Prior to the Houston Texans making Will Anderson Jr. the No. 3 overall selection in this year's draft, the standout edge rusher out of Alabama was widely regarded as the nation's top quarterback head hunter and a can’t miss prospect.
Less than four months into his NFL career, Anderson has already begun to show a glimpse of why head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio moved up nine spots in the draft to make him a cornerstone piece of the defense.
After linebacker Denzel Perryman set the tone defensively on the first play of the game, intercepting Tua Tagovailoa and nearly returning it for a touchdown.
Anderson followed up on the defense's next possession with a 5-yard tackle for loss and a near safety on a first-and-10 from their own 7-yard line.
Busting past Dolphins tight end Tyler Kroft, Anderson nearly beat running back Raheem Mostert to the handoff, swallowing him up along with Maliek Collins and Jacob Martin, who were also in on the play.
“I thought he did a really good job of disrupting, Ryans said. “Playing on their side of the line of scrimmage. That's what we want from our defensive end. It's good to see Will show that. That's what we know Will can do. It was fun to see him make a play. It was fun to see the energy after he made a play.”
On the Texans third defensive series, Anderson again found his way into the backfield.
On the Dolphins' 2nd-and-10 from their own 26, Anderson sprinted off the line of scrimmage untouched, plowed through Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed and sacked quarterback Skylar Thompson, forcing a fumble in the process.
The Fin’s took an 11-yard loss on the play but managed to recover the fumble.
Anderson was asked to recount what was going through his mind when he saw Dolphins tight end Tyler Kroft leave him uncovered on a pre-snap motion and the only thing that stood between the quarterback and his 6-foot-4, 243-pound frame was the running back.
“Hey look, they called the play, they knew what was gonna happen,” Anderson said laughing. “Just going out there doing my job, trying to do what the coaches tell me to do.”
Despite Anderson helping set the tone defensively for the Texans, it wasn’t sustainable as they were overwhelmed by Miami’s run game. The Dolphins got loose on the edge far too much, rushing for 205 yards on 38 carries in the 28-3 victory over the Texans.
While making his home debut at NRG stadium didn’t exactly go as he and the Texans hoped it would, the rookie said it was exciting to finally get the chance to play in front of his new fan base.
“It was fun man, I don’t take any of this for granted, I’m super blessed to be here,” Anderson said. “I thank God everyday for this opportunity and just the fans cheering and everything like that, it was like a really big dream come true.”
Related
