The AFC South is home to some of the best talent in the NFL. Even though the division hasn't produced an AFC Championship game representative since the 2019-2020 Tennessee Titans, it's still provided several nationally recognized Pro Bowlers and All-Pro's that've helped tilt the balance of power within the conference as a whole.
Heading into 2026, some of these same players will be vying for another crack at helping elevate their respective teams into the upper echelon of the league. AFC South Analyst and Nashville native Mike Patton took a closer look at the aforementioned best names in the division on the latest episode (395th) of his Touring the AFC South podcast. In it, the Sporting News writer narrowed down his analysis down to his top-five most impactful players. With five being the least and one being the best, Patton's list went as follows:
- Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans
- Jeffrey Simmons, DT, Tennessee Titans
- Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Houston Texans
- Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
All things considered, the list is pretty fair. The Texans' duo has been two of the most disruptive players in the entire NFL for at least the last two years now. Thus, why wouldn't they take their place amongst the division's best ahead of the 2026 season?
Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. and Will Anderson Jr. projected to dominate the AFC South (again)
Patton made it a point to go into detail about what he believes Stingley and Anderson continue to bring to the division on a down-by-down basis.
Derek Stingley Jr.
On Stingley Jr.'s excellence in the secondary, Patton expressed,
"He is the best cornerback in the AFC South, and some would argue the best cornerback in the NFL. A physical guy, he can come up and make tackles, but he can also take your best receiver out of existence on the football field. And in doing that, that makes him worth his weight in gold, and he gets paid like that by the Houston Texans. Hence, that big contract extension he signed last offseason."
Since being drafted third-overall out of LSU in 2022, Stingley has smothered opposing wide receivers with elite levels of proficiency. Going into his fourth year, he's already amassed 172 total tackles (126 solo, 46 assist), one sack, one forced fumble, 15 interceptions, one pick-6, 51 passes defended, eight run stuffs, two Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro's. He's already three interceptions away from breaking former Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph's all-time franchise record of 17.
No wonder why Houston gave him that almost fully guaranteed three-year, $90 million contract last year.
Will Anderson Jr.
On Anderson's dominance of opposing quarterbacks and offensive linemen, Patton stated,
"That man is everywhere. He is one of the ring leaders of the Houston Texans' defense. In my opinion, he wrecks shop every. single. game. Whether it be creating havoc in terms of knocking down passes, whether it be rushing the passer, anything like that, he did his thing every single game and I gotta show him respect. He's definitely in the running for NFL MVP and could've been NFL MVP in terms of Defensive MVP. Definitely did his thing, he got paid this offseason, royally, I might add. In my opinion, I'm putting him at number one."
Anderson Jr. isn't called 'The Terminator' for nothing. He's caused nightmares for offensive coordinators since the Texans traded up with the Arizona Cardinals to grab him at third-overall in the now legendary 2023 draft.
By only 24 years old, he's already won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, become a two-time Pro Bowler, received a First-Team All-Pro selection, finished as the runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and signed a record breaking three-year, $150 million contract ($134 million guaranteed) that made him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Alongside fellow All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter, Anderson yet again projects to be a double-digit sack artist with a knack for creating tidal waves of pocket pressure for opposing quarterbacks to deal with. It's no mystery why Patton selected Anderson as his best overall player in the AFC South this year.
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