After struggling terribly with defense last season, the Houston Texans decided to provide a much-needed boost to their overall defensive prowess by securing the Crimson Tide product Will Anderson Jr. for the next four years following the remarkable draft.
After drafting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud as the second overall pick, Houston seemed out of the contest for Anderson, however, the franchise made a bold move to trade up nine spots with the Arizona Cardinals for drafting the 6-4, 243-pounder star in exchange for 12th overall and 33rd overall selections, their own 2024 first-round and third-round picks.
Rookie Will Anderson Jr officially under contract with the Texans
The Texans have signed first-round draft pick rookie Anderson to a four-year, fully guaranteed $35,212,818 million deal including a fifth-year club option and a $22.609,320 million signing bonus negotiated by Nicole Lynn and Kelton Crenshaw of Klutch Sports, albeit the team’s primary negotiators are GM Nick Caserio and Director of Football Administration Andrew Brown, via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Texans signed No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. to a fully guaranteed four-year, $35,212,818 million deal with a fifth-year option, per source.
Anderson gets a $22,609,320 signing bonus as part of the deal, which was negotiated by Nicole Lynn of @KlutchSports. pic.twitter.com/T0nJzRj1yl
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 23, 2023
The former Alabama standout edge rusher turned heads during the 2021 season by racking up 34.5 sacks throughout his 41 career games, including 17.5 takedowns as well as posting 101 tackles, and 31 tackles for loss, earning him fifth in Heisman voting in that year.
The 21-year-old is the first top-five selection from the 2023 NFL Draft class to ink a contract and already holds multiple titles in his bag including a two-time consensus All-American, a two-time Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time Nagurski Trophy winner.
Texans star Jerry Hughes praises rookie Will Anderson Jr
The Alabama alum star has already caught the attention of the Texans‘ veteran defensive end Jerry Hughes along with the team’s coaching staff and other players.
Hughes heaped praise on the rookie linebacker saying he holds immense eagerness to learn and put his best effort on the field.
“Just smart, tough, physical guy. That’s something you love to see early on where you have to pull him back versus encouraging him to kind of be aggressive. That’s what you want to see from a young player, someone who is eager to learn and do all the right things early on.”
The 34-year-old Houston veteran once led his team in sacks with a team-best 9.0 and played 201 games throughout his career, hence, he better knows what potential Anderson, arguably the top-rated prospect, can bring to their team.
“When you’re at this level, it’s about mental, how can you attack opponents, how can you keep them guessing what you’re doing. Those are some of the best players in this league, is when people can’t really get a read or beat on what you’re getting ready to do.”
Jerry also gushed about the young star’s work ethic saying the rookie defensive lineman keeps inquiring to make sure that he has grabbed his new team’s game plan.
With Anderson being officially locked in Houston for the next four years at minimum, it remains to be seen if the team can turn their bad page and embark on a new era to become a competitive force in the NFL.
Will he be able to live up to the expectation? What do you think? Share your opinion with us in the comments.
