Kenyon Green shares special story of draft night, hearing name called from hometown team

Kenyon Green is staying home to begin his NFL career, getting selected by the Houston Texans on Thursday night in the 2022 NFL Draft. The interior offensive lineman is originally from Humble, TX, where he attended Atascocita before playing his college football at Texas A&M. Green is quite familiar with the area.

During his introductory press conference, Green shared the special story of how he and his family celebrated the moment once Houston called his name. Green said he was mostly in “shock” and is going to strive to be one of the best people involved with the organization.

“I was at home so I was probably like 30, 45 minutes away from the stadium,” Green said. “I was just sitting there and talking to a family friend about the draft, how it was unfolding, and everything. When I got the 832 area code, you knew it was Texas. I sat there, I was just in shock. I was truly just thanking God for this opportunity. Being here and staying home and play for my city. I’m going to give it everything I got. I’m going to be the best player, best person you ever meet, talk to.”

After the moment passed, Green had to explain why he rewatched the draft. Not only to relive the moment of hearing his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell but also to see what else unfolded in the first round.

“We rewatched the draft,” said Green. “As I got picked, kind of turned it off and celebrated. Just going through that moment again, seeing my family enjoying it. That’s all I care about.”

Green is expected to play guard at the next level but has experience across the entire offensive line. With some injuries occurring for Texas A&M last season, he played at every position except center and eventually won the team’s Offensive MVP award. Also named an AP first-team All-American, Green will bring versatility to Houston.

Just the first step in a rebuilding process for the Texans, Green will bring long-term stability to the franchise moving forward. Whoever ends up being the franchise quarterback will be lucky to already have a solid offensive lineman in front of him.

Playing for the hometown city just adds even more icing on the cake for Green. Even if it’s not his entire career, beginning in Houston has to be a special feeling for the young NFL player.