Despite going undrafted and unsigned, Izzy Matthews still has a shot at making an NFL roster.

Matthews, an Enterprise grad who played his last season for Colorado State in the fall, was invited to a rookie minicamp by the Houston Texans, his college team announced over the weekend.

"I'm comin for you, @HoustonTexans," Matthews wrote in a tweet.

While a minicamp invite is in no way an assurance that he'll make the team, it's a step in the right direction and a chance few players from Redding ever get.

Matthews' career at Colorado State

After a career at Enterprise in which he set school records for most rushing yards (2,220) and rushing touchdowns (32) in a season, Matthews accepted a scholarship to play for the Rams, a Division I program in the Mountain West Conference.

Bryan Applewhite, Colorado State's running backs coach, said Matthews had a solid college career and managed to be productive despite splitting carries most of the time.

"He’s a bruising back. He doesn't have elite speed, but he’s fast enough," Applewhite said. "Very very good on short yardage and goal-line situations."

In his first season, 2015, Matthews played a third-string role but still carried the ball 97 times, averaging 6.1 yards per carry with 5 rushing touchdowns. The next year, he led the team in rushing touchdowns (13) while splitting time with running back Dalyn Dawkins.

In 2017, Matthews became more involved in the passing game while again sharing the load with Dawkins. Matthews had 140 yards receiving and 613 yards rushing before missing the end of the season with a broken collarbone.

Matthews had the starting job to himself in 2018. On the ground, he tallied a career-best 717 rushing yards. Through the air, he had the fifth-most receptions on the team, recording 169 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.

Matthews ended his career in Fort Collins as one of the top-10 rushers in school history with 2,654 yards. He's No. 4 on the all-time rushing touchdown list with 30.

Chances of making an NFL roster

Even the best college players aren't guaranteed a spot in the NFL, and Matthews still has an uphill battle ahead of him to make a 53-man roster or practice squad in the fall.

He recognizes that reality.

"I'm not on anybody's draft board, probably not on any free agent lists, but all I need is one call, and the rest will be history," he tweeted before the draft.

Most NFL teams start the regular season with four running backs on their roster. The Texans have four backs on their roster now. They also drafted a fullback in the seventh round.

Since the draft, Houston has picked up two undrafted free agents who play running back, Damarea Crockett of Missouri and Karan Higdon of Michigan.

Applewhite said one advantage for Matthews is that the Texans run a similar style of offense as Colorado State. He also has plenty of special teams experience, playing on kickoff coverage/returns and punt coverage/returns.

"Once you get into camp, you've got a chance," Applewhite said.

For Matthews, receiving an invite to rookie minicamp amounts to a 2-3 day tryout in early May alongside about 50 other players. If Matthews impresses, he could be one of 90 players participating in training camp, where he'd be one of 6-7 running backs trying to make it to preseason.

In other words, it's a longshot. But as Matthews tweeted:

"(A) long shot is a whole lot better than no shot."

More:Enterprise High holds signing ceremony for Jadyn Matthews

More:Raiders, Falcons invite Redding native Brock Barr to rookie minicamp

Matt Brannon covers Redding-area sports for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State sports scene for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.