Jalen Pitre is an anomaly.
It’s difficult to discuss the Baylor defensive back because we don’t see many players like him. A ball-hawking, hard hitting safety from the smallest school in the nation’s most defensively-ridiculed conference? Pitre was the Big 12’s only defensive 2021 Associated Press All-American on defense and he earned it.
Pitre had an excellent senior season that included 75 total tackles, three sacks, five forced turnovers and seven passes defended over the course of 14 games in addition to an astonishing 18.5 tackles for loss. The fifth-year senior has an absolute knack for making plays behind the line of scrimmage and has shown off incredible versatility during his tenure at Baylor, making quite the intriguing and difficult to evaluate draft prospect for NFL scouts.
Scotty Swingler from 247Sports’ BearsIllustrated discussed one of the most interesting safeties in this year’s draft. He took a moment before addressing the incredible play on the field to discuss the loyalty that has made Pitre a legend amongst Baylor fans
“No player has more fan respect in Waco than Jalen Pitre, known as “the one who stayed. Pitre originally committed to Baylor in 2015 when the football program was under Art Briles; at the time, the 2017 Baylor recruiting class was shaping up to be its best ever. Upon Briles’ firing amidst a sexual assault scandal, the entire 2017 class decommitted, including Minnesota Viking and Texas A&M four-year starting quarterback Kellen Mond. The entire class, that is, except Jalen Pitre, who never wavered from his commitment to the Bears despite the turmoil surrounding campus and the football program. As a true freshman he earned a starting linebacker position on first-year coach Matt Rhule’s defense, in large part due to his leadership traits and integrity on and off the field.”
Pitre was undoubtably a staple of the Bears, playing in 46 games during his five years at Baylor. What emerged from the tumultuous beginnings was a tenacious defensive player who enjoyed contact a bit more than your average defensive back. Despite his smaller frame at 6-0 and 197 pounds, Pitre was absolutely vital in leading Baylor’s stout defensive campaign in 2021 that included a Big 12 Championship and an eventual victory in the Peach Bowl over Ole Miss.
“He put Big 12 fans on notice with his play; despite the media picking Baylor to finish eighth in the 10-team conference in 2021, Pitre still made the preseason all-conference team. From there, Pitre did nothing but prove he was the best safety in college football in 2021. Though he ended up as the runner-up for the Thorpe award, advanced metrics suggest that he was the most disruptive player in college football. As the NBA transitions to a ‘positionless’ league, Pitre is one of those revolutionary ‘positionless’ football players. Just look at his stat line for 2021: two interceptions, three forced fumbles and three recovered, 18.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a ‘safety.’”
Projected to go in the late second or third round by most scouts, Pitre will be an interesting asset on any defense. He projects as more of a box safety with occasional use as a nickel corner at the next level and, similar to Clemson’s Simmons, may present a challenge (or opportunity) to NFL coaching staff on his usage. Nowhere was that versatility more visible than at the Senior Bowl, where Pitre was used at multiple spots in the secondary and ultimately named the Defensive Back of the Week by his offensive counterparts he practiced against every day.
Baylor’s Jalen Pitre was named top DS on the National team in a vote from TE and WR groups at practice player-of-the-week awards ceremony today at 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. #TheDraftStartsInMobile pic.twitter.com/MrqtGJy0So
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 4, 2022
If you’re looking for a draft comparison, both Swingler and Pitre himself aren’t afraid to point to current Kansas City Chiefs’ and former Texans’ safety Tyrann Mathieu as a comparison. At the Senior Bowl Pitre said he modeled his game after Mathieu and that their versatility and skillset were similar. His disruptive presence in college football this past season would certainly seem to affirm that.
Despite a foggy picture on his NFL usage, he would be immediately welcomed in Houston. Bad teams desperately need talented players, and Pitre is just that.
The Texans’ featured some of the NFL’s worst safety play in 2021 in addition to ranking 31st against the rush. Pitre’s addition on day two would seemingly go a long way towards addressing both issues in addition for giving new coach Lovie Smith a defensive chess piece he was sorely lacking on last year’s team. Houston has two selections at 68th and 80th overall where they would very likely be able to select the homegrown talent.
Should Houston use their third overall selection on Kyle Hamilton from Notre Dame, the Texans’ would have immediately infused their secondary with two of the nation’s top college safeties from 2021 and transformed their safety room. It would be the kind of investment that changes the back of their defense and makes life that much easier for those attacking the passer.
If they opt to go with a more conventional use of the top pick, say Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Pitre is an excellent value pick to address the secondary at a later time.
Regardless of who he may be paired with, this is the kind of hard hitting and hardworking player that the Texans will need if they want to elevate to the next level. Pitre possesses the intangibles this front office has shown they’re so fond of and represents the kind of instant impact player who could make stops in Houston in 2022.