The Houston Texans have signed a host of new prospects following the close of the NFL Draft and while some of them like Pheldarious Payne, a defensive tackle out of Virginia Tech, and Max Tooley, a linebacker out of BYU are more likely to make the roster, they don't have the best stories. No, the best story actually belongs to two players, who are brothers. Not just brothers, but twins.
Jadon and Jaxon Janke are wide receivers out of South Dakota State, where they played for the past six seasons. One of those was apparently a redshirt season, the other, was the COVID season of 2020, granting both men an extra year of eligibility. Neither man is "young" for a college-aged prospect, entering the draft at 24 years old, possibly a reason why they weren't drafted.
Yet, despite being 25 this October, the Janke brothers not only made it to the NFL but to the Houston Texans.
The #Texans are signing South Dakota State WRs Jadon AND Jaxon Janke, according to @PatrickStormHTX
— Nick Schwager (@NickSchwagerNFL) April 27, 2024
Twins… 🫡 pic.twitter.com/UlWrgtsbrn
The Janke brothers were big contributors to South Dakota State over the last four seasons, with Jaxon putting up 3,677 yards, on 244 receptions with 29 touchdowns for his career. His best all-around season came in 2021 when he had 1,176 yards on 72 receptions, but his best scoring season came in 2022 when he had nine touchdowns. Despite having a better individual career statistically, Jaxon is slower than his brother, running just a 4.54 40-yard dash. Aside from that, they're both pretty identical.
Both twins stand 6'2 and weigh about 213 lbs. Jadon, who posted a faster 40-yard dash time of 4.48 had a less impressive career. Posting just 2,800 yards, on 170 receptions, and 30 touchdowns. So he ended up having one more touchdown than his brother. Jadon's best across the board was in 2023 when he had 57 receptions, 946 yards, and 10 touchdowns, all career highs.
Neither man has an inside track to make the team, as there is going to be an uphill fight for all the receivers on the team to get some playing time, but of all the outlier receivers, we're hoping the Janke brothers are the ones that make it.