Houston Texans Draft LB Wade Woodaz 123rd Overall

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 01: Wade Woodaz #17 of the Clemson Tigers reads the offense during the first half of a football game against the Duke Blue Devils at Memorial Stadium on November 01, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Texans are back at it on day three of the 2026 NFL Draft. After trading back from pick #117, the Houston Texans drafted Clemson LB Wade Woodaz 123rd overall:

The #Texans are taking Clemson LB Wade Woodaz at No. 123.

— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) April 25, 2026

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Measurements:​

• Height: 6’ 3 ⅜:

• Weight: 236 lbs.

• Arm: 32 ⅝”

• Hand: 10”

• 40-Yard Dash: 4.56s

Stats:​

• 2025: 12 Games (12 Starts); 70 Tackles; 7 TFLs, 0.5 Sacks; 3 PDs

• 2024: 12 Games (12 Starts); 83 Tackles; 10 TFLs; 3.0 Sacks; 1 Int; 5 PDs; 3 FFs

• Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2025

• Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2024

Wade Woodaz was drafted in round 4 with pick 123 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 8.64 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 474 out of 3480 LB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/W73DBvxb4tpic.twitter.com/S2AAO7UagH

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

A two-year starter for Clemson that came on towards the end of his 2023 season, Wade Woodaz is a quick, aggressive tackler with plenty of experience on special teams. Not unlike former Texans 2021 5th-round pick LB Garret Wallow, Woodaz has the production and reliability that makes you think he could end up making an impact on an NFL defense, but, unlike Wallow, Woodaz is a little more NFL-caliber size. At 6’4” 236 lbs., Woodaz has the raw size to be able to lay the thump down on NFL running backs, and on top of that, Woodaz also has some impressive speed, making him more than capable of covering TEs or some WRs.

Here’s what Brian Goodison of Shakin the Southland had to say about Wade Woodaz:

The same traits that make Woodaz lovable are ones he will have to work on to refine in the NFL. While his aggressive style is great, sometimes he moves too quickly and doesn’t diagnose the play. This leaves gap in the coverage or run fits which can cause a big play. Pairing that aggressive play with better situational awareness will be key to Woodaz’s success on the field. His play style should give him an excellent opportunity on special teams though. – Brain_Goodison

Wade Woodaz is an immediate core special teams performer with high-end potential and is a good backup ILB behind To'oTo'o

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 25, 2026

Even though he can be aggressive, Woodaz has shown the ability to diagnose offenses and stay patient in order to find the ball carrier and deliver a blow. A lot of this patience can be seen against SMU, where he notched his single sack of the 2025 season as well as did a solid job of giving confusing looks to the opposing QB. His speed and awareness can make him a solid inside linebacker in the NFL, but his inability to wrap up or really lay the boom on some bigger players doesn’t bode well for his upcoming transition to the NFL. If Woodaz is able to add some strength and extra aggressiveness in his tackling, he can be a real contributor on defense. If not, then he’ll at least make a solid special teams addition, Nick Caserio’s favorite!

What do you think of this pick? Did the Texans find a steal of a LB in Woodaz, or was this a reach in your book? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!

Woodaz also wore the green dot for Clemson. I wanted the LB we take to potentially play MIKE as our depth is better at WILL

Woodaz could do that but needs to get better at shedding blocks. I liked Keyshaun Elliott and Kaleb Elarms-Orr more but gotta trust Demeco https://t.co/qxYuuhEByu

— Jordan Pun (@Texans_Thoughts) April 25, 2026

Go Texans!!!

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