Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has seen a lot of great quarterbacks over his first four seasons in the league.
Anderson has already seemingly accomplished it all, garnering an All-Pro selection, posting Pro Bowl bids and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. As a result of his production, the 25-year-old inked the highest-paid for a non-quarterback in NFL history with $150 million and $134 million guaranteed.
Although Anderson plays in a tough conference with the likes of Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes, he said Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is the toughest quarterback to play against as a defender. Jackson has already won two MVPs and is the youngest QB to ever win it.
“Toughest quarterback, probably Lamar Jackson,” said Anderson in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “He can do so much. You just never know what he’s going to do. You don’t know if he’s going to run. You don’t know if he’s going to hand it off. You don’t know if he’s going to fake the handoff. But also, you think you got a clean open sack on him, and he just jukes you out of nowhere.”
Will Anderson Jr. on Key to Stopping Lamar Jackson: Don’t Overthink It
The fourth-year defensive player said the key to slowing down Jackson is just not thinking about it and rushing him. Jackson is widely regarded to be the best dual-threat quarterback in the league. He has toned down his rushing drastically as he’s become more a passer, but he once posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He ran for 349 yards last season.
“Sometimes I think sometimes you just got to let go, and like man, you just got to rush,” said Anderson. “You just can’t think about it because I think when you start thinking about it, that’s when you kind of like start tiptoeing or whatever. But sometimes if you just rush and go, I think you have better success.”
The Texans obviously have not gotten off to the start they expected during the 2025 season. Houston has gone 0-3 after advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. However, there’s a silver lining — the Texans went 0-3 last season and still made it to the playoffs. In fact, of the seven times an NFL team has gone 0-3 and made it to the playoffs, Houston has accomplished the feat twice. They also did it during the 2018 season.
Will Anderson Jr. Partnering With Mielle for Evolution of Men’s Grooming
During the 2026 season, Anderson is partnering with Mielle, which became the NFL’s first official textured hair care partner last fall. Anderson takes his grooming and personal style very seriously, coming from a family with multiple sisters. One of his sisters is a hairstylist.
“We just did our first shoot together, and it was wonderful,” said Anderson. “It was really great. I got to have my sister on set with me, and it just gave everybody in the shoot it gave them a real life look at how it is to take care of your hair. How it is to have a regimen, how me and my sister interact with each other. She’s guiding me through taking care of my hair, and it’s special for me because this is a time that I really get to build with her and also watch her live out her dream as a hairstylist.”
Anderson said his sister influenced him to start taking his personal care and style before his NFL career started.
“When my sister Riri, obviously watching her take care of her hair, condition her hair, shampoo her hair, put it in different styles, whatever like that, and just seeing how she walked out the house,” said Anderson. “She kind of pulled me to the side was like, ‘You’re gonna be in front of these brands, you’re gonna be in front of a lot of cameras, talking to a lot of people, and we can’t have you out here looking any type of way. Especially with you being our little baby brother, we gotta make sure you look presentable.’
“At first I was you know a little against it because I’m like, ‘Men don’t do that, all this other stuff, I’m fine,'” said Anderson. “But it’s serious, you know what I’m saying? Because your appearance is everything, and I think it also gives you a really big confidence boost. I have a saying — when you look good, you play look good. But when you look good too, you also feel good to be able to speak well, to be able to go to these events, feeling confident.”
Anderson said that his favorite products through Mielle are the Pomegranate and the Honey Mousse for his hair along with the Rosemary Oil.
“My favorite product from Mielle that they’ve released lately is the Pomegranate and Honey Mousse, and that’s one thing that’s my final touch on my hair that I always use,” said Anderson. “Because it gives it that last volume push that I want for my hair. I would say that product and the Rosemary Oil. Those two are the biggest two that I use honestly because those two, they really benefit the hair the most to me. I think the Rosemary Oil is really good because it strengthens your hair, especially just putting on your roots, and it just oils your scalp so you won’t be scratching it 24/7. It won’t get dry and flaky and all those type of stuff.”
Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. Reveals Toughest Quarterback in the League