Houston Texans loaded with linebackers from Alabama

After the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have four Alabama linebackers – Will Anderson Jr., Christian Harris, DeMeco Ryans and Henry To’oTo’o – except Ryans is the head coach and Anderson isn’t a linebacker anymore.

Harris is the only one who was with the team last season. The 75th pick in last year’s draft, Harris played in 12 games, with 11 starts at weakside linebacker, after a hamstring injury delayed the start of his rookie season.

The Texans added Anderson and To’oTo’o in this week’s draft, and Houston traded up to pick both.

Anderson came aboard as the No. 3 selection on Thursday after the Texans sent the No. 12 and No. 33 picks in this year’s draft and first- and third-round selections in the 2024 draft to the Arizona Cardinals for the third and 105th choices this year.

Ryans said making the trade on the draft clock to add Anderson to the roster was as tense as a “goal-line stand.”

“Once we were able to seal that deal and get Will, I was over the moon,” Ryans said. “I couldn’t have been happier.”

RELATED: TEXANS RACE THE CLOCK TO SELECT WILL ANDERSON JR. AT NO. 3

On Saturday, Houston picked To’oTo’o at No. 167, moving up seven slots by sending the 174th and 259th choices to the Los Angeles Rams.

“Wherever he’s played, he’s been productive, whether it was at Tennessee, whether it was at Alabama,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “Captain, leader, ran a defense, signal-caller, highly productive, instinctive, so a lot of good qualities. Should have a role in the kicking game, so depth at linebacker, depth in the kicking game, good makeup – I mean, high-level makeup. I’d say, kind of elite makeup, top-of-the-line makeup.

“I’d say him and Anderson, I don’t want to say they ran the defense down there, but they pretty much ran the defense down there.”

To’oTo’o played his first two college seasons at Tennessee before joining Alabama for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns and registering 205 tackles during that time.

To’oTo’o said being drafted by the Texans “was a big shocker,” but he’s happy to be teammates again with Harris.

“We were best friends in college,” To’oTo’o said. “Everywhere Christian went, I went. Everywhere I went, Christian went. Being able to reunite with him and Will and (wide receiver John) Metchie is a blessing.”

To’oTo’o figures to enter the Texans’ depth chart behind Christian Kirksey, a nine-year veteran who started every game at middle linebacker for Houston last season, when he recorded 124 tackles.

Anderson will not play linebacker for Houston, Ryans said.

Ryans took the reins in Houston in January after six seasons on the staff of the San Francisco 49ers, including the past two as defensive coordinator. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa led the NFL in sacks with 18.5 in 2022 after recording 15.5 in 2021.

“He’s going to be a defensive end in our style,” Ryans said of Anderson. “He’s going to be a defensive end, attacking, getting up the field. He’s going to do a little different scheme.”

Ryans earned unanimous All-American recognition, won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award and received the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the 2005 season as a senior at Alabama.

Anderson earned those accolades, too. Anderson left Alabama as a two-time unanimous All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Nagurski Trophy winner. In 2022, he added the Bednarik Award, the Lott Impact Trophy and the Lombardi Award to his list of honors.

“The past couple of years wherever I played at, whether it was high school or college, I’ve always had the head coach who I shared the same mentality with,” Anderson said, “and that’s why it was so easy for me to relate to the message he was trying to say to the team or just talking to me. And that’s what I love. That’s what I need. I want to play for somebody who’s got the same way I think.

“So when I came here and I talked to coach Ryans, I was like, ‘I got to be here.’ Like, the same exact mindset, the same mentality, what he’s trying to preach, everything, that’s what I’m all about. That’s what I want to do.”

Anderson and To’oTo’o will get their first NFL work when rookie minicamp starts on May 12.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.