On Draft Night 2023, the Texans made a bold move to trade up for a man affectionately known as the Terminator. Although many national media scoffed at the notion of giving up so much draft capital, there's not much noise nowadays as Will Anderson Jr. has turned into one of the most ferocious pass rushers in the game and a bonafide alpha leader in the locker room.
In 2024, Anderson Jr. registered double digit sacks for the first time in his NFL career, adding 11.0 sacks to his career total in just 14 games. However, the former Alabama All-American saved his best for last in the 2024 NFL Playoffs. Against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card playoff round at home, Anderson Jr. terrorized Chargers QB Justin Herbert, sacking him 1.5 times with three QB hits and a TFL. Against the Chiefs in the Divisional playoff game, Anderson Jr. dominated the Chiefs edge protectors, racking up 2.0 sacks, three TFL and two QB hits on QB Patrick Mahomes II.
As a rookie, Anderson Jr. played the second half of the season with a badly injured ankle and was barely able to get through the two playoff games that season. But, when the lights got bright in the playoffs and he was healthy at the end of 2024, he showed a nationwide audience, and the NFL world at large, that he's a force of nature in this league that could change a game all by himself.
The expectations for Anderson Jr are astronomical, but he's exceeding them on a daily basis; his first two years in this league were just the start.
