For the second straight night, the Texans picked a Houston-area player in the NFL Draft.
Baylor defensive back Jalen Pitre, who grew up in Stafford, was the first of two second-round picks for the Texans. On Thursday evening, Houston chose Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green, who played his high school ball at Atascocita. Pitre was chosen 37th, while Alabama receiver John Metchie, III was chosen with the 44th pick. The Texans traded with the Browns to acquire that second selection in the second round.
"Being able to stay home with the hometown team, it's a blessing for sure," Pitre said. "I have a great coach, in (Head) Coach Lovie Smith, and I plan to learn a lot from him."
Pitre, who said he tries to pattern his game after NFL safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Budda Baker, tallied 18.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries last fall for the Bears. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American.
The 6-0, 197-pounder played primarily at safety with Baylor, but also saw snaps as a nickel corner.
"Whatever Coach Lovie Smith feels comfortable putting me at," Pitre said. "I'm going to try to be a guy that can play a lot of different positions and do a lot of different things. I'm very thankful that he believed in me."
Pitre joins Derek Stingley, Jr. in the Texans secondary, as Houston used two of its first three picks on defensive backs. Pitre is looking forward to playing with Stingley, and has kept tabs on his play over the last three years.
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