Alabama OLB Will Anderson Drafted Third Overall to Houston Texans

An Alabama legend has now found his new home in the NFL.

Will Anderson Jr. was selected with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft Thursday night by the Houston Texans, who traded up to the third spot to get the Alabama outside linebacker early in the draft.

After quarterback CJ Stroud was picked by the Texans with the second pick of the draft, it looked like Anderson would not end up in Houston. But the Texans traded with the Arizona Cardinals for back-to-back selections within the first three picks of the draft.

Anderson is highly regarded as one of the Crimson Tide's top defensive players of all time. He exploded onto the scene during his freshman season, earning a starting position in his first season in Tuscaloosa.

His time at Alabama ended with a national championship and two SEC championships. Anderson finished fifth in Heisman voting in 2021-22 after picking up 17.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. He exits as the Crimson Tide's No. 2 in sacks all time — behind just the great Derrick Thomas.

Anderson won the Nagurski Trophy twice — the second player in the award's history to do so. He also won the Bednarik Award.

He becomes the 43rd first round draft pick of the Nick Saban era and second of the night after Bryce Young was selected No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers. It is the first time in the Saban era that two players have been selected within the first five picks of the draft.

Anderson will be joining the Texans, who are now under the direction of new head coach DeMeco Ryans — who also played linebacker at Alabama from 2002-2005. Anderson is joining two former Crimson Tide players in the Space City — wide receiver John Metchie III and linebacker Christian Harris.

Alabama Linebacker Will Anderson Jr.

NFL Combine/Workout Details

No. 31
Position: Edge rusher
Height: 6-3 1/2
Weightt: 253
Arm: 33 7/8’’
Hand: 9 7/8’’

DOB: 9/2/2001
Hometown: Hampton, Ga.
High School: Dutchtown

40-Yard Dash: 4.6 seconds
10-Yard Split: 1.61

What They're Saying About Will Anderson Jr.

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: "Three-year starter for vaunted Alabama program with eye-popping production that encapsulates his potential impact. Anderson is well-built with long arms. He has the rush get-off and skill level to consistently shave edges or pry open rush paths with inside moves. Even when he’s blocked around the arc or on the diagonal, Anderson’s footwork, cornering and closing speed help him dive into the pocket. There is room for more growth with hand usage and he will need to prove he can keep racking up the sack totals outside of Nick Saban’s scheme. Anderson is suited to a 3-4 front, where he can play wider to better allow his length to overcome size deficiencies at the point of attack. His traits, athleticism and production against high-level competition are indicators of a Pro Bowl future."

NFL Draft Bilble: The consensus number one prospect in the nation, there are few flaws in Anderson’s overall game. He is one of the most twitchy and fastest pass-rushers that we’ve seen come off the edge in quite some time. His ability to convert speed to power, along with his bend and athleticism, enables him to use an array of moves to get to the quarterback. Piling up 17.5 sacks in the SEC as Anderson did a year ago will draw lots of attention but one of the more underrated aspects of his game is to play containment and set the edge in the run game as well (101 tackles in 2021, including 31 tackles for loss). He possesses highly active hands, which shows up on film, as he gets his mittens on a lot of tipped balls. A generational talent, Anderson would appear to be in line for another dominant season, as he continues to state his case to be the top overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

SI: "If you’re looking for some comps, I’ve gotten T.J. Watt, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Melvin Ingram on Anderson, which means he’s got a chance to be an incredibly productive, long-term answer as an edge rusher to build a defensive front around." — Albert Breer

BamaCentral Analysis

An anonymous NFL executive from an NFL team told NFL.com: “Power Five players with traits who get sacks in college are going to get sacks in the pros. Anderson is way more likely to succeed than any of these quarterbacks (in the draft). It’s not even close.” We really can't argue that point. Maybe because we can still remember how Andrew Wadsworth only played 36 games after being the third-overall pick in the 1998 draft that we're kind of hoping Anderson doesn't get picked in the same spot by the Cardinals, but he's easily a top-five selection.

Projection: Top-five pick, possible top three.