Texans corner Kamari Lassiter keeps growing in second NFL season: ‘I’m hungry, I’m not satisfied’

HOUSTON – Kamari Lassiter lined up across from Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman and perfectly mirrored every step he took.

It was such a thoroughly textbook application of coverage technique that it could be used to teach how to play the cornerback position at its highest level.

Although Bateman has speed to burn as an outside receiver, there was no breathing room for him as Lassiter basically ran his route for him. Running step for step with Bateman, Lassiter retreated along the sideline and high-pointed the football on an errant pass from Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush for his first interception of the season in a 44-10 blowout victory at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I just saw the receiver, speed release, and you know, sometimes you know whenever somebody’s getting ready to get the ball,” Lassiter said. “I mean speed release, take-off and I could just feel his mannerisms. I was on my sideline so I heard: ‘Ball, ball, ball! Look, go find it and get it."

Known as “The Locksmith,” for his ability to lock up receivers with his sticky coverage skills, Lassiter delivered an acrobatic, game-changing interception of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert during an AFC wild-card round playoff victory. He joined former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt as the only two rookies in franchise history to intercept a pass in a playoff game.

In his second NFL season, Lassiter has emerged as one of the top young cornerbacks in the league. He’s a key reason why the Texans have the top-ranked scoring defense with an average of just 12.2 points per contest for the best mark in franchise history and ranking far ahead of the Denver Broncos’ second-best average of 15.8 points a game.

As well as Lassiter has played, especially since the departure of controversial safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was cut Tuesday from the Ravens’ practice squad at his request, it’s not quite up to the impeccably high standard he expects individually. Lassiter’s intensity is impossible to overlook. He wears his game face and passion for football all of the time.

“I’ve always had that itch to practice hard, that’s where I come from, but I feel like I’ve definitely kind of just tuned in more on like my weekly process and I feel like it’s not coming to fruition yet,” Lassiter said. “To be brutally honest, I’m not really satisfied. Despite the play at the end of the game, like with the pick, everything. I feel like that’s expected. We have a high standard amongst each other that every ball is ours.

“It’s great to be able to make a play, but I want to make every play. So I’m just blessed to be in a position to be around these guys and a coach like this. To be able to make a play like that. I’m hungry for more, I’m not really satisfied. I don’t really think that, outside of us winning, me personally, when you tap in, I need to dig deeper.’

Lassiter trained hard all summer alongside his private coach, Jacory Nichols, backpedaling, cutting and covering alongside several teammates, including one of his best friends, safety Calen Bullock.

The blue-collar work ethic. The physical style as a willing and capable tackler. Recovery speed. Advanced knowledge of the game.

Lassiter has a lot working in his favor.

Especially his uncomplacent mentality.

“From that mindset, I want our entire team thinking that way, how Kamari is thinking,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s not about getting overly excited about the big play or the win. It’s focusing on, ‘What about those plays you missed?’ That’s where you should harp on the most to me, because how can you get better and play a complete game as a player? That’s what you’re always seeking.

“I understand nobody’s going to be perfect, but we’re striving for perfection every single time that you’re out there. If you’re a true pro, if it means a lot to you like Kamari, every single play matters. There is no, ‘Oh, it’s okay. I let them get a play here or there.’ You cannot have that mindset. That’s the mindset that Kamari has. That’s why he’s always straining. He has that desire to continue to grow, continue to get better. That allows him to be a really great, great pro for us.”

Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson said that Lassiter will even hit himself in the head with his hands. That’s how serious Lassiter is about the next play, the next pass, the next chance to pick off a pass.

“He’s a little psycho,” Hutchinson said.

Lassiter isn’t big on self-promotion. He’s about action. He’s focused on tape and teamwork. The flashiest thing about him is his nickname and a special silver chain with an engraved lock with ‘K3′ stenciled in the middle.

“I call myself The Locksmith,’” Lassiter said. “I pride myself on having stuff on lock. I really wanted to get a lock with the name ‘Locksmith’ on there.”

A teammate at Georgia gave him the nickname as an underclassmen.

“He started calling me The Locksmith and it just kind of stuck with me,” Lassiter said. “Got it on lock.”

Signed to a four-year, $9.014 million contract that included a $3.376 million signing bonus, Lassiter yielded only 136 passing yards and no touchdowns on 15 receptions off 37 targets in his final collegiate season to rank first in the NCAA among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus analytics.

“Cold,” Texans All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr. said. “He different. He is different. I’m proud of him.”

Lassiter recorded 58 tackles, 10 passes defensed and one safety as a rookie, allowing 32 completions on 73 targets for 424 yards and four touchdowns for an opposing quarterback rating of 64.0 while lining up opposite Stingley.

Five games into the season, Lassiter has three passes defensed, 28 tackles and has allowed 210 receiving yards on 16 completions and 24 targets.

Lassiter has displayed a competitive mettle and ability to do it all as a physical corner.

After a stellar career for a national championship squad with the Georgia Bulldogs, Lassiter has made an immediate impact on the Texans’ defense.

“I feel like I was built for it since I was young,” Lassiter said. “There’s not much I haven’t seen. I play with the passion I’ve always had and play for the people who love me and even the people who hate me. Everything cranks up in the playoffs. It’s all on the line. It’s win or go home.”

The camaraderie and quality of the secondary makes them a potentially special group.

Bullock emphasizes the Texans are the best secondary collectively, not one of the best. Lassiter doesn’t disagree, but he’s ultra-focused.

"I don’t get into it,“ Lassiter said of the rankings. ”I just know how good each individual player is in our secondary. And I know like what we can be, but I mean, what we can be doesn’t really matter, you know, it’s what we do on the field. So, I mean we just got to keep coming together as one, keep playing as a unit. And whenever the time, whenever the ball is there, we got to go get it.

“Exactly, yeah, potential is just a word. It’s what you do on that field, what you put on tape. Every time we come on this field, we got to put it on tape, then we’re the best secondary."

Operating behind a defense headlined by Pro Bowl pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., the secondary is preparing for the football to come of the quarterbacks’ hands fast. There should be opportunities to make plays.

“I definitely know that rush and cover works hand in hand,” Lassiter said. “We have an amazing rush with those guys up front. I mean like you can’t ask for much more and they’re attacking. I mean just playing on that back end, you just kind of know. Sometimes that ball might get out fast and if it doesn’t, just do your job."

When he’s not playing football, Lassiter spends time with family or playing video games. He says nobody on the team can beat him in the UFC fighting game. “I’m the best for sure,” he said.

Lassiter doesn’t waste time looking back. A second-round draft pick, Lassiter was the fifth cornerback selected overall after first-round picks Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold and Nate Wiggins and second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Not being drafted higher isn’t something that consumes Lassiter. He’s grounded in the present: the next play, the next practice, the next game.

"I don’t really care, that’s in the past,“ Lassiter said. ”’m grateful to be drafted. I’m blessed to be in this position. I’m blessing on this team and playing with the guys that I get to play with every day. I mean, I got drafted. A lot of people didn’t, can’t say that. So I mean I’m not really worried about that."

Lassiter has a 67.4 Pro Football Focus grade. It’s not about stats, though, with him. It’s about quality.

“Outstanding job, I was happy for Kamari to finally get one,” Ryans said. “I talked about it throughout the week. He did it in practice all throughout the week and came up short. He got a couple pass deflections a couple of times but now to see him actually get it, I was very proud of him for that. He’s worked hard at it for the past two weeks. To finally see it come to fruition, that was cool. ..

“Kamari has been consistent. He’s a tough, hard-nosed player, old school. He’s a corner who loves to play physical, which is rare these days. Kamari likes to tackle, and he brings a different intensity out on the perimeter than most corners, because of his physicality, but also just his smarts intelligence and his playmaking ability.”

What Lassiter cares about deeply is winning and being reliable for his teammates and coaches. Ultimately, it’s about trying to win a Super Bowl. Anything less isn’t satisfying.

“That’s what we’re all working for,” Lassiter said. “That’s the only goal to be honest: to win a championship. I feel like every guy in this locker room, player, coach, support staff, anybody, I feel that’s what were all working towards. And that’s why we put our best foot forward every day.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com