Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston is setting lofty goals for himself one season into his NFL career. The Jackson State standout had a solid rookie season with the Lions in 2022 but wants more as the team looks to reach new heights in 2023.
“My role is majority pass rush and getting sacks. I just want to expand on that. Anything else they give me, I’ll be super happy, super blessed, and fortunate,” Houston said in an interview with Woodward Sports. “But you know, what I did was extraordinary. I set NFL records. So, I honestly just want to continue to build on that. I want to double up my sack total. If I could get that this year, that would be my dream.”
Houston indeed set some records as a rookie in 2022. He was the first Lions player to record a multi-sack game in his first-career game, and he also had the most sacks through three career games in Lions history with four. Houston was fantastic in seven games, recording eight sacks and forcing a fumble.
Houston was a sixth-round pick in 2022, one of four HBCU players to be selected. He was dominant in his one season at Jackson State, recording 16.5 sacks and 70 tackles in 2021.
The Lions are poised to be a better team in 2023 and James Houston could be a big reason why. He was successful and established himself in a short amount of time last season. Now with some NFL experience under his belt, he wants to improve on his rookie season and join the elite pass rushers in the league.