The first Alabama player selected by the Houston Texans in the NFL Draft was their current coach. The Texans chose Crimson Tide linebacker DeMeco Ryans with the 33rd pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

The most recent Alabama player selected by Houston is linebacker Henry To’oTo’o. The Texans chose the Tide linebacker with the 167th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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“Henry has been a very consistent player,” Ryans said during Houston’s rookie minicamp. “Watching him at Alabama over the years, he’s been very consistent and a part of a really good defense there, and he’s a very good communicator, running the show there. They have a lot of calls, a lot of checks with that defense, just being familiar with it, and I have high respect for guys who have to communicate in college because it’s an easier transition when they come to our level.”

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Ryans won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award with the Texans, but he was one of only four players picked from Alabama by Houston in its first 20 NFL Drafts, along with center Antoine Caldwell at No. 77 in 2009, cornerback Kareem Jackson at No. 20 in 2010 and defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan at No. 177 in 2014.

But in the past two drafts, the Texans have drafted four players from Alabama – wide receiver John Metchie III at No. 44 and linebacker Christian Harris at No. 75 in 2022 and outside linebacker Will Anderson at No. 3 along with To’oTo’o in 2023.

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“I picked up my phone super quick, and I just said, ‘Let’s (expletive) go,’” Anderson said of his reaction to the Texans’ drafting To’oTo’o. “I texted it to him in all caps. Just to have a presence like that in the building, somebody that I played with, got to know, got to connect with and I know what type of person he’s about.

“He’s very smart, high IQ. He’s going to work every day. He’s going to bring his ‘A’ game every day, but he’s going to bring others along with him, so I’m really excited for him to be here, be a part of this and to be playing with him again.”

Between those two draft classes, the Texans brought Ryans back to Houston as head coach in January. Ryans had been working as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator and won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

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To’oTo’o played his first two college seasons at Tennessee before joining Alabama for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns and registering 205 tackles.

To’oTo’o figures to enter the Texans’ depth chart behind Christian Kirksey, a nine-year veteran who started every game at middle linebacker for Houston last season, when he recorded 124 tackles.

To’oTo’o and Anderson have joined the full Houston team in the Texans’ offseason program.

Houston has reached Phase 3 of its offseason program, when teams are allowed to conduct 10 days of organized team practice activity, often referred to as OTAs. The Texans held their first two OTA practices on Monday and Tuesday and will be back on the field on Thursday. No live contact is permitted, but teams can expand their workouts to include 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

A mandatory minicamp also can be held during this period, which Houston has scheduled for June 13-14.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.