This series was created in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
Dameon Pierce was one of the stars of the 2022 Senior Bowl practices. After being used in a rotation at Florida, Pierce dominated in Mobile, showing a physical running style to go along with strength to run through tackles. Pierce was excellent in blitz protection, and for a big back, he did well as a receiver overall. After his big week at Senior Bowl, there were rumors of Pierce being the top back and a potential second-round pick. However, he slipped to the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Team sources told WalterFootbal.com Pierce slid in the 2022 NFL Draft because of his slow 40 time at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Speed concerns were the issue that plagued Pierce’s draft grade, and the worry was given numerical proof at the combine. So, despite his great week at the Senior Bowl, Pierce slid in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans ended Pierce’s slide early in the fourth round, and that was a quality landing spot for him. On the negative side, second-year quarterback Davis Mills may not be good enough to help get defenses to play their safeties deep. The Houston defense is terrible as well, so Houston could easily be forced to playing from behind a lot and cutting out the running game, especially in the second half of games. On the positive side, the Texans do not have an established starter. They have backup-caliber veterans in Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead, but Houston needs a long-term feature back and three-down starter. Pierce could easily fill that role thanks to his talent and upside. He could end up being a starter by the end of his rookie season and might turn into a massive fourth-round steal for the Texans.
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