The Houston Texans held their first training-camp practice in pads on Monday, and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was ready for it.

“It felt great,” Anderson said. “That’s one of the things I’ve been waiting for. I know we don’t go pads a lot in the NFL, but just to get that feeling again and just to hit somebody and fly around and jump up and down, it was fun.”

MORE NFL:

· ‘TOP 100 PLAYERS’ RATINGS INCLUDE 3 MORE FROM ALABAMA

· COMMANDERS ADD ANOTHER FORMER ALABAMA RUNNING BACK

· ‘A WHOLE DIFFERENT BRYCE’ YOUNG SHINES AT PANTHERS’ ROOKIE TALENT SHOW, TEAMMATES SAY

Although Anderson just joined the Texans from Alabama as the third pick in the NFL Draft on April 27, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said the rookie had set a tone for the team at practice.

“What he’s done well is his relentless mindset of how he attacks each day,” Ryans said on Monday. “He comes out with a relentless motor. He plays with a physical mindset every play, and everybody around, they can just look at Will and see how we need to practice. What does it look like if you want to be a great player? You have to work that way. So it all starts with the work ethic, and he’s there. That’s what we want. He exemplifies exactly what I want.”

RELATED: ALABAMA ROOTS: NFL DRAFT PICKS SIGN FOR $198 MILLION

Anderson and Ryans were All-Americans for the Crimson Tide, and the rookie said the Texans’ practices reminded him of Alabama’s.

“I would just say the intensity, moving around, fast pace, everybody swarming, running to the ball,” Anderson said of the similarities. “I see a lot of that just coming from Alabama and here. It’s kind of the same defense. We’re all swarming. We’re all getting to the ball. Eleven hats, we all just got to get there.”

Anderson earned unanimous All-American recognition as an outside linebacker in 2021 and 2022, joining Georgia running back Herschel Walker and Tennessee safety Eric Berry as the only SEC players who have earned that accolade more than once.

But with the Texans, Anderson is lining up as a defensive end.

“The difference is we’ll play primarily with our hand in the dirt, different from when he stood up in college,” Ryans said. “The main difference is he’s going to be attacking. We don’t want him coming off, reading, playing slow. The main thing we want him to do is to play as fast as possible so he can go make plays for us. We’re not going to slow him down.”

Anderson said he’s at home in a three-point stance.

“In high school and even when I was at Alabama, I’ve always played with my hand in the dirt,” Anderson said. “In high school, I was predominately a defensive end. I never played outside linebacker until I got to Alabama. And then my last couple of years at Alabama, I played true defensive end, really, so putting my hand in the dirt wasn’t hard at all. I wanted to get back to that anyway. I feel like that’s my baby, and I can have more fun doing that part, so it’s just really been a big blessing to be here and be a part of this system.”

Houston’s Jerry Hughes is preparing for his 14th season as an NFL defensive end, and he’s helping prepare Anderson for his first.

“Jerry Hughes is a great guy,” Anderson said. “He comes to work every day. He knows a lot, very smart, great instincts. He’s been teaching me a lot. Even in walkthroughs, like the small stuff, like, ‘Will, work your hands. Why you coming off this? I know this is a walkthrough, but keep working your hands.’ He’ll pull me to the side: ‘You did this good. You could have did this better.’ And I’m all for it. That’s how you get better – having a vet like Jerry Hughes, a respectable guy. Everybody in the locker room loves him. I can’t thank God enough for allowing me to be his teammate and allowing him to help me through this journey so far.”

Anderson said it’s also “a blessing” to practice against Houston offensive tackles Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, a former Monroe County High School and Alabama State standout.

RELATED: TYTUS HOWARD HOPES TO INSPIRE OTHER HBCU PLAYERS

“I love the challenge every day,” Anderson said. “I like switching sides going against both. Really good, different type of tackles, so you just get two different looks. That’s what you’re going to get throughout the NFL. Those are really great looks, so I’m really excited to go against those guys and keep getting practice. After practice sometimes, we talk. They pull me to the side and like, ‘This is what I seen. This is what you did,’ and then I go back and watch the film, and I just keep studying it, getting better to try to beat those guys.”

Anderson had a roster weight of 235 at Alabama but said he’d gotten up to 260 to play defensive end.

“I feel good,” Anderson said. “I feel explosive. The strength staff and nutritionist have been doing a really good job of helping me balance my meals and workouts and everything like that, so I feel great.”

The Texans start their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 10 against the New England Patriots. Houston also plays the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 19 and New Orleans Saints on Aug. 27.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.