Top 10 Texans Draft Successes - #6: Chester Pitts

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Chester Pitts is about the least glamorous of my choices, seeing how he never even as much as made a Pro Bowl.  But Chester gave us seven solid, though not necessarily spectacular, seasons at a number of positions along the offensive line.  In fact, if not for the dreaded microfracture surgery he had after appearing in only two games in 2009, there's a good chance he'd still be around, even if in a backup role.

To me, Pitts personifies the tough, blue-collar football warrior.  Until his injury, he'd never missed a game as a Texan.  Pitts was a team leader, solid, consistent, and there.  Being "there" is a big part of the game.

Pitts' back-story, of course, is well known yet still fascinating.  His high school didn't have a football team, so he focused on track and field.  While going to San Diego State University, he was working at a grocery store as a bagger.  Kyle Turley, most likely looking for a recommendation for a tattoo artist, met Pitts at the store.  A little later, future Texan Ephraim Salaam, also an offensive lineman and SDSU alum, helped convince Pitts he needed to be a football player.  Pitts made the team as a walk-on.  Pitts started for two seasons before being drafted by the Texans in the 2nd Round in 2002, the 50th pick overall.  The story was later immortalized in a Super Bowl ad.

Nope, there's nothing whatsoever sexy about the selection of Chester Pitts, but Pitts was a fantastic selection.  After all, not many 2nd Rounders are as solid and consistent as Pitts was.

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