The Houston Texans selected former USC defensive back Calen Bullock with the No. 78 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Per Spotrac, Bullock is expected to earn a four-year contract worth $5.84 million or $1.45 million a year. Further, he is expected to reel in a $1.04 million signing bonus.
He earned PFF and USC All-America honors as a sophomore in 2022, finishing with 48 tackles and five interceptions. Bullock played more defensive snaps than any other Trojan this season, finishing with 63 tackles and two interceptions.
Bullock was an impact player all three years at USC, joining the Trojans as a four-star early enrollee out of Pasadena (Calif.) Muir High School in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
He played in all 12 games and started six as a true freshman and became the first USC safety to start a season opener since Su’a Cravens in 2013. Bullock finished that season with 39 tackles and two interceptions and was named to multiple Freshman All-America teams.
He did not miss a start with the Trojans until he opted out of the Holiday Bowl this past season.
What NFL analysts are saying about Calen Bullock
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein revealed how he perceives Calen Bullock’s talents will ultimately translate to the professional ranks.
“Long and athletic with a series of feast-or-famine plays all over the tape. Bullock can be scary good in coverage and scary bad as a run defender. He has the range to play single-high safety, the athleticism to line up over the slot, and the ball skills to chalk up impressive on-ball production.
“As a run defender, Bullock’s poor recognition, missed run fits and bad angles to the football cost his team chunk plays and touchdowns. He won’t always see or process the game clearly, but his athleticism and playmaking talent are hard to overlook. He’s young and talented, and if he runs well enough, there might be a team more interested in his skill set as a cornerback than as a boom/bust safety.”
Zierlein lists Bullock’s strengths as quick bursts with smooth strides to cover ground, transition quickness in man coverage, plays with range, has natural length that disrupts passing lanes and catch points, among others.
For his weaknesses, Zierlein believes there is room for improvement regarding his ability to be manipulated when jumping routes, inconsistent eye balance, poor pursuit angles, failure to wrap and finish ball carries at times and can be pushed through for additional yards.
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.
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