If you’ve read my work here long enough, then you already know that I am a huge fan of ranking things, almost anything really. If you want to suck me in and get an easy click, just make sure the words “Top 10” (with almost anything after those two words) drift across my timeline, and that click is yours, my friend.
The NFL’s Top 100 players is the gold standard of completely flawed and subjective rankings that I love, but we’ve been on hold for a few weeks now, waiting for the next Houston Texan to show up in the rankings. Azeez Al-Shaair is the only Texan revealed thus far, coming at 92nd in the Top 100.
Thankfully, though, all last week, ESPN.com revealed the Top 10 players (along with honorable mentions) at each position in the NFL, as voted on by 70 different front office, personnel, scouting, and coaching folks. The Texans showed up frequently in this exercise, with six different players making the Top 10 at their respective position. Here is the breakdown of how the Texans did, with a few thoughts below:
QUARTERBACK: C.J. Stroud, also receiving votes
RUNNING BACK: None
WIDE RECEIVER: Nico Collins, 8th
TIGHT END: Dalton Schultz, also receiving votes
OFFENSIVE TACKLE: None
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE: None
EDGE DEFENDER: Will Anderson, 3rd; Danielle Hunter, 6th
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: None
OFF-BALL LINEBACKER: Azeez Al-Shaair, 6th
CORNERBACK: Derek Stingley, 2nd; Kamari Lassiter, honorable mention
SAFETY: Calen Bullock, 10th; Jalen Pitre, honorable mention
Okay, when your team has six players in the Top 10 at their positions, and a few more making honorable mentions and receiving votes, there is a lot to unpack. Here are four thoughts:
The Texans heavily skew toward defense as a team is captured perfectly here
The Texans had seven players on the defensive side of the ball mentioned in this piece, five of whom made the Top 10 at their positions and the two honorable mentions, Lassiter and Pitre, both finished 11th. Any way you slice it, Nick Caserio has done an outstanding job in recognizing talent and bringing it in, and DeMeco Ryans and his staff have done an outstanding job of developing that talent. All seven defensive players mentioned here are under contract for at least two more seasons.
Similarly, all of their offensive issues are captured perfectly here
Meanwhile, on the other side of the football, the Texans have just three players mentioned, and two of them barely landed on the radar (more on that in a moment). Certainly, the most stark reminder of the team’s ineptitude in running the football is the lack of votes, as in ZERO votes, for any offensive lineman nor running back. If we are looking for barometers for success in 2026, I’d say if the Texans offensive line doesn’t garner a single vote in this exercise a year from now, then the Texans did not accomplish their goals this season. The biggest correlations to making it to new heights this season are with the defense continuing to play at an elite level and the offensive line improving to at least being league average.
C.J. Stroud reportedly received ONE vote, that’s it
Now, you may be wondering why I didn’t mention C.J. Stroud’s play as a correlation factor to new heights in 2026. That’s because I think his play is tied to the offensive line improvement. An improved offensive line means more time to throw and a better running game, which opens up all sorts of fireworks. That said, it would appear that folks around the league think there is more going on with C.J. Stroud than just poor offensive line play, as he garnered just ONE vote from the panel. Keep in mind, after his rookie season two years ago, Stroud finished seventh overall in this vote. Stroud’s star has fallen rapidly. Hopefully, he is using it as fuel.
