The NFL Top 100 is down to its final 10, and the list has already stirred up one notable Texans talking point: Will Anderson Jr. came in at 12th overall, just outside the group that will be formally revealed heading into 2026.
The final 10, in alphabetical order, are Josh Allen, Myles Garrett, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Micah Parsons, Bijan Robinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Matthew Stafford and Patrick Surtain II. But the bigger debate from a Texans perspective is whether Anderson had a real case to crack that group, and there are at least three spots where that argument feels strongest.
At the top of the projection, Myles Garrett looks locked into first. He broke the NFL record for most sacks in a single season last year with 23 and finished as NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career, in 2023 and 2025. That kind of season makes the No. 1 spot feel untouchable.
Josh Allen sits next in the projection. He threw for 3,668 yards, added 25 touchdown passes and also ran for 14 touchdowns, which ranked third among all ball carriers in the NFL. Those numbers helped Buffalo finish 12-5 and reach the playoffs again after Allen won his first career NFL MVP award in 2024.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is projected at No. 3 after a monster season for Seattle. He caught 119 passes, piled up 1,793 receiving yards and scored 10 receiving touchdowns, while helping the Seahawks to the top seed in the NFC and their second Super Bowl in team history. He also earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Matthew Stafford comes in at No. 4 in this projection after a huge season at age 37. He led the league with 4,707 passing yards, posted a 276.9 yards-per-game average, tied for third with 388 completions and threw 46 touchdown passes, 12 more than Jared Goff’s 34. The Rams went 12-5, reached the NFC Championship Game and Stafford also picked up his first NFL MVP award.
Bijan Robinson lands at No. 5 after leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,298. That total came with 1,478 rushing yards, 820 receiving yards and seven rushing touchdowns, making him the engine of Atlanta’s offense.
Puka Nacua follows at No. 6 after finishing with 129 receptions, 1,715 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns and a 107.2 yards-per-game average. He also had 666 yards after catch, the third-most in the league, and remains one of the league’s most dominant wideouts.
Jahmyr Gibbs is slotted at No. 7 after rushing for 1,223 yards and tying Josh Jacobs for third among running backs with 13 rushing touchdowns. He also led the league with six plays of 40 yards or more.
The first real opening for Anderson, though, appears at No. 8 with Micah Parsons. Parsons set an NFL record by reaching 12-plus sacks in the most consecutive seasons to start a career, but the case here is that Anderson’s own season deserves the edge. Anderson finished second to Garrett in Defensive Player of the Year voting after his own dominant run in Houston, which is why the swap is on the table.
Christian McCaffrey is projected at No. 9 after posting the second-most yards from scrimmage in the NFL with 2,126. That included 1,202 rushing yards, 924 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. He remains a constant threat whenever he’s on the field, even with periodic absences due to various bruises and bumps.
The final spot in this projection goes to Patrick Surtain II, but that’s another place where Anderson’s name belongs in the conversation. Surtain finished the 2025 season with his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection and third All-Pro nod in four seasons, yet the placement is still hard to square when Derek Stingley Jr. dropped seven spots despite back-to-back First Team All-Pro seasons. With that kind of inconsistency in the ranking, Anderson has a legitimate claim to the opening.
For now, the Texans star sits just outside the top 10. But based on this projection, he has a strong case to be one of the names that should have made it.
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