The Houston Texans made one of the best undrafted free agent signings possible on Sunday, landing Utah defensive tackle and Senior Bowl standout Junior Tafuna. Fans and analysts were quick to peg Tafuna as someone who will ultimately earn a roster spot in Houston, and for good reason.
If you needed any more confirmation of how much the Texans think Tafuna can have an impact, the details of his contract that just dropped should be all you need.
Texans Give Junior Tafuna $200k Guaranteed With UDFA Contract
Tafuna's contract with the Texans includes $200,000 in guaranteed money, including $175k in salary with a $25k signing bonus according to KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson.
To put that deal in context, the Texans' seventh-round defensive tackle selected last year (Marcus Harris) received just $85,480 in guarantees. The lowest pick to receive at least $200k guaranteed from the Texans in 2024 was QB Graham Mertz, who went No. 197 overall.
Little needs to be said about Tafuna's play in college. A four-year starter at Utah, he was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2021, and made second-team All-Pac 12 in each of 2021, 2022 and 2023.
When you add in his impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, it's likely that an underwhelming showing at the combine hurt his draft stock. His arm length measurements raise some concerns (25th percentile arm length and 30th percentile wingspan for interior d-linemen per Mockdraftable), and combining that with a poor bench press could be a red flag.
Still, sometimes it's worth betting on the talent you see on the field. That Tafuna has been such an impressive player despite these shortcomings has to count for something. And it's clear the Texans think so to.
When you consider the Texans' struggles at defensive tackle (none of Tim Settle, Sheldon Rankins, Mario Edwards or Tommy Togiai ranked in the top-50 among 118 qualifying d-tackles on PFF last year), Tafuna could have a chance to not only make this roster, but to even get some playing time as a rookie.