Unlike players who are drafted in the first few rounds, a sixth-round draft pick like Houston Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond has to fight to stay on the roster.
There’s plenty of time left in the preseason, but Bond seems to have already secured his roster spot with how well he has done in training camp so far.
Bond did not do much in Houston’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. Still, he will have more opportunities in the team’s games against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Carolina Panthers before the regular season starts.
One factor that helps is having a veteran wide receiver mentor you, as Xavier Hutchinson has done.
“I love Lewis. We always joke around,” Hutchinson said. “When we were finishing up OTAs, he stayed at my house for like four days after everything. So really just getting that time with him and really just telling him where I fell short in my rookie year, or some of the things that I felt like I could have done better at. Just kind of sharing those vulnerable moments that I had my rookie year and trying to pass along to him to where my door’s always open for him and I’ll always be there for him. Lewis is a great player. He’s far beyond anything that I’ve seen as a rookie receiver coming in. He has a chip on his shoulder, he’s hungry, but he also knows what the job at task is. I think for him, having that understanding this early on is huge and it’ll play a factor for him this year and the following years, as long as he’s playing football.”
Hutchinson can relate to Bond. As a fellow sixth-rounder back in 2023, the Iowa State standout had to fight to get on the roster. His best season statistically came last year with 428 receiving yards. He also had three touchdowns despite not having any touchdowns in his first two seasons.
Bond and Hutchinson are part of Houston’s deep receiver room that includes Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell, who is returning from his horrific injury back in 2024.
While they both will make the roster, they will have to continue fighting to see significant playing time this season.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson on Lewis Bond: ‘He’s far beyond a rookie receiver’
Reporting by Ariana Pensy, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ariana Pensy, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
