The Houston Texans drafted former Florida running back Dameon Pierce with the No. 107 overall pick in Round 4 of the 2022 NFL draft Saturday.
However, it was what general manager Nick Caserio said during the recap presser after Day 2 that was particularly interesting.
When Caserio was elaborating on the talent that could be found in the middle parts of the seven-round draft, he mentioned New England Patriots running back James White.
“I’ve been a part of plenty of good teams where players that were drafted in the third and fourth round were inactive for an entire season,” said Caserio. “James White, let’s look at his career in New England. He didn’t play as a rookie, literally. He was a fourth round pick. We thought he was a good player. Nine years later I would say he has been one of the best sub-backs probably in the history of that program.”
The Texans had yet to take a running back to that point, but they managed to grab one in Pierce.
Unlike White, Pierce doesn’t appear to be on pace to miss his rookie season. The former Gator generated 547 yards and 13 touchdowns on 100 carries through 13 games in 2021.
Pierce joins a running back corps that includes Rex Burkhead, another former Patriots running back, Royce Freeman, and Marlon Mack.
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