HOUSTON — The Houston Texans shored up their linebacking corps by adding former Alabama product Christian Harris with their third-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft.
Houston already had youth at the position with Garret Wallow, a 2021 fifth-rounder, but the addition of Harris has provided younger reinforcements for veterans Kamu Grugier-Hill, Christian Kirksey, and Kevin Pierre-Louis.
Pierre-Louis has watched Harris throughout the offseason program and training camp, and gave a glowing endorsement of the 6-2, 232-pound linebacker.
“That kid, he’s a special talent,” Pierre-Louis said. “I’ve been in the league long enough to notice things in guys, and he has that ‘it’ factor for sure. I’m excited to see him really do his thing at this level. The sky’s the limit, honestly. As generic as that sounds, I truly believe the sky’s the limit for him.”
Although Pierre-Louis may not be adept enough with analogies to encapsulate Harris’ talent, a further elaboration demonstrated specifically what makes Harris an asset to the linebacking corps.
“It’s the athleticism, the way he approaches the game as a rookie,” said Pierre-Louis. “He already has that professional mindset. I see him — I’m a guy, I’m older, so I’m always getting in early, doing things for my body, and seeing a rookie come in and do that already, it really shows where his mindset is and what he’s trying to do for this team.”
Harris ran a 4.44 at the NFL Scouting Combine, and even being around Harris has had teammates such as Kirksey remark the rookie may be the fastest linebacker on the team.
Begrudingly, Pierre-Louis would also give the rookie that compliment.
Said Pierre-Louis: “I’m not going to lie, yeah. As much as I don’t want to say it as a competitor, that kid can move. Once again, once he figures it out in our system, he’s going to do wonderful things.”
The Texans will get to see how well Harris moves in coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme when they take on the New Orleans Saints Aug. 13 at NRG Stadium in the preseason opener.