Kamari Lassiter Having Strong Rookie Season

Houston Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter was outstanding in Sunday's hard-fought 26-23 primetime defeat to the Detroit Lions. Lassiter intercepted Lions quarterback Jared Goff twice, declaring his arrival on a national stage. The first-year immediate contributor is playing like a legitimate long-term building block for DeMeco Ryans' defense.

Lassiter's first interception occurred on a Hail Mary attempt near halftime. Goff rolled out of the pocket with zero seconds remaining and heaved up a prayer. Lassiter made a leaping grab in a cloud of defenders.

Lassiter's second interception occurred with the Texans nursing a sizable 23-7 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. The Lions were driving offensively and Goff was facing a 2nd-and-11 from Houston's 20-yard line. Goff overshot Sam LaPorta near the end zone and Lassiter made a terrific play on the ball.

The Texans are currently fielding the league's fourth-best pass defense, allowing just 174.7 air yards per game. Lassiter has played a major role in that success. The former Georgia standout has totaled 458 defensive snaps this season, establishing himself as an unquestioned boundary starter opposite Derek Stingley Jr.

Despite the high snap count, Lassiter is playing extremely disciplined football. He's been whistled for one penalty through 10 games this campaign. Lassiter has inherited the identity of his defensive-minded leader.

Lassiter has allowed 17 receptions on 38 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. The No. 42 overall selection has forfeited just 284 yards and has been assigned blame for two touchdown passes. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 44.7% of the attempts thrown in Lassiter's direction. Lassiter has added 29 tackles and nine stops to his defensive totals this season. He's only been assigned blame for missing three tackles.

Lassiter has been competitive at the catch point, amassing three interceptions and three pass breakups. He's allowing an explosive 16.7 yards per reception, but those numbers are inflated by a small handful of explosive plays. Over Houston's previous three games, he's allowed an average of just 11.5 yards per catch. Quarterbacks are seeing a lackluster season-long passer rating of 55.2.

Lassiter has earned the fourth-most snaps in coverage among all rookie cornerbacks. His PFF coverage grade of 69.2 ranks sixth-best among rookie corners that have played at least 150 snaps in coverage. The 44.7% completion percentage allowed leads all rookie cornerbacks. It's impressive considering the 38 targets he's seen is seventh-most among first-year corners, and he's a handful of targets away from being the third-most targeted rookie cornerback in the league.

Lassiter's three interceptions are tied for first place with Beanie Bishop Jr. among all rookie cornerbacks. His four forced incompletions are tied for third, and his 11% forced incompletions rate (FI%) ranks sixth. Opposing quarterbacks have also attempted to complete explosive plays in his direction. Lassiter's average depth of target (aDoT) of 16.4 leads first-year corners.

Lassiter's rookie-season performance deserves its flowers, and maybe even Defensive Rookie of the Year recognition.