On the second hand why not check behind on the flop? If he has a good draw he's probably at least calling a 1/2 pot sized bet and you definitely don't want a big pot here. I don't think giving a free card is terrible when you're not ahead of villains range.

Checking also means he only has one chance to hit (assuming a rag turn). I'd try to keep the pot small here as you only have one pair and no draw, but I'm super weak tight