The Houston Texans selected Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 123rd overall pick. The versatile defender, who began his college career at safety before transitioning to linebacker, spoke with reporters shortly after the selection.
Woodaz said the Texans had been engaged throughout the entire pre-draft process, starting with a formal interview at the NFL Combine. "The combine interview was great, super smooth. They were just getting to know me, picking my brain, learning my personality. And then I met with the linebackers coach and the regional scout on Zoom calls early in the process. The Texans have for sure been heavily interested throughout the whole process."
He added that the interest was evident even beyond his direct conversations with the team. "I was working out in Clemson and I always just heard a lot of chatter of people talking to the Texans about me. So I knew that they had wanted to find out more about me. And then I was also, early on, in pretty good contact with them. I think it really clicked. We had a good conversation at the combine."
Asked about Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney's praise that Woodaz "plays the way you want everybody to play," he kept his answer straightforward. "I'm just going to go out there and play hard, leave it all out there. If I play with max effort every play, I know I'll be satisfied at the end of the game. Obviously, I want to make the plays that are there and I want to produce, but I'm going out there to go hard."
When asked to describe his game in a few words, Woodaz was direct: "Fast, athletic, violent."
Special teams was a significant part of the conversation. Woodaz blocked a punt in his very first collegiate game at Georgia Tech and sees that unit as a pathway to early playing time. "Special teams is just doing what you got to do, playing max effort. It's legitimately free for all. My goal is to go out there and play hard as hell. That's what happened in the first game — I had to make something happen. I had to prove to the coaches early on in my career that I deserve to be on the field. Special teams is the way to do it."
Woodaz also discussed how his background as a safety gives him an edge at linebacker. "It definitely helps you see the back end structure and coverages from the whole picture point of view, which is very critical to the linebackers. If you know your job and you know what the guys around you have, then you can play faster."
The physical transformation from safety to linebacker has been significant. Woodaz said he has put on roughly 40 pounds since arriving at Clemson. Asked about his favorite bulking meal, he laughed: "I would eat a pizza pretty much every night. And I slammed those Gatorade protein shakes — they're like 400 calories. I would drink like 12 of those a day."
