Texans Host Texas A&M Defender for Pre-Draft Visit

The Houston Texans are reportedly hosting another local prospect for a pre-draft visit in the weeks ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft going down in Pittsburgh, PA.

According to Kolton Becker of Texas A&M On SI, the Texans are slated to have Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim for a pre-draft visit among other interested teams.

He's also scheduled to have pre-draft visits with the Carolina Panthers, LA Chargers, and Arizona Cardinals, adding to the list of suitors that could be keeping an eye on Onyedim.

Onyedim is measured at 6'3", 292-pound defensive lineman, a redshirt senior who transferred from Iowa State to Texas A&M in 2025 to have a notable impact on the Aggies' defensive front.

In 2025, Onyedim logged a career-high 48 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble, now becoming one of Texas A&M's top-rated incoming rookies for this year's draft.

He's now the second prospect from Texas A&M to have a reported pre-draft meeting with the Texans, joining running back EJ Smith, who's slated to be a part of Houston's local pro day in April.

Could Texans Make Sense for Tyler Onyedim?

The Texans, on paper, add up as a potential destination for Onyedim as a selection in day three of this year's draft, where Houston will have four picks from rounds four through seven, on top of their exisitng four picks in the top 70.

Onyedim, an experienced 3-technique with over 30 starts at the collegiate level, makes sense as a flier for Houston to take a chance on in an effort to short up their depth at defensive tackle that's been depleted this offseason by adding a spark of youth and athleticism behind Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai.

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (11) celebrates during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In just the first month of the new league year opening, the Texans have lost two veterans on their defensive interior by Tim Settle Jr. leaving to the Washington Commanders and Mario Edwards being cut to save over $4 million in cap space.

Sheldon Rankins coming back on a two-year deal and having Tommy Togiai for another year ensures the Texans have enough talent to support the losses of both veterans— who wound up missing the second half of last season anyways— but could use young pieces with high potential behind them to really round out this already-elite front.

That makes Houston an easy destination to select a new defensive lineman pretty highly in April's draft. And if the front office wants to remain aggressive in their upgrades, perhaps even double up with a selection like Onyedim in the later rounds, if they feel their depth needs a complete overhaul.

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