Texans Trade Up, Select Penn State OL Juice Scruggs With No. 62 Pick

The Houston Texans have added another potential franchise cornerstone with the No. 62 pick, trading up once again to do it.

HOUSTON - The Houston Texans are committed to adding difference-makers through the 2023 NFL Draft. And with their first pick on Day 2, they did just that, trading up to select Penn State center Juice Scruggs with the No. 62 overall pick. 

In order to move up, the Texans sent the No. 65, 188 and 230 picks to the Eagles in exchange for the No. 62 picks. 

Scruggs should be able to come in and compete for a starting job immediately in Houston somewhere on the interior of the line, playing both center and guard in college for the Nittany Lions. 

And for a team that just added its quarterback of the future at No. 2, and signed their franchise left tackle to a massive extension this offseason, adding talent to the interior of the line to protect those investments was the next logical move. 

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You can view the full scouting report for Scruggs from NFL Draft Bible below:

On film, the best way to describe Scruggs is that he does his job. Whether at guard or center, he got the most out of his natural ability. Scruggs has above-average play strength. He did a very good job anchoring down again bullrushes. Scruggs handles stunts and twists with ease, showing off good reaction time. 

In the run game, Scruggs flashed solid grip strength and when his hand placement was tight, he was able to finish defenders. His hand timing needs work in both the run and pass games, as defenders were able to predict his punch and beat him with a counter. Scruggs has the tendency to overset and lunge at defenders. This in combination with being a waist bender, led to too many losses in pass protection. 

The better defensive lineman were able to win quickly against Scruggs and his lack of athleticism prevented him from recovering. In pass protection, part of Scruggs’ problem are his sluggish feet. His below-average foot quickness, left him “stuck in the mud,” hurting his ability to push defenders who beat him outside the pocket. Scruggs' poor athleticism showed up on the move as well. 

This season, Penn State didn’t ask him to get to the 2nd level very often but he wasn’t effective at sealing off linebackers. His lack of foot speed made it easy for linebackers to avoid his block or dip under him. Overall, Scruggs has two years of experience in the Big Ten at guard and center. That is valuable but there was a lot left to be desired on his film. 

His better position at the next level will be guard and he could help out at center in a pinch. He also looked very good at the Shrine Bowl. Scruggs doesn’t have starter upside but his versatility and experience could help him make a roster for a few seasons.

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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