A first-team All-American guard who began his career as a walk-on at North Texas, Febechi Nwaiwu became a fourth-round pick after starring at Oklahoma.
Febechi Nwaiwu's path to the NFL started as a walk-on at North Texas before he transferred to Oklahoma and turned himself into one of the top interior offensive linemen in the country. The Coppell, Texas native was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, giving the team a versatile guard who can also handle snaps at center.
Path to the league
Nwaiwu joined North Texas as a walk-on out of Coppell High School and developed into a three-year starter, appearing in 28 games with 22 starts from 2021 to 2023. He transferred to Oklahoma in 2024, started all 13 games that season, and closed his college career in 2025 by also drawing his first collegiate start at center. Houston selected him with the 106th overall pick, in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Nwaiwu earned freshman All-American recognition and a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2022, then added third-team all-conference honors at North Texas in 2023. At Oklahoma, he was named a first-team All-American and second-team All-SEC selection in 2025, and was recognized as a finalist for the Burlsworth Award, given to the nation's top former walk-on.
2025 season recap
In his second and final season at Oklahoma, Nwaiwu was a full-time starter on the interior line, primarily at right guard, while also playing some center down the stretch, including his first career start at the position in the regular-season finale against LSU. That performance helped him earn first-team All-American and second-team All-SEC honors before Houston drafted him in the fourth round.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Febechi Nwaiwu
- ESPN: Febechi Nwaiwu player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Guard
- Group
- offense
- College
- Oklahoma
- Hometown
- Coppell, TX, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
