The Houston Texans selected Oklahoma guard Febechi Nwaiwu in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 106th overall pick. The Coppell, Texas native spoke with reporters shortly after getting the call.
"I get to stay at home, close to my family. I got a lot of family in Houston as well," Nwaiwu said.
He pointed to his connection with the coaching staff as a factor, singling out offensive line coach Cole Popovich. "Great coach. I can just tell from the short time that I've known him that he was a real developer and he knew how to make a great offensive lineman. So I'm extremely excited, extremely ready to just help the team in whatever way I can."
Asked what makes him a fit in Houston, Nwaiwu kept it simple. "I think the Texans are a physical team and I'm a physical player. They're a smart team, I'm a smart player. And I think they're a detailed team, I'm a detailed player. I think me and the Texans kind of have the same things in common."
Nwaiwu said going from walk-on to leader during his collegiate career shaped everything about how he approaches the game. "It really put a chip on my shoulder that I've carried out through my whole college career. I still have the same walk-on mindset that I did my first year coming in. I think every player should have that because you have to work like you're not just starving, like you're malnourished."
He was candid about why he went undiscovered out of high school. "Honestly, people say different things, but to me, my tape wasn't good enough. I wasn't good enough at that age. Coaches didn't see what they needed to see in me. So I took that on me and that was another chip on my shoulder that I took. I love when people doubt me because it makes me go even harder. I want to prove not just everybody else wrong, but I want to prove it to myself that I can do everything I set out to do."
Transferring to Oklahoma and the SEC was a deliberate challenge. "I went to the SEC because I believe it's the best conference in college football. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted a bigger challenge I could give myself." He said competing at that level gave him reassurance. "To be able to go out there and play and compete against those guys, against some of the best of the best, kind of reassured me that I am able to compete at that level."
On his versatility across guard and center, Nwaiwu said he's comfortable wherever he's needed. "I'm extremely comfortable, and that's across the board, in all three spots. I work on my craft. I'm working center, left guard, right guard all the time." He explained that he stepped into the center role at Oklahoma when starter Jake Maikkula went down with an illness. "Coach Bedenbaugh, he trusted me to step up and to be that guy. And that's what I tried to do. It was a great experience. I used to play center in high school, so it wasn't completely foreign. It was really easy for me. I kind of just popped in."
Playing his NFL career in Texas carries personal weight. "Almost my whole family lives in Texas... It means the world to me. Being able to have my support system at my games is going to be awesome. Sometimes I can hear my mom cheering from the crowd. She's so loud. And I love it. It fires me up, gives me energy, and I just can't wait to compete."
