Jumping 34 spots from 2025 to now, Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anders Jr. has been revealed as the 12th-best player in the NFL according to this year's Top-100 rankings.
He's the highest ranked player on the team heading into this season, and presumably the final Houston-based entry that we'll see before the regular season starts. It's a much deserved honor for Anderson, as he's only grown to become even more of a defensive terror with each passing campaign (which was proven with his gargantuan three-year, $150 million extension that he earned this offseason).
He ended the 2025 season with accumulated stats of:
- 17 games played
- 654 defensive snaps (36th)
- 54 Total tackles (19th)
- 12 Sacks (fourth-most)
- 87 Quarterback pressures (second-most)
- 20% quarterback pressure rate (best)
- 26.2% Pass-rush win-rate (best)
This resulted in a second place finish for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, only behind Cleveland Brown-turned-Los Angeles Ram in defensive end Myles Garrett. The runner up finish notwithstanding, it is very telling that the only thing the prevented Anderson from gaining the hardware was Garrett shattering the NFL's all time sack record with his historic 23 sacks on the year.
With that in mind, there's not wonder why Anderson is seen as a borderline top-10 player in the league who's only projected to get even better as time goes on.
Will Anderson is on pace to be even better for the Houston Texans moving forward
Even in the reveal, players from around the NFL ranging from Mo Alie-Cox (tight end, Indianapolis Colts) to George Kittle (tight end, San Francisco 49ers), and from Grey Zabel (guard, Seattle Seahawks) to Spencer Brown (tackle, Buffalo Bills) all acknowledged in one way or another that Anderson was one of the most dominant defenders that exists in the league today.
His teammates already know that, which is why his defensive teammate in Pro Bowl cornerback Kamari Lassiter glowed in the reveal that. "not many people have that drive and determination" that Anderson does on a down-by-down basis.
He's both one of the nicest players that one could meet if they found him walking down the street, while also being one of the most ferocious competitors to come across if you're line up against him on a Sunday. That dynamic hasn't really been seen at this level since franchise legend J.J. Watt once roamed the halls of Reliant Stadium/NRG Stadium back in his heyday of the mid to late 2010's.
Anderson is on a historic pace, and that could include him potentially being the first Defensive Player of the Year in Houston since Watt last did it back in the 2015 season. With more time --and stable long-term health-- Anderson is well on his way to adding his name to the record books as one of the finest this city has ever seen, as well as a possible spot in Canton, Ohio if he really accomplishes as much as he has the potential to.
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