Former Penn State OL Juice Scruggs garnering praise amid first NFL playoff run

There is always that one Cinderella team that advances out of Super Wildcard Weekend in the NFL playoff. This year it is the Houston Texans which happens to be the home of former Penn State football offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. The Texans shocked everyone on Saturday by blowing out the Cleveland Browns at home. A lot of the success has been due to the younger players specifically rookies such as CJ Stroud, Will Anderson Jr, and Juice Scruggs. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans had great things to say about Scruggs and his impact this season.

Juice Scruggs turning heads in first NFL playoff run

The Penn State football community was a little shocked last April when both Brenton Strange and Juice Scruggs not only went back-to-back picks in the NFL Draft. But they also ended up going into 2nd round which was higher than many expected. Both players have found homes that fit their skills but Juice Scruggs has been playing at a high level. He had to switch positions from center where he played at Penn State to guard where he plays now. He also dealt with injury this season but that hasn’t slowed him down.

When asked about Juice Scruggs DeMeco Ryans said, “Really proud of Juice. For him to come back at the point he came back, we knew there would be growing pains. For him to come back and step in at guard position had to get familiar with that. Juice has gotten better. We’ve seen him grow and get better each week.”

#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on rookie guard Juice Scruggs: 'Really proud of Juice. For him to come back at the point he came back, we knew there would be growing pains. For him to come back and step in at guard position had to get familiar with that. Juice has gotten better. We've…

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 15, 2024

Juice has numbers to back it up

The Texans defeated the Browns with ease on Saturday. All week it was spoken about how great the Browns’ defense was but it didn’t seem to be an issue for Scruggs and his teammates. According to PFF, Scruggs had 24 pass-blocking snaps and allowed 0 pressures.

Texans Rookie Juice Scruggs in the Wild Card Round:

🔴 24 Pass Block Snaps
🔴 Zero Pressures Allowed
🔴 78.4 Pass Block Grade@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/nHrd26xGzZ

— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 16, 2024

It’s different watching Scruggs defend CJ Stroud who went to Ohio State but it’s great to see him have success at the next level. For him and the Texans, their next challenge is the No. 1 seeded Baltimore Ravens who they will travel to to take on Saturday at 4:30 pm. EST on ESPN.

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