To help celebrate the NFL’s 100th season, USA TODAY assembled a 19-person committee of current and former reporters across the network to compile a list of the 100 greatest players in pro football history.
One Houston Texans player to make the list was defensive end J.J. Watt, who placed 64th overall in the rankings.
It is easy to understand why Watt ranks so high. The former 2011 first-round pick has taken home three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, a feat only Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor has ever matched. Furthermore, Watt has collected 20-plus sacks in two different seasons, the only player to accomplish that feat since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
Speaking of sacks, Watt has 96.0 sacks for his career, the 41st-most in the NFL. When Watt gets to 100.0 sacks for his career, he will be one of 35 players to go past the century mark in sacks.
What some of the other members of the NFL 100 list have that Watt doesn’t is a world championship. At 30 years old, Watt is still a viable leader and the heart of the Texans’ defense. It isn’t too late for him to lead Houston to a Super Bowl win and place even higher on the list when USA TODAY is making its NFL 150 list decades from now.
