Juice Scruggs playing football in the pros is an internal win after a car accident jeopardized his career while at Penn State.
Being considered a rising standout comes with hard work, long nights in the film room and consistent reps in practice.
Both are a reality for the Houston Texans second-year lineman, and others from the outside are taking notice.
Pro Football Focus listed Scruggs as one of the league’s top 32 centers entering 2024, appearing for the first time at No. 24. Scruggs, who mostly saw reps at left guard last season, was considered to be a name to watch on the rise now back at his natural position.
The second-round pick featured in seven games for the Texans in 2023, and though he recorded just a 51.5 overall grade, he showed potential on the offensive line and will slide into the center role in 2024.
Scruggs likely would have competed for the starting center job with Michael Deiter following training camp if an upper-body injury hadn’t sidelined him for nearly two months. By the time he was healthy enough to return, Deiter was locked into the position while the left guard spot had been plagued by injury.
Houston drafted Scruggs because of his position flexibility. Mostly a center, he did see some reps at guard during his final season with the Nittany Lions while helping the offense finish top 10 in rushing.
The Texans have options along the interior line should Scruggs have a better future at guard. Houston hopes that former first-round pick Kenyon Green can lock down the left guard spot, thus creating competition at center. Should Scruggs win the starting job, the Texans could pivot toward second-year lineman Jarrett Patterson, who started three seasons at Notre Dame.
The Texans return for the start of training camp on July. 18.