A four-year Iowa State left tackle who started 32 career games, James Neal III signed with the Texans as one of the highest-valued undrafted free agents in their 2026 rookie class.
James Neal III spent his college career anchoring the left side of Iowa State's offensive line, starting all 12 games at left tackle as a senior in 2025. He went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft but landed a notable four-year deal with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent, entering a Houston tackle room behind veterans Trent Brown and Blake Fisher.
Path to the league
Neal, out of Independence, Kansas, developed into a four-year contributor for the Iowa State Cyclones, appearing in 41 games with 32 starts over his college career. He capped his career as a full-time starter at left tackle in 2025 before going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Listed at roughly 6-foot-6 and 320-plus pounds, Neal became a fixture on Iowa State's offensive front, logging 32 career starts at tackle. His size and experience made him one of the more coveted undrafted tackle prospects in his class.
2025 season recap
Neal started all 12 games at left tackle for Iowa State in his senior season in 2025. That workload helped him sign a four-year, roughly $3.13 million undrafted free agent contract with the Houston Texans that included a $30,000 signing bonus and $247,000 in guarantees, the richest deal among Houston's 2026 UDFA class.
Sources
- ESPN: James Neal III player page
- Click2Houston: How Texans invested in undrafted rookies, led by Iowa State lineman James Neal
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Offensive Tackle
- Group
- offense
- College
- Iowa State
- Hometown
- Grayson, GA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
