If you’re still with us this deep into the offseason, you’re well aware of the Houston Texans’ issues on the offensive line. The well-documented problem has crippled the Texans for the better part of the decade and has yet to be resolved. The Texans have thrown everything at the problem; first round picks, developmental prospects, blisteringly expensive veterans, and one-and-done projects have all failed to form one cohesive and effective offensive line.
Enter the 2026 offseason. GM Nick Caserio (once
again) gutted the offensive line by trading away Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs for pennies on the dollar. In their place, he signed Evan Brown, Braden Smith, and Wyatt Teller. To cap off the remodeling, he drafted Keylan Rutledge and the topic of today’s article, OC/OG Febechi Nwaiwu.
Nwaiwu was selected with the 106th pick in the NFL draft by Houston. Fourth rounders rarely have an immediate pathway to start… especially when they team they went to also picked a first rounder at the same position. But I argue that the Coppell, Texas native has plenty of skill to match the opportunities presented to him.
Nwaiwu’s journey to the NFL illustrates a commitment to improvement and clear incremental ascension through the ranks. Initially a walk-on at North Texas, he started school at 370 pounds. After losing weight and gaining experience, he earned second-team freshman All-American honors. He transferred to Oklahoma after two seasons and played right guard his junior and senior seasons until moving inside to play center the last two games of his senior year.
Having played center, guard, and tackle, the “versatility” moniker was placed on his profile early on. Unfortunately, every Texans fan is sick and tired of hearing about the importance of versatility on the offensive line. Houston doesn’t need five players who can play anywhere, they need five players who can play their position. It’s a nice tidbit that he’s played three, almost four positions across the offensive line…
For Nwaiwu, versatility isn’t the calling card, it’s the fallback option. He’s a center at the NFL and possibly your starter in 2026.
From PFF’s draft analysis:
Nwaiwu was one of the nation’s most efficient pass blockers last season, allowing just two pressures across 505 pass-blocking snaps. That level of production, paired with his positional versatility, could help offset his struggles in the run game, where he ranked in the sixth percentile in positively graded plays.
It’s hard to project an NFL player at a position they only played for two college games. Fortunately for Nwaiwu, those two games came against Alabama and LSU and he played spectacularly.
He had one of the highest pass blocking grades in all of college football last year, including an elite True Pass Set Pass Block Grade. That metric eliminates play action, RPOs, screens, and rollouts to create a more stable and predictive measurement of a lineman’s blocking prowess.
In the run game, he is slow to approach defensive lineman who aren’t directly in front of him. Reach blocks, traps, and zone schemes aren’t natural for him due to a lumbering run form. He is a quality puller, but when the run assignment requires closing space, he opts for a conservative approach instead of moving man and earth to create a hole.
So, what role on the offensive line leverages his statistically significant arm length, quality pass blocking, while minimizes the space to reach his defender? Offensive center.
Centers don’t need to be athletic, but it definitely helps. What is ideal is the IQ of a Yale graduate with the strength of a multi-generational farmer. That blend of intelligence and strength makes centers the gear that spins the rest of the offense in today’s NFL. While financially undervalued, any offensive coordinator will tell you that their system works best with an all-everything center at the helm.
Nwaiwu graduated from OU with a degree in multidisciplinary studies and is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership. Consider that box, checked.
Below is the comprehensive film of him playing center at the college level:
One of the best tapes to watch on Nwaiwu was the East-West Shrine bowl. He started for the West team at Center. Timestamps for the East-West Shrine Bowl:
- 10:30 – 17:00
- 25:45 – 36:00
- 1:34:50 – 1:40:00
- INTERVIEW: 1:46:00
- 1:54:10 – 1:56:10
- 1:58:30 – 2:12:30 (great drive for him)
What stands out is his ability to stonewall defensive tackles and control their movement so early in the snap. He mirrors well and anticipates movement off the line. Great grip strength. Defenders can rarely dislodge him when he’s latched onto their pads. In the Shrine Bowl, he was consistently the first player off the snap and used his arms to survey before dedicating his body to blocking a defender. While the Shrine Bowl lacks the realism of a game due to the lack of blitzing and formation flexibility, it demonstrated his ability to convert to center at the NFL.
Even so, he has plenty to work on. Wide hands mitigate his arm length. He pops up out of his stance, which is a problem for a tall center. He is a complete project when blocking in tandem with a guard, something he’ll need to learn quickly to earn a starting spot.
Currently at OTAs, he’s running with the second string. He has plenty of competition for the center position, but it’s the one role that doesn’t have a set starter. Between first rounder Keyland Rutledge, last year’s starter Jake Andrews, and veterans Evan Brown and Jarrett Patterson all are vying for that coveted role. Whether Nwaiwu earns the starting role Week 1 or later this season, the fourth round rookie has the tools, traits, and trajectory to become Houston’s starting center for years to come.
