When you’re nonetheless with us this deep into the offseason, you’re properly conscious of the Houston Texans’ points on the offensive line. The well-documented downside has crippled the Texans for the higher a part of the last decade and has but to be resolved. The Texans have thrown every part on the downside; first spherical picks, developmental prospects, blisteringly costly veterans, and one-and-done tasks have all didn’t kind one cohesive and efficient offensive line.
Enter the 2026 offseason. GM Nick Caserio (as soon as once more) gutted the offensive line by buying and selling away Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs for pennies on the greenback. Of their place, he signed Evan Brown, Braden Smith, and Wyatt Teller. To cap off the reworking, he drafted Keylan Rutledge and the subject of in the present day’s article, OC/OG Febechi Nwaiwu.
Nwaiwu was chosen with the 106th decide within the NFL draft by Houston. Fourth rounders not often have a right away pathway to start out… particularly after they staff they went to additionally picked a primary rounder on the similar place. However I argue that the Coppell, Texas native has loads of ability to match the alternatives offered to him.
Nwaiwu’s journey to the NFL illustrates a dedication to enchancment and clear incremental ascension by the ranks. Initially a walk-on at North Texas, he began faculty at 370 kilos. After losing a few pounds and gaining expertise, he earned second-team freshman All-American honors. He transferred to Oklahoma after two seasons and performed proper guard his junior and senior seasons till shifting inside to play middle the final two video games of his senior 12 months.
Having performed middle, guard, and deal with, the “versatility” moniker was positioned on his profile early on. Sadly, each Texans fan is sick and bored with listening to concerning the significance of versatility on the offensive line. Houston doesn’t want 5 gamers who can play anyplace, they want 5 gamers who can play their place. It’s a pleasant tidbit that he’s performed three, nearly 4 positions throughout the offensive line…
For Nwaiwu, versatility isn’t the calling card, it’s the fallback possibility. He’s a middle on the NFL and presumably your starter in 2026.
From PFF’s draft evaluation:
Nwaiwu was one of many nation’s best cross blockers final season, permitting simply two pressures throughout 505 pass-blocking snaps. That stage of manufacturing, paired together with his positional versatility, may assist offset his struggles within the run recreation, the place he ranked within the sixth percentile in positively graded performs.
It’s arduous to undertaking an NFL participant at a place they solely performed for 2 school video games. Luckily for Nwaiwu, these two video games got here in opposition to Alabama and LSU and he performed spectacularly.
He had one of many highest cross blocking grades in all of faculty soccer final 12 months, together with an elite True Move Set Move Block Grade. That metric eliminates play motion, RPOs, screens, and rollouts to create a extra secure and predictive measurement of a lineman’s blocking prowess.
Within the run recreation, he’s sluggish to method defensive lineman who aren’t straight in entrance of him. Attain blocks, traps, and zone schemes aren’t pure for him resulting from a lumbering run kind. He’s a high quality puller, however when the run task requires closing area, he opts for a conservative method as an alternative of shifting man and earth to create a gap.
So, what position on the offensive line leverages his statistically vital arm size, high quality cross blocking, whereas minimizes the area to achieve his defender? Offensive middle.
Facilities don’t have to be athletic, however it undoubtedly helps. What is good is the IQ of a Yale graduate with the power of a multi-generational farmer. That mix of intelligence and power makes facilities the gear that spins the remainder of the offense in in the present day’s NFL. Whereas financially undervalued, any offensive coordinator will inform you that their system works finest with an all-everything middle on the helm.
Nwaiwu graduated from OU with a level in multidisciplinary research and is pursuing a grasp’s diploma in organizational management. Take into account that field, checked.
Under is the excellent movie of him taking part in middle on the school stage:
The most effective tapes to look at on Nwaiwu was the East-West Shrine bowl. He began for the West staff at Middle. Timestamps for the East-West Shrine Bowl:
10:30 – 17:0025:45 – 36:001:34:50 – 1:40:00INTERVIEW: 1:46:001:54:10 – 1:56:101:58:30 – 2:12:30 (nice drive for him)
What stands out is his means to stonewall defensive tackles and management their motion so early within the snap. He mirrors properly and anticipates motion off the road. Nice grip power. Defenders can not often dislodge him when he’s latched onto their pads. Within the Shrine Bowl, he was persistently the primary participant off the snap and used his arms to survey earlier than dedicating his physique to blocking a defender. Whereas the Shrine Bowl lacks the realism of a recreation as a result of lack of blitzing and formation flexibility, it demonstrated his means to transform to middle on the NFL.
Even so, he has a lot to work on. Extensive fingers mitigate his arm size. He pops up out of his stance, which is an issue for a tall middle. He’s an entire undertaking when blocking in tandem with a guard, one thing he’ll have to study rapidly to earn a beginning spot.
At the moment at OTAs, he’s working with the second string. He has loads of competitors for the middle place, however it’s the one position that doesn’t have a set starter. Between first rounder Keyland Rutledge, final 12 months’s starter Jake Andrews, and veterans Evan Brown and Jarrett Patterson all are vying for that coveted position. Whether or not Nwaiwu earns the beginning position Week 1 or later this season, the fourth spherical rookie has the instruments, traits, and trajectory to grow to be Houston’s beginning middle for years to return.
