This past Monday night, with the Houston Texans trailing 17-6 halfway through the 3rd quarter against the Seattle Seahawks, third-year edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. single-handedly changed the trajectory of the game. On one single play, Anderson earned a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown to make it a one possession game.
In the aftermath of the play, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Man, I've seen that before." Now of course, I've seen no shortage of strip sacks in my decades as a football fan, but it wasn't that I've seen that play before. It's that I've seen that player before. And then, just as fast as he hit Cam Newton, it hit me who Will Anderson Jr. resembled.
I'm not the first person to compare Will Anderson Jr. to Von Miller, and it's unlikely that I'll be the last. But that one play on Monday night validated two things... First, the Texans knocked it out of the park when they selected Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. And second, this is the guy who could not only spend the next decade as the best and most important player on the Houston Texans defense, but potentially even the entire National Football League.
Will Anderson Jr.'s 2025 Season to Date
What the stats are saying: 22 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 7 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 defensive touchdown, 91.4 PFF Grade (4th among 113 qualified edge defenders)
What his coaches/teammates are saying: "He put the team on his back, created some energy, some enthusiasm for our entire team. Will has played exceptional all year. He'll continue to do that. It means a lot to him," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said of Anderson after Monday's game.
"He's a leader, first and foremost. Every single play he's going to give you 110 percent," teammate Derek Stingley Jr. said of Will Anderson. "Without him, we wouldn't be where we're at right now."
What opponents are saying: "Very agile, very athletic. Tricky, he's very tricky. Like you don't really see, 'Oh, he's gonna push you backwards,' and then he pushes you back," Buffalo Bills lineman Dion Dawkins told NFL Films. "He pushed me back a couple of times and I was like, 'Yo, this kid is alright.'"
"I'm always watching him. I get a couple inspiration rushes (from him)," Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen added.
What the tape is saying: You don't really need to see much more tape on Will Anderson Jr. besides the clip above. The 24-year-old edge rusher is one of the most complete players at his position, and the 2025 season will end up being his best NFL season yet. It feels like it's not a matter of if Anderson will eventually win Defensive Player of the Year, but when.
Blending a unique and breath taking blend of power and speed, Anderson is a devastating presence off the edge who is capable of wreaking havoc in both the passing game -- his pass rush win rate was second in the NFL heading into Week 7 -- and in the run game -- an area that he's continued to improve in year over year, which can be attributed to the work ethic that DeMeco Ryans has been touting since the summer.
"I haven't seen a person more dialed in," Ryans said back in July.
I think the fully-formed version of Will Anderson Jr. probably ends up looking something like peak Von Miller, where at season's end, he could be among the league leaders in both sacks and tackles for loss, a pair of categories that Miller has finished in the top ten in the NFL in a combined 11 times.
The question is, will Will Anderson Jr. get the chance to highlight his skillset on the biggest stage, just as Miller did nearly 10 years ago?
Past Defensive Spotlights
10/8/2025 - Jalen Pitre
10/15/2025 - Danielle Hunter