HOUSTON – The Texans continued to bolster their offensive line depth by drafting Oklahoma offensive guard Febechi Nwaiwu in the fourth round.
Selected 106th overall, Nwaiwu is a North Texas transfer who was a a first-team All-American and second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection last season.
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At 6-foot-4, 319 pounds, Nwaiwu has good size and strength.
“The Texans are a physical team, and I’m a physical player,” Nwaiwu said. “They’re a detail team, and I’m a detailed player. I think me and the Texans have the same things in common.”
Nwaiwu visited the Texans, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals. He worked out privately for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings.
A Coppell, Texas native, he joined North Texas as a walk-on and became a freshman All-American and all-conference selection before transferring to the Sooners program.
Being overlooked as a Texas high school football player fueled his motivation during his entire collegiate career and to this day as he reached the achievement of being drafted in the NFL.
“It really put a chip on my shoulder that I’ve carried out through my whole college career,” Nwaiwu said. “I still have the same walk-on mindset that I did my first year coming in. I think every player should work like you’re not just starving, like you’re malnourished. That’s the walk-on mindset. You’re behind everybody, so you have to outwork everybody.
“Why I was a walk-on, my tape wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t good enough at that age. Coaches didn’t see me, so I took that on me, and that was another chip on my shoulder that I carry that on throughout my whole career. I love when people doubt me because it makes me go even harder. I want to prove not just what’s wrong, but I want to prove to myself that I can do anything I set out to do.”
He was a finalist for the prestigious Burlsworth Award for the nation’s top walk-on and earned the Don Key award.
He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game.
He has run the 40-yard dash in 5.36 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times with an 8-9 broad jump.
“He got really good,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “Started at one program and then elevated to another program. His mentality, his leadership, just his overall presence. He’s a great kid. He’s very smart. Takes coaching. You look at his story and his journey, he’s made himself into the player that he is, and then our job is to make him a better player relative to where he is right now.
“Great human being. We had him in the building. Has some leadership qualities. Has some toughness. He’s sturdy as hell. He’s thick. He’s really, really strong. He has the right makeup and the right mindset. He has a good spirit about him.”
At Oklahoma, he was a two-year starter. He has played some center.
“I’m extremely comfortable in all spots,” Nwaiwu said. “I work at center, left guard, right guard all the time. Playing center, it was a great experience. I just popped in.”
Being able to play football close to home in the state of Texas is meaningful for Nwaiwu, who has family in Houston.
“Almost my whole family lives in Texas, especially the Dallas area,” Nwaiwu said. “It means the world to me being able to have my support system and my fans. I can hear my mom cheering in the crowd she’s so loud. It fires me up. It gives me energy. I just can’t wait to compete. I can’t wait to go out there and ball for y’all.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com