When the Houston Texans traded up in the first round to acquire edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., massive expectations followed. Considering that the Texans made their first selection a pick prior with signal caller C.J. Stroud, the stakes were even higher for trading to the third overall pick.
Through the early portion of Texans training camp, Anderson Jr. has not only flashed his prowess on the field but has impressed coaches and teammates alike with his approach off of it. During today’s media availability, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made clear that Anderson Jr. has been the team’s “tone setter” thus far.
“What he does well is just his relentless mindset and how he attacks each day,” Ryans said. “He comes out with a relentless motor. He plays with a physical mindset every play and everybody around they could look at Will and see how we need to practice. What does it look like if you want to be a great player? You have to work that way and it all starts with the work ethic and he’s there. That’s what we want. He exemplifies everything that I want.”
Anderson Jr. had a prolific college career at Alabama, amassing 34.5 sacks, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 204 total tackles in 41 contests per Sports Reference. Simply put, the prolific pass rusher was well worthy of a top selection and for the Houston Texans, trading up to get him was justified.
While amassing back-to-back selections in the NFL Draft is ultra rare and at times met with scrutiny, the return on investment for the Texans thus far has been a promising one. Mindset and motor are two of the most important traits for successful NFL players. Anderson Jr. has both.