Former Houston Texans draft pick Louis Nix III passes away

There was some sobering news this weekend as many outlets reported that former Houston Texans draft pick Louis Nix III passed away at 29 years old.

In a Yahoo! Sports report from Sam Cooper, it was reported that Nix was found dead on Saturday after being reported missing on Friday. The following was written by Cooper in a recent article:

"“The missing persons report said that Nix left his father’s house in Jacksonville on Tuesday morning and had not been seen since. Nix’s mother told Ben Becker of WJAX-TV that the people he speaks to daily have not heard from him. A day later, she told him that her son had died.”"

Also from KHOU.com the following was written about the death of Nix III from Saturday:

"“On Saturday evening, officers pulled a car from a retention pond near Nix’s apartment on Broxton Bay Drive. It matched his vehicle’s description. A short while later, JSO announced Nix had been found, but did not go into detail.”"

Louis Nix III was a former defensive tackle whom the Houston Texans drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, as he was the 83rd overall pick after playing his collegiate football at the University of Notre Dame.

Nix never played a snap for the Houston Texans due to injuries in his career as he was signed by the team on May 16, 2014, then placed on the PUP list in July of that same year. In September 2014, he was placed on the IR list again due to injuries (knee), and then was waived by the Texans in Sept. 2015.

When Nix was drafted by the Texans in 2014, if things would have been without injuries, he would have been an excellent fit for the franchise at nose tackle as he was 6’2” and 331 pounds when he arrived from South Bend.

What had to catch the attention of the Houston Texans when they drafted Nix in the third round in ’14 were his collegiate numbers at Notre Dame where he totaled 122 tackles (43 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, eight passes defensed and one forced fumble in three seasons with the Fighting Irish.

Nix eventually played four games in the NFL — all with the New York Giants — then he also signed with the Washington Football Team and the Jacksonville Jaguars, but never played in any games with those franchises.

The passing of Nix is sad news as he was just 29 years old. On the football field, things didn’t turn out as hoped when he was selected by the Texans because of injuries, but he did play in some NFL games. He also played well enough to be drafted into the NFL, which in itself is a remarkable accomplishment.

Thoughts and prayers are with the family of Louis Nix III.