J.J. Watt.

Here, we have a player in the conversation for the best Defensive End that ever lived, and if you don’t agree with that, you have to acknowledge that he belongs in the conversation.

With the above paragraph, he enters rarified air with this.  He was just as impactful off the gridiron as he was on it.

Have we gushed enough about J.J. Watt?  Let’s gush some more.

Watt was an All-American at Wisconsin, and the Houston Texans were blessed to land him with the 11^th Overall Pick in the 2011 Draft.  Watt was a starting Defensive End in his first year, winning All-Rookie honors, but what he did over the next four seasons was legendary.

From 2012 to 2015, Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and in the season, he didn’t win; he was still sixth.  Watt was named a First Team All-Pro in all four seasons, he twice led the NFL in Sacks, and three times in Tackles for Loss.  Not only was he the best Defensive End in Football, he was also the greatest defensive player of that period.  Hell, if you want to say that he was also the best player outright in those four seasons, we would probably agree with you!

It was beautiful to watch.  What couldn’t he do?  He mastered the bullrush, destroying any offensive lineman who had the misfortune of blocking him, and was an expert pass rusher, but he was also an exemplary run blocker.  He was fast, he could juke, and he could overpower you.  Watt was a defensive God!

It could not last forever, and through 2016 and 2017, Watt dealt with back and leg issues that held him to only eight Games over those campaigns.  He was healthy in 2018, and returned to the Pro Bowl, landed his fifth First Team All-Pro, and led the NFL for the first time in Forced Fumbles (7).  Watt was hurt again in 2019 and played only 8 Games, and though he played in all 16 Games in 2019, he had to use his veteran knowledge to remain effective.   He left Houston for Arizona for two final seasons, and while he was not the same, he was still a living legend.

Any story on Watt could not be complete without acknowledging his philanthropic efforts and the money he raised and personally donated to various causes, including Hurricane Harvey victims.  He won the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and it could be argued that he should have won more than one.

Watt retired with 114.5 Sacks, 195 Tackles for Loss and 317 Quarterback Hits.  If he is not a unanimous First Ballot Hall of Famer, the system is broken.  Thankfully, we won’t have to worry.

2023: Pre-Season Rank: #143.  Peak Period: 2018-20/2022-23

After three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Laremy Tunsil became a Houston Texan, where he was one of the few bright spots on a team to enter 2024 as an anchor of a star-laden team that will contend for the Super Bowl.  Tunsil is a top Tackle and is now a four-time Pro Bowl who should obtain a fifth.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Houston Texans have announced that J.J. Watt will become the third member of their Ring of Honor.

Taken with the 11^th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Watt became the most dominant Defensive End in the first half of the 2010s. The former Wisconsin Badger won the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015, led the league in Sacks in 2012 and 2015, and was alos the league leader in Tackles for Loss in 2012, 2014 and 2015. From 2012 and 2015, Watt was named a First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, and was also the recipient of the 2014 Bert Bell Award.

Injured through most of 2016 and 2017, Watt was very busy off of the field, with has philanthropic efforts to aid those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Watt would win the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his efforts.

Watt was healthy in 2018, adding a fifth First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl. After two more seasons with the Texans, Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, and retired at season’s end in 2022.

As a Texan, Watt compiled 101.0 Sacks with 172 Tackles for Loss. He was also named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

The ceremony will take place on October 1, during their home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate J.J. Watt for earning this impending honor.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #117, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #143

Joe Mixon’s run with the Cincinnati Bengals has ended, leaving behind a solid 8,551 Yards From Scrimmage and 62 Touchdowns.  That’s good, but it isn’t Hall of Fame good.   Mixon is now a Houston Texan, and he will need to match at least his previous best of 1,205 Rushing Yards/13 Touchdowns in season of 2021 and do so over multiple years.  That will be a tough ask for the former Sooner.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #48, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #57, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #118.  Peak Period 2019-23

After five good years with Minnesota, many pundits wondered how Diggs would perform in Buffalo, but they need not have worried.  Diggs blended perfectly with Quarterback Josh Allen, winning his first Receiving Yards Title in his first season with the Bills.  Diggs was a Pro Bowl Selection in all four seasons in Western New York.

This year, he joins a loaded Houston Texans team and is five yards away from the magical 10,000 number.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #87, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #102 2021 Pre-Season Rank #102, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #90.  Peak Period: 2017-19/2022-23

We said a couple of years ago that “Hunter is a pick for a lot of people to have a breakout defensive campaign, and he is coming off of back-to-back Pro Bowl and 14.5 Sack years”.  That didn’t happen, as he missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury and was not great in 2021.  Healthy in 2022, Hunter responded with two straight Pro Bowl years and is coming off his highest Sack number (16) and a league-leading 23 Tackles for Loss.

After eight years in Minnesota, Hunter is now a Houston Texan, and if he can build off of his 2023 campaign, Hunter could make a Hall of Fame run.

Not too many Punters get drafted but Shane Lechler was in the 5^th Round out of Texas A&M in 2000 by the Oakland Raiders who would see quickly that it was an excellent choice.  Lechler would play for the Raiders for 13 seasons and in six of those years he was named a First Team All Pro with seven seasons being deemed Pro Bowl worthy.  Oakland was often struggling during Lechler’s tenure in the Bay Area so they saw Lechler punt more than they would have wanted but they knew that he did his job exceptionally well.  Five times in Oakland he would lead the National Football League in Yards per Punt and he was second another five times.  Lechler would sign with the Houston Texans and play there for five seasons before he retired.