Will Anderson Jr. took his place among football's elite stars in the annual NFL Top 100. The league continues to unveil the Top 100 rankings before the 2026 season. Anderson became the latest player to learn his place in the pecking order on Friday morning, when the NFL announced him as the No. 12 player.
He rose 34 spots from last year's list. The Houston Texans responded to their pass rusher's prominent placement on social media. "WILL HAS ENTERED THE CHAT," the Texans declared.
The Texans probably aren't regretting their decision to trade up to the No. 2 pick and draft Anderson in 2023. The former Alabama standout has anchored their defense with 30 sacks through three seasons. Anderson took his game to another level last season, earning All-Pro honors with 12 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles.
The Texans allowed an NFL-best 277.2 yards per game, narrowly trailing the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks as the second-ranked scoring defense. NFL.com's Grant Gordon noted that Anderson also rose to the occasion with 48 quarterback pressures on third down, the most by any defender in eight seasons of tracking the stat. "Anderson generated a league-leading 23 of his third-down pressures in under 2.5 seconds," Gordon wrote.
"Already a star defender, Anderson's future is blindingly bright -- and so is Houston's because of him." Houston reacted accordingly, making Anderson the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback with a three-year, $150 million extension in April. The record deal includes $134 million fully guaranteed and a no-trade clause. Based on his comments in an NFL Films video shared Friday, Anderson could have his sights set on joining the top 10 next year.
"I got to keep going, you know what I'm saying?" Anderson said. "Never being satisfied, never feeling comfortable."
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