It took a little time for James Houston to show what he could do as a Detroit Lions rookie in 2022. Once he got his chance, the sixth-round pass rusher from Jackson State made the most of his opportunity.
For his outstanding finish in his rookie campaign, Houston earned the Lions nod from Pro Football Focus as the breakout player candidate for 2023.
PFF designated one player from every team, and for Detroit it’s Houston. His prolific pass rush productivity in the final seven games was amongst the NFL’s best in that timeframe.
Over the last seven weeks of the season, he produced pressure on 18.5% of his pass-rushing snaps, eighth among 121 qualifying edge defenders.
Extrapolating those numbers over a full season, it’s easy to see why PFF foresees big things from Houston in his second season in Detroit.
