Sometimes comments are made that make you think about if you are watching historically good athletes playing. It got me to thinking, what are the chances that the 20 Sundays a year I spend watching the Houston Texans, how many truly great players am I watching. So I decided to rank the five players playing for the Texans that have the best shot at making the Hall of Fame. Yes, I said the Hall of Fame!

5. Duane Brown, LT

He’s very good. He plays the most important position on the offensive line (HE IS CHRIS MYERS! DEAL WITH IT!) and is one of the top five in the league at the position. The problem for Duane on why it’s going to be hard for him to make the Hall of Fame is that he has never been the left tackle for an other worldly run game or passing game. Arian Foster was great when healthy, but when Arian wasn’t there the running game disappears. If you’re going to make the Hall of Fame as an offensive lineman, you’re going to have to show that you are able to make stars out of Alfred Blues.

Chance of getting in the Hall of Fame: 25%

4. DeAndre Hopkins, WR

DeAndre Hopkins is REALLY REALLY good. He’s probably one of the five best wide receivers in the NFL right now. The problem is, there are a lot of really good receivers in the NFL right now. There are a lot of receivers that put up ridiculous numbers in the NFL right now. If you are going to make the Hall of Fame, you have to do it for 10 years, consistently. And you probably have to lead the league in yards two years in your career and touchdowns at least once. This is the Hall of Fame we’re talking about. And if there is any position that is over saturated with talent it’s wide receiver. It’s going to be extra hard to get into Canton if you are a wideout who played in the pass happy era of the 2000’s. Wide Receivers are like the home run hitters of the steroid era. Everyone can hit 40 homers. Do it for 10-15 years. Then we’ll talk.

Chance of getting in the Hall of Fame: 35%

3. Kevin Johnson, CB

I know, he’s a rookie. But that actually benefits him greatly in this debate. We don’t know how good he is. He has unlimited upside potential (put me on the NBA Draft broadcast now!). KJ30 has been really good for a rookie cornerback in his first year in the league. He seems like a player that could possibly evolve into the best one-on-one corner in the game. He’ll need to work on his hands a bit to start picking some balls off, al-la Charles Woodson, but if he can start adding 3-4 picks per year and a few years of 7 or 8 over a steady 10-year career, he’s got a shot at that ugly yellow jacket. He could also flame out and be really bad in the future. We don’t know. But POTENTIAL!

Chance of making the Hall of Fame: 50%

2. J.J. Watt, DE

Well, of course, he’s right here. J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL. He’s maybe the best player in the NFL. He is the only defensive player in the NFL that teams would spend two days practicing how they are going to block him. If J.J. Watt plays two more years at the level of play he is at right now (and there is no signs or reason he can’t) then he could retire after playing only 7 years in the league and be a Hall of Famer. Two more year with 15 sacks puts him over the 100 sack mark. Only 31 players in NFL history have ever got to that number. Eleven of them are in the Hall of Fame. Seven of them are active. All of the active players are in their 30s. No one is as dominant as J.J. Watt. Playing six years as the best defensive player in football and winning three or more Defensive Player of the Year awards would get him there. Image how much of a lock it is if J.J. plays 10 more years. He’s pretty much in.

Chance of making the Hall of Fame: 99%

1. Shane Lechler, P

The obvious choice for the only current Texans player that WILL be in the Hall of Fame. Now, he won’t go in as a Texan, but still, he’s a Hall of Famer currently on the Texans. Shane Lechler has the highest average yards per punt in NFL history (47.4 y/p). The next closest player is Bryan Anger (46.8), but Anger has only been playing for four seasons. Lechler, 16 seasons. He has a Super Bowl appearance with the Raiders. He’s considered the best in the game and has been for 15 years. He will be the second exclusive punter ever elected to the Hall of Fame and on Sundays, you can watch him do his thing.

Chance of making the Hall of Fame: 100%

If you don’t think Shane Lechler is the biggest lock to make the Hall of Fame, of current Texans players, just ask any current Texans player. I’m pretty sure they’d agree with me.