What You Need to Know:

• Pierce stands a stout 5’10, 218 pounds.
• Despite impressive efficiency (and tape), Pierce never topped 106 carries in any of his 4 seasons at Florida.
• Running a 4.59 forty time, Pierce is quicker than he is fast.
• Houston selected Pierce early in Round 4. Overall, he was the 7th RB selected.
• Pierce joins a Houston team led by 1st-year Texans HC Lovie Smith and OC Pep Hamilton.
• Hamilton’s bounced around the league quite a bit, but in 3 stints as an OC, his units ranked 23rd, 17th and 21st in rush attempts.
• What profiles as a bad Houston team overall might force this unit to lean pass as game scripts get out of hand.
• Backfield competition is light: Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack are the main contenders for touches.
• Mack, a healthy scratch for much of last year in Indy, rushed only 28 times for 101 yards in 6 games. He’s a bit of an unknown after suffering a torn Achilles in September of 2020.
• Burkhead was durable last year. But he fared poorly efficiency-wise outside of a massive game vs. the Chargers (22-149-2).
• GM Nick Caserio confirmed that there will be backfield competition this summer, saying Pierce “has to earn his opportunity” and “create a role for himself.”
• PFF ranked this O-line 32nd in run blocking grade in 2021. LT Laremy Tunsil played only 5 games after playing 14+ in each of his first 6 seasons.
• QB Davis Mills enters his 1st season as the full-time starter. While he showed flashes as a Round 3 rookie, even a most optimistic result has him playing as a league-average passer.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

Pierce was one of our favorite mid-round RBs in the pre-draft process. While his production profile is poor, his limited tape indicates that the Florida coaching staff simply held him back.

Houston looks like a strong landing spot, too: Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack aren’t exactly no-doubt starters.

Still, odds are Pierce will enter the year as part of a running back by committee. Mix in the young, unproven Houston offense, and it’s reasonable to expect a slow start for the rookie.