Having played 13 previous seasons in the NFL gives Jerry Hughes unique perspective.
The Houston Texans defensive end has 201 games worth of experience to know what skills are on display, which makes Hughes a credible commentator on Will Anderson.
Hughes used a lofty comparison for the No. 3 overall defensive end when meeting with reporters Sunday at Houston Methodist Training Center.
“Just one, it’s great to have someone who is eager to be out there early on the field, and two, he has that Von Miller ability — just how great he is with his hands,” Hughes said.
Miller has 123.5 career sacks, eight Pro Bowls, three All-Pros, and a Super Bowl MVP. Hughes wasn’t forecasting Anderson would have the same career success, but merely noted the former Alabama product has some of the same skillsets.
“He is already fast and he’s able to kind of setup some of his rushes off of his speed already, so, that he’s able to kind of understand the game it’s going to be tremendous for us,” said Hughes. “Then just how he’s picking up our defense. Picking up the small things about attacking the ball as a defensive lineman.”
Where Hughes sees maturity in Anderson’s play is in his focus on takeaways.
Said Hughes: “We always emphasize turnovers and that’s going to help us be the defense we want to be. You see a lot of our young guys picking up on that, especially Will and that’s what you want to see especially up front. Just someone who can slow down the game, but also utilize his God given ability and then put some technique to that as well.”
Hughes led the Texans with 9.0 sacks last season. The 34-year-old may get eclipsed if Anderson plays like Miller, the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.