Texas A&M Aggies Pass-Rushers Land With Contenders in ESPN Mock Draft

Where will the Texas A&M Aggies' star edge rushers begin their NFL careers?

Sep 3, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (4) and Sam Houston State Bearkats offensive lineman Jordan Boatman (70) in action during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In a lot of ways, where a player starts their NFL career goes a long way to toward defining it as a whole.

If a player goes into a situation without proper support around them, especially as a rookie, then it could derail their entire careers. That's mostly said about quarterbacks, and understandably so, but other players are also susceptible to this.

Luckily for Texas A&M Aggies fans, two of their top prospects in this year's draft are projected to start their careers in good situations.

Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Nic Scourton (11) defends in coverage against LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) during the fourth quarter. The Aggies defeated the Tigers 38-23; at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

A new two-round mock draft by ESPN's Matt Miller has two Aggies edge rushers going in the top 60, starting with Shemar Stewart going to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17 overall.

"The lack of talent around Trey Hendrickson on the Bengals' defense was a huge reason Cincinnati missed the playoffs for a second straight season. Along with a new defensive coordinator, we should expect several key defensive additions in the offseason.

"Stewart is a tough evaluation. He checks every box, from his 6-foot-5, 281-pound size to his speed and power. But he had only 1.5 sacks in each of the past three seasons. That's something teams must dig in on in the coming months. If the Bengals can unlock that next-level talent, he'd give them inside-outside pass-rush ability."

The Bengals' offense was incredible this season, but they missed the playoffs in large part due to their atrocious defense. Hendrickson was basically a one-man show, leading the league with 17.5 sacks while none of his teammates had more than five.

If Cincinnati wants to re-assert itself as a contender, it needs another edge rusher to pair with Henderson. Stewart will definitely need to produce more than he did in college, but his potential is undeniable, as he showed at last week's Senior Bowl.

Then there's fellow Aggies edge rusher Nic Scourton, who Miller has going to the Green Bay Packers at No. 54 overall.

"Green Bay loves to pick players with top-level traits from Power 4 schools. And the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Scourton has 15 sacks over the past two seasons and is extremely young; he doesn't turn 21 until August."

Scourton was one of the top edge rushers in the transfer portal last offseason after a 10-sack season at Purdue, and A&M was the lucky team to land him. He only had five seasons in his lone season with the Aggies, but was still a force off the edge.

If Stewart and Scourton can realize their potential, they could be very effective edge rushers at the NFL level, and these destinations would put them in position to succeed.

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