Will Anderson Jr. selected in first round of 2023 NFL Draft
By Keith Farner
Published:
Will Anderson Jr., a ferocious pass rusher widely believed to be the best defender in college football last season, is off the board.
The Alabama EDGE was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans, who traded with the Arizona Cardinals.
Anderson, who is 6-foot-3 1/2 and 253 pounds and believed to be one of the safest prospects in this draft class, was dominant throughout his college career beginning with a freshman campaign in which he started every game, and posted 52 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss and 7 sacks.
Nicknamed “The Terminator” as a sophomore, Anderson won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defender and earned All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-SEC honors while finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
In 2021, Anderson led the FBS with 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in 15 starts. He also won the Nagurski Trophy — only the second two-time winner — and was an All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year again in 2022, and also won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy, as he made 51 tackles, and a team-high 17 for loss with 10 sacks, one interception in 13 starts.
Will Anderson “The Terminator” #RollTide pic.twitter.com/vC4HACNl7Z
— Slim ? (@ayeslim_) May 9, 2022
Anderson overall finished his 3-year career with 34 1/2 sacks and 62 tackles for loss, and in the rich history of Alabama, he’s only behind Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas in school history with that kind of production.
Anderson finished 5th in the 2021 Heisman voting after racking up 17 1/2 sacks and 34 1/2 tackles for loss. A native of Hampton, Georgia, Anderson was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school, and ranked the No. 1 weakside defensive end in the Class of 2020, and the No. 5 player in the country with 39 offers.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
