How much premier talent is on the Houston Texans' roster entering 2026?
In ESPN’s most recent projections for who will be the top 100 players in the NFL this season, there are five Houston Texans players who made the list. Four of them were on defense: defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, as well as cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Houston’s one player on offense who made the list was wide receiver Nico Collins.
Among the top quarter, All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (No.15) and All-Pro defensive end Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 21) made it inside the top 25. After that, there was a slight drop-off, but five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter came in clutch at No. 39 following his second out-of-this-world
campaign in a uniform.
“Hunter is the best pure pass rusher in Houston, and he and Will Anderson Jr. elevate each other's games," ESPN's D.J. Bien-Amie wrote. "So, if Anderson is performing well, Hunter's life only gets easier. There's no reason to expect him to slow down after signing a one-year extension with Houston in March."
Signature stat: There have been 73 players to produce at least 100 QB pressures over the past five seasons. Among those, Hunter has forced opposing QBs to overthrow or underthrow his receiver at the second-highest rate (33% of the time) on plays when he gets the first pressure. The only player with a higher mark is Cameron Heyward (35%).
Bien-Amie believes that while fans will see an elite version of Anderson, Hunter will take a step back. He's projecting him to finish with 55 tackles, 10 sacks, four forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
Entering is eleventh season in the league, Hunter has become one the all-time underrated defensive starts. A standout at LSU, he started his career with the Minnesota Vikings and played eight years in the NFC North as a rising starter.
During his tenure in the NFC North, Hunter had five seasons with at least 12 sacks.
One of his top seasons was in 2023, when he had 23 tackles for loss, the most of anyone else in the league, as well as a career-high of 16.5 sacks. Over his last two seasons in Houston, Hunter has totaled over 100 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 27 sacks while serving as an anchor opposite Anderson.
To read the full list of where every Texans player lands, click here.
The Texans open the regular season on Sunday at Reliant Stadium against the Buffalo Bills.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter named Top 40 players in ESPN Top 100
