The Houston Texans reached for Tytus Howard.
That was the prevailing narrative when the Texans drafted the Alabama State tackle No. 23 overall in Round 1 of the 2019 NFL draft.
Houston was merely compensating because they missed out on Andre Dillard. That debate was quickly over by the end of their respective rookie years as Howard earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America’s all-rookie team.
Howard reflected on his underdog story Thursday evening and took to Twitter to give the 2023 class encouragement.
“Didn’t get an invite to the draft,” Howard wrote. “They told me I couldn’t get a camera crew until day 2. Still proving everyone who wrote me off wrong. You control your own destiny just put the work in. #NFLDraft2023”
Howard has started all 54 games active for the Texans since 2019.