moved to the outside in 2022 for Kirby Smart’s Georgia program. DeMeco Ryans spoke on what Lassiter brings to the Texans on the defensive side of the ball.
“Kamari provides toughness,” DeMeco Ryans said, via Thompson. “You talk about energy and the way he plays the game. He loves football. It shows on the tape. It jumps off the tape. He’s a versatile player. He can play inside, he can play outside.”
The Texans are hoping that Lassiter is a versatile cornerback that the Texans could use in the slot and on the outside, as Ryans said. A defensive mind like Ryans likely has a plan in mind already for Lassiter, and it will be interesting to see what he does in training camp and the upcoming season. Ryans also raved about what Lassiter brings from a mindset standpoint.
Why Nick Caserio drafted Kamari Lassiter for the Texans
There have been some concerns expressed regarding Lassiter’s 40-time, which was a 4.6, but Caserio did not seem worried about it. He was also not worried about the lack of turnovers forced in his college career.
“We’re drafting football players; we’re not drafting track teams,” Nick Caserio said, via Thompson. “I know speed is important. I’m not saying speed is not important. We don’t feel that that’s an issue for this particular player. When you watch him play in the SEC, you don’t walk away and have that concern.”
The Texans are hoping to build on their surprising run to the divisional round in the 2023 season, and Lassiter should be a starter on the defensive side. The selection of CJ Stroud has done wonders for Houston, and now Caserio is trying to surround him with talent to build a Super Bowl team.
