Houston Texans place six players in ESPN’s top 10 rankings by position

For someone who has watched every snap of the Houston Texans this training camp, and who has watched everything the team will allow us to watch during OTAs and minicamps in May and June, it’s very easy to see that this is an extremely talented football team, far more talented than, say, two years ago, and in a different universe than the team the Texans fielded three years ago.

Many experts around the league consider the Texans to be one of the eight to 10 best teams in football. The roster is widely considered the best in terms of long-term success, with C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson leading the way for young players. But how exactly do people in the know, like executives, coaches, and scouts, view the Texans?

Luckily, ESPN.com does an exercise every year that tells us just that, compiling votes from about 80 of the league’s top executives, coaches and scouts to come up with a list of the top 10 players at each position in the league. Last season, the Texans had one player, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, make the list at his position, which makes sense for a team coming off a 3-13-1 campaign.

After winning the division and going 10-7, 2024 is a different story, as the Texans have six players in the top 10 at his position, with several others earning honorable mentions. Here’s the rundown, with the overall rankings, as well as the player’s highest and lowest rankings:

CJSTROUD, 7th ranked quarterback
Highest Rank: 2 | Lowest Rank: Unranked

LAREMY TUNSIL, 3rd offensive tackle
Highest Rank: 2 | Lowest Rank: 8

DANIELLE HUNTER, 7th ranked edge defender
Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: Unranked

DALTON SCHULTZ, tight end ranked 10th
Highest Rank: 4 | Lowest Rank: Outside Top 10

STEFON DIGGS, 9th ranked receiver
Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: Unranked

DEREK STINGLEY, Jr., 10th ranked cornerback
Highest Rank: 2 | Lowest Rank: Unranked

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Joe Mixon, running back; Will Anderson, Jr., edge defender; Christian Harris, linebacker; Nico Collins, receiver

That’s a total of ten players who are considered above average or downright elite. I expect no fewer than four, if not all six, players who were top-10 players at their position to remain in the top-10 next season, with Stroud and Stingley having a good chance of cracking the top-5. Of the honorable mentions, I see Anderson as a near-guarantee top-10 player, with Collins also having a chance.

In short, it’s a fantastic time to be a Houston Texans fan.

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