Kayden McDonald’s Emotional Walk to NFL Draft Stage Was Worth the Wait

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Tears welled in the eyes of Kayden McDonald from the green room in Pittsburgh. Nearly a full day after McDonald expected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, he finally heard his name called by the Texans with the No. 36 pick. The Texans traded up with the Raiders to land the former Buckeye, who was a unanimous All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025.

McDonald was one of 16 prospects invited to attend the draft in person, an honor typically given to players who are expected to be selected in the first round. Unfortunately for McDonald, he did not hear his name called on the first night of the draft, instead having to wait 20 hours later for a team to finally pick him.

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McDonald was one of just two players that went to the draft but didn’t get selected in the first round, along with Tennessee corner Colton Hood, who was selected one pick after McDonald by the Giants at No. 37.

After the first round passed, commissioner Roger Goodell visited McDonald and invited him back for Day 2 of the draft so he could have his moment on the stage. McDonald came back, and when he was selected four picks into the second round, he shared an emotional moment as he finally got to hug Goodell, who comforted him as he finally received the call to be a Texan.

“I know I’m supposed to be here. I'm just so blessed,” McDonald told ESPN after he was drafted. “I’m just so thankful. I’m just so emotional. Where I came from and now I’m here is a blessing.”

More: Six First-Round Picks Reflect on Their Draft Stage Moment—and Their Hug With Roger Goodell

Fortunately, it wasn’t all tears for McDonald, who was seen jumping and celebrating with Texans fans after he hugged Goodell.

While McDonald had to wait longer than expected to get drafted, he enters an excellent situation with the Texans. Houston boasts the No. 1 defense in the NFL, and McDonald is a tremendous addition to a unit that is only getting richer in talent. The Texans are coming off three consecutive appearances in the divisional round of the playoffs, and McDonald will get to help a contender try to advance to their first conference championship game in franchise history.

"We already got the pieces on the outside,” McDonald said Friday, via DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “Adding me it’s gonna be special. It’s gonna be hard to score on us. The DL coach [told me] ‘I was the best in the class’ I knew that they were coming to get me.”

McDonald might have had to be patient, but few players landed in a better situation to find success at the NFL level.

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Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.

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