Texans rookie Will Anderson Jr. is excited about this small tweak to his role in defense

Anderson will be a down defensive lineman instead of a stand-up linebacker

For most of his college career at Alabama, No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. played as a stand-up outside linebacker. He was quite productive while doing so, racking up 35.4 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss across three seasons.

As he transitions to the NFL, Anderson will be operating in DeMeco Ryans' base 4-3 defense rather than Nick Saban's preferred 3-4, so he will be used as more of a down defensive lineman than he was with the Crimson Tide. Anderson's not worried about making that change, mostly because he's done it before, and the move to Alabama was him doing something a little different. 

"Being at Alabama, they played me very versatile so when we'd go to any type of flex defense, I was already playing a five-technique, which I'm kind of used to playing on the outside of the tackle so the four was always an adjustment for me," Anderson said, per the team's official website. "My regular position was always the hand-in-the-dirt five technique and stuff like that, keyed in on the outside pad of the tackle so I'm already kind of used to that. I've been playing that my whole life since high school, regular defensive end. Alabama just used me in more different ways, differently, but I've had that experience."

His new coach agrees that the change isn't a big one, and that Anderson's role -- rushing the passer off the edge -- will be largely the same as the one he played over the past three seasons. 

"It's not a huge position change for Will," Ryans said. "Will will be an edge defender for us, and that's what he did at Alabama. Mostly at Alabama he was standing up. We'll have him down in a three-point stance. It's not a big-time position change for him. We won't have him playing over the guard like he did some there later in his career, so it's not a huge position change for Will."

However Ryans wants to use him. Anderson is looking forward to it. "I'm very excited, however they want to use me, it's just going to be anything I kind of did at Alabama," he said. "So I'm super excited, but just to do anything they need from me for the team."