Junior Tafuna Signs UDFA Deal With Houston Texans On Draft Weekend
Apr 27, 2025, 10:11 AM | Updated: Apr 28, 2025, 2:45 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – After being a surprise non-selection in the 2025 draft, Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna will get his NFL shot with the Houston Texans.
The deal was first announced by Utah Football on Sunday, April 27.
.@Jmtafuna58 has signed with the @HoustonTexans and is headed to H-Town!!🙌#ProUtes | #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/kpTKTRED0R
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 27, 2025
The former Utes star will join a Texans team that finished with a 10-7 record in 2024.
Tafuna was projected as a lock to get drafted on day three, if not in the fourth or fifth round, definitely before the seventh. However, the 2025 draft proved to be entirely unpredictable, with big names dropping and lower-profile prospects getting picked earlier than expected.
With that said, it may end up being for the best as Tafuna finds himself with a great home in Houston. The Texans are one of the most promising young teams in the NFL.
They were a middle-of-the-pack rush defense team last season. If Tafuna’s game can translate to the pros, he can definitely assist in that department.
Junior Tafuna with the sack for the National Team! @Utah_Football
📺: @SeniorBowl on NFL Network
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/rPZnyeCDIs— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 1, 2025
In the pre-draft process, analysts acknowledged his power and block-shedding arsenal, but questions about his size and ability to do it at the next level overshadowed all else.
There is work to be done for Tafuna, but a spot on a team’s final 53-man roster is absolutely in the cards.
About Junior Tafuna
Tafuna attended Bingham High School, where he won two state championships and was a three-star recruit and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Utah. He joined the Utes football program in 2020 and saw his first action in 2021.
In his freshman season, he played in 13 games with 11 starts. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year with 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. In 2022, he started in all 14 games and posted 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two QB hurries, and a pass breakup.
In his junior year, Tafuna recorded 17 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one recovery, and two pass breakups. Finally, last year, he had 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, three pass breakups, and an interception.
Tafuna finished his college career with 108 total tackles (53 solo), 15 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.
Junior Tafuna at the NFL Scouting Combine
Height: 6’3 1/2″
Weight: 308 lbs.
Arm: 32 1/2″
Hand: 10 1/2″
40-Yard Dash: 5.03 seconds
10-Yard Split: 1.8 seconds
Vertical Jump: 28.5″
Bench Press: 24 reps
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