Danielle Hunter
Houston TexansOVERPAIDModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 17 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Comps
STM Take
Three straight tier 1 finishes (2023-2025) plus five career Pro Bowls plus the recent Houston-era peak puts Hunter in the rarefied air of edge defenders crossing into their late-prime chapter with their ceiling still climbing. The LSU 3rd-round origin plus 11 years of NFL development gives him one of the most outlier-positive draft-slot-vs-outcome arcs at the position. The 2026 question is whether Hunter holds tier 1 territory at age 32 or whether the structural age-related decline reasserts.
Hunter came out of LSU as the Minnesota Vikings' 3rd-round pick (88th overall) in 2015 and has made five Pro Bowls (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) across his career. He spent nine years in Minnesota before signing with the Houston Texans in 2024 free agency. His STTM career runs tier 4 (#26) in 2021, tier 3 (#17) in 2022, tier 1 (#7) in 2023, tier 1 (#5) in 2024, and tier 1 (#4) in 2025.
Strengths
- Five Pro Bowls (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) plus three straight tier 1 STTM finishes (2023-2025) puts him in the rare class of edge defenders still climbing in their late prime.
- 11 years of NFL starter reps as a 3rd-round pick from LSU gives him one of the most outlier-positive draft-slot-vs-outcome arcs at the position.
Concerns
- Age 32 plus 11 years of pass-rush wear puts the structural late-career decline question on every 2026 projection.
- Houston's broader defensive identity around C.J. Stroud's offense puts continued postseason pass-rush résumé partly outside his control.
What to watch: Whether Hunter holds tier 2 or better in 2026 at age 32 plus crosses 100 career sacks, the threshold for closing the Hall-of-Fame résumé case.