Dillon says he’s a ‘wild child’

Delivering a series of punishing tackles, hardhitting Texans rookie safety K.J. Dillon displayed a lot of pop against the Arizona Cardinals.

Dillon led the Texans with eight tackles, including six solos, during a 34-24 victory at NRG Stadium.

Dillon emerged as a second-team All-Big 12 selection as a senior when star safety Karl Joseph tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

“Once I’m on the field, I’m in my sanctuary,” Dillon said. “I can act however I like to act. I’m a wild child.”

A fifth-round draft pick from West Virginia, Dillon believes strongly in using an intimidating factor.

“I just like hitting people,” Dillon said. “Once you hit somebody, they are going to be looking for you. Once you put that fear into their heart, they’re not going to want to run the ball the same way, or catch the ball the same, or throw the ball the same or whatever they’re doing. Once you put fear in their hearts, it’s pretty much over.”

The Texans have seen steady improvement in Dillon over the past few weeks.

“He’s made a lot of progress, there’s no doubt about it,” Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a contact player. He enjoys the physical part of the game and he made some mistakes out there, but I thought overall he played the game very hard and he’s doing a decent job of trying to get better every time he goes out there.”