Shiyazh Pete, a Navajo from New Mexico State, gets his Cowboys shot

Shiyazh Pete has his shot at history with the Dallas Cowboys.

The right guard, who began his college career at New Mexico State University before transferring to Kentucky, became the first Navajo to sign with an NFL team when he got his chance with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft.

He is currently listed as the third-team right guard on the official depth chart so he's still faces long odds to make the team, but those odds exist.

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In an exclusive interview with 600 ESPN El Paso from training camp in Oxnard, Calif. posted on Instagram, Pete talked about his time at New Mexico State.

”Las Cruces has treated me well,” Pete told 600 ESPN El Paso. “White Sands is a beautiful monument, and there's good medicine there. The university itself, I've come to cherish as a really profound memory, it’s a crimson banner I will wear for a lifetime. 

“When I first got there I didn't know too much about the world of football, the world the world of college life, outside of the reservation. 

“To think I'd be here now, five years, into the future, just because I play the game of football, and I get to do these opportunities now, and be a part of something great and large — it's a privilege. It's a testament to how much hard work really pays off.”

Pete was born in 2003 in Roanan, Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation to a Navajo mother and a father who was Navajo and Salish (another Native American tribe in Montana). His sports was judo growing up and Pete didn't start playing football until seventh grade.

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As a sophomore he transferred to Shiprock High School in New Mexico where he became an all-district player, but Pete (and every high school football player in New Mexico) lost his 2020 senior season to COVID and didn't get recruited.

Pete elected to walk-on at New Mexico State. After redshirting in 2022, he became a star left tackle and was part of the 2024 team that won 10 games and won at Auburn by three touchdowns. He then transferred to Kentucky for his final year of eligibility and won the starting job, which he held for all 12 games. Pete earned an opportunity to play in the Hula Bowl and did enough to get the free-agent shot for the Cowboys.

He was congratulated by Buu Nygren, the President of the Navajo Nation, who wrote: "Shiyazh Pete represents more than football. He represents where he comes from, the work it takes to get here, and the pride of our people."

More: Shiyazh Pete interview on 600 ESPN El Paso

In an exclusive interview with 600 ESPN El Paso from training camp in Oxnard, Calif. posted to their Instagram, Pete talked about his time at New Mexico State.

”Las Cruces has treated me well,” Pete told 600 ESPN El Paso. “White Sands is a beautiful monument, and there's good medicine there. The university itself, I've come to cherish as a really profound memory, it’s a crimson banner I will wear for a lifetime. 

“When I first got there I didn't know too much about the world of football, the world the world of college life, outside of the reservation. 

“To think I'd be here now, five years, into the future, just because I play the game of football, and I get to do these opportunities now, and be a part of something great and large — it's a privilege. It's a testament to how much hard work really pays off.”

Pete is making a move to right guard behind Tyler Booker and Trevor Keegan. Dallas is likely to keep either five or six interior offensive linemen, as part of a 10-man line, and currently lists nine interior linemen on the roster.

The 23-year-old Pete was born on May 23, 2003. He is 6-foot-9, 309 pounds. A career left tackle through high school and college, he is with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent right tackle.

He is the first Navajo to sign with an NFL team. He was born in Montana and played in high school for Shiprock High in New Mexico. He attended New Mexico State for four years before transferring to Kentucky for the 2025 season.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Shiyazh Pete, a Navajo from New Mexico State, gets his Cowboys shot