Projecting three future Hall of Famers for the Houston Texans

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2023 will officially be inducted on Aug. 3.

With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which players — past and present — on the league's 32 teams we think will one day receive a similar honor.

Here are three Houston Texans who should eventually receive football immortality:

Defensive end J.J. Watt

This one is a matter of when not if. A seven-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Watt is arguably the most decorated player in franchise history. He holds franchise records for sacks (101), tackles for loss (172), forced fumbles (25) and fumble recoveries (16), and he ranks fourth in passes defensed (61).

Watt twice led the NFL in sacks, he finished as runner-up in the MVP voting in 2014, and he’s the only player in NFL history with two 20-sack seasons. His 114.5 career sacks also rank 24th all-time in the NFL record books.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins

Few receivers had a run like the one Hopkins had with the Texans from 2015 to 2019, in which he had four 1,000-yard seasons, including two with more than 1,500 yards, three seasons with 100 or more receptions, three seasons with 11 or more touchdowns and four All-Pro selections, four Pro Bowls and two seasons in which he finished in the top four for Offensive Player of the Year voting.

Hopkins is second in Texans history, only to Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, in receptions (632), receiving yards (8,602) and touchdowns (54). There’s no question he’s on track for a Hall of Fame career — two more 1,000-yard seasons move him into the top 100 all-time — but the question is, would Hopkins go in as a Texan or would he choose either the Cardinals or Titans, considering how bad his departure from the franchise was?

Tackle Laremy Tunsil

Offensive tackle isn’t as glamorous a position as edge-rusher or receiver, but Tunsil is among the few truly elite players at his position, and it would surprise no one if he’s Hall of Fame-bound once he hangs it up. 

A four-time Pro Bowler, Tunsil has surrendered just 11 sacks on 4,151 offensive snaps (one sack allowed per every 377 snaps) during his Texans tenure, per Pro Football Focus, and he’s never allowed more than 29 pressures or three QB hits with the team. As far as dominant left tackles go, they don’t get better than Tunsil. He’s only 29, so if he plays another six or seven years and makes four or five more Pro Bowls with a couple of All-Pro seasons, he should be a HOF lock.