The Houston Texans kicked off the final day of the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting TCU DE Dylan Horton with the 109th overall selection. The Texans met with Horton at the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl. Born in Houston, Horton attended Frisco High School is elated to stay in his home state to play under Head Coach DeMeco Ryans.
"I'm extremely excited to be part of this SWARM mentality here at the Houston Texans, specifically coach," Horton said. "He plays attack style defense and I'm really excited to be a part of that. You know, I feel like being able to be aggressive and come off the ball, you know, disrupt the disrupt the offense is something I'm really good at."
Horton (6-4, 205) transferred from New Mexico to TCU in 2020, also switching to defensive end for the Horned Frogs. Over the course of his collegiate career, Horton transitioned from safety to linebacker to d-line, requiring him not only to gain over 60 pounds, but to learn the defense from different perspectives.
"I feel like playing different positions makes me understand the game in a in a different way," Horton said. "I started from safety and worked my way down closer to the ball. So after that, I got to see the speed of the game change, my responsibilities. How people play the game changes and I feel like I can just kind of use that to make me into a better football player."
Horton earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in back-to-back seasons (2021-22). Last year, he tied for eighth in the FBS with 10.5 sacks and led the team with 15 tackles for loss. Houston sent a fourth-round pick (104th overall) and a sixth-rounder (203rd overall) to Las Vegas for a fourth-round selection (109th overall) and a fifth-round pick (174th overall.)
