Derrick Henry Admits Texans DB Is Hardest Hitter in NFL

The Houston Texans have been known to arguably have the NFL's best defense this season, but do they also have the hardest hitter in football?

Baltimore Ravens star RB Derrick Henry was recently asked who he thinks the hardest tackler in the NFL is, and the future Hall of Famer's mind went to Texans S Jalen Pitre.

"Hardest tackler in the NFL? There's some good ones. [Jalen] Pitre got me pretty good this year," Henry admitted to Kevin Clark. "He's a good tackler, yeah. Jalen Pitre got me pretty good. I ain't even seen him and he snuck me. But I respect his game. Yeah, he can hit. He's a good tackler. He flies. Yeah, he flies in there. He don't care."

I asked Derrick Henry who the hardest tackler in the NFL is. He was stumped until he remembered someone who got him this year: Jalen Pitre.

"He got me pretty good, I ain't seen him and he stuck me." Derrick on @JalenPitre1 of the @HoustonTexans on This Is Football. pic.twitter.com/nyH8HsEHTL
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 1, 2025

Henry gives Pitre his flowers

Derrick Henry typically does not get taken down very easily at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds of muscle, but Pitre did get him pretty good earlier in the season.

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In Houston's 44-10 rout over the Ravens in Week 5, not only did the Texans' defense hold Henry to just 33 rushing yards on 15 carries, but "The King" got lit up by Pitre. As Henry attempted to cut back at the line of scrimmage, Pitre came flying in to level him.

I totally get why Derrick Henry said Jalen Pitre is one of the hardest tacklers in the NFL pic.twitter.com/6PaT3bYoav https://t.co/KihTYcfcVW
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) December 2, 2025

Of course, this does not happen very often to Henry, so this moment is likely why he ultimately thought of Pitre for his answer to the question.

Pitre, 26, has been recognized as one of the top young DBs in the league since finishing top-five in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, and this praise from Henry is certainly nothing to scoff at.

Not only are the Texans cementing themselves as one of the top defenses in the NFL from fan's perspective, but they are also gaining a reputation as such across the league.

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