Four Houston Texans were selected to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games on Thursday morning, while a few notables were snubbed.

Wide receiver Nico Collins, running back Joe Mixon, left tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. will be Houston’s representatives at the competition. Defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. will not be, at least initially.

Tunsil and Stingley were designated starters for the AFC after finishing in the top two in combined voting by fans, players and coaches at their positions. The exhibition football game was replaced with a series of football-related games in 2023, so the starter election is honorary.

The selections are the first for Stingley and Collins. It’s the first for Mixon as a Texan, who made one Pro Bowl with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. Tunsil’s selection is his fifth in the last six years, all coming with Houston. It’s also his second year in a row as a starter.

The team’s total is tied for third-most in the AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both slot in behind the Baltimore Ravens (nine) and Kansas City Chiefs (five).

“It’s hard to explain, but I feel like I’m happy and blessed to get the opportunity,” Collins said. “To get in the Pro Bowl, I feel like that’s a personal goal for everybody. And I ended up getting it.

“First Pro Bowl, I’m smiling cheek to cheek.”

Mixon said coach DeMeco Ryans informed the players of their selections in front of the team Thursday morning. While appreciative of the nomination, Mixon was more appreciative of his first-year teammates that got him it.

“You can’t just not feel a certain type of way about making the Pro Bowl for a second time actually making it,” Mixon said. “I think it’s obviously an honor. Without the big guys in front of me, guys on the perimeter, and (offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik) dialing it up, I wouldn’t be nothing. So I’m thankful and grateful. It’s a team award to me to be real.”

Collins was in a league of his own to begin the year as he led the NFL with 567 receiving yards through five games. The hot start put him on pace for the league’s first 2,000-yard receiving season. A hamstring injury suffered Oct. 6 against the Buffalo Bills derailed that, as he missed the Texans’ next five games. The fourth-year pro remained stout upon his return and leads Houston in catches (63), receiving yards (968) and receiving touchdowns (6).

“To be able to miss five games and still make the Pro Bowl is a blessing,” Collins said. “There’s probably some people out there that are mad about it. It is what it is, can’t change how you feel. But I’m happy I’m there. That’s a goal for me that I can say that I did. I’m glad I got to go, I’m glad the people voted for me. It means a lot.”

Mixon also burst onto the scene this season with a 159-yard rushing day in his Texans debut Week 1 at Indianapolis. Like Collins, injury slowed him afterwards as an ankle issue kept him out for three games. But the eight-year veteran is en route to the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career, which would be the first by a Texans player since Carlos Hyde did so in 2019. He can also tie a career-high in rushing touchdowns (13) with two Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

The running back continued to praise others for the individual accolades coming within his grasp.

“It’s a team effort thing,” Mixon said. “People obviously get highlighted and it is cool, don’t get me wrong. But without them, there is no me.”

Stingley has built on a strong 2023 campaign to become one of the league’s best corners in 2024. He leads the Texans with a career-high 18 passes defended, which ranks second in the NFL behind Cleveland Browns corner Denzel Ward. Included are five interceptions, which are tied for his career-high and the team lead alongside rookie safety Calen Bullock. Stingley’s 51.2 passer rating allowed is also the best in the league among cornerbacks despite his 90 targets being seventh-most in the NFL this season.

“Stingley has played good ball for us,” Ryans said. “I think people have recognized what he’s able to do around the league. I think he has the respect of his peers, coaches around the league. They see the growth. They see how he’s stepped up and took on some tough challenges throughout the year.

“He deserves whatever credit that he’s getting. I think it matters most when it’s coming from your peers and coaches around the league. People who are constantly watching film, diving in and they know how they truly know how guys are playing and how they are helping their teams and I think Stingley has earned that respect around the league.”

In a tumultuous season for the Houston offensive line, Tunsil has been a stalwart on C.J. Stroud’s blind side to end it. The nine-year veteran had a false-start problem at the beginning of the year and is the league’s most penalized player (15) because of it. But Tunsil has committed just three penalties since the start of November and given up little pressure in that stretch. Tunsil has not allowed a sack since Week 1 and also tracks to play in and start all 17 games for the second time in his career.

“I think LT in particular for me is a guy that really gets me fired up,” Slowik said. “There’s a period where I thought LT was playing the best football that I’ve seen him play when I’ve been around him. He’s really continued that as we’ve kept going.”

Left off the roster were Hunter and Anderson, who both rank among the league’s best pass rushers. Hunter leads the league with 90 pressures, according to the NFL’s Next Gen stats, and has the third-most sacks with 12. Anderson isn’t far behind with 58 pressures and 11 sacks. Despite missing two games to injury, Anderson has four more sacks than his rookie season (7), when he made the Pro Bowl as an alternate.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into all those votes and stuff, but we are extremely pleased with everything both Danielle and Will have brought to the table, to the team, to the defense,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “From a production standpoint, those numbers speak for themselves. Not everybody can get recognized in all these things. There’s limits on that stuff.”

Getting the nod over Hunter and Anderson were Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas’s Maxx Crosby.

Both Houston rushers can still make the games the way Anderson did last year as both are alternates for the games. Hunter is the first alternate at defensive end, while Anderson is the second. Punter Tommy Townsend (first), quarterback C.J. Stroud (second), kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn (fourth) and safety Jimmie Ward (fourth) are also alternates at their positions.

“They both got recognition at some level from the Pro Bowl,” Burke continued about Hunter and Anderson. “But I’d put those two at the top of the league with anyone.”

Alternates get elevated to the games as players opt out for various reasons. One of those is if a player’s team is in the Super Bowl, an excuse all the Texans hope to have to not participate.

“The Pro Bowl is cool and all, but I’m a person of firm belief that if you speak things into existence,” Mixon said. “Hopefully this year, we’re not playing for the Pro Bowl. We’re there for the Super Bowl. So just got to keep going and thinking positive and try to do whatever we can to make it happen.”

The consensus votes of fans, players and coaches determined the player selections. Each group’s vote counted for one-third.

Stingley finished seventh among all corners and Mixon 10th among all running backs in the final fan vote tally. Collins and Tunsil did not, meaning their selections were heavily carried by the votes of NFL coaches and peers. Hunter came in third and Anderson fourth among defensive ends in fan voting, placing just behind Hendrickson and Garrett.

The players and coaches vote are private and not made public.