Texas A&M Star LB Among Top 2026 NFL Draft Prospects

The 2025 NFL Draft may be over and done with, but the beauty of draft season is that it never truly ends.

Already, numerous analysts have published their way-too-early mock drafts and big boards for 2026. These projections will change dramatically leading up to next year's draft, but it's still nice to get an early look at some of the top prospects.

One of said prospects is Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Taurean York, the unquestioned leader of the defense heading into his junior year. Looking beyond that, though, Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Trevor Sikkema have him at No. 23 on their first 2026 big board.

Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Taurean York defends in coverage against LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"Like [Texas linebacker] Anthony Hill Jr., York has been a starter in each of his first two seasons," Chadwick and Sikkema wrote. "But unlike Hill, he was just a three-star recruit coming out of high school.

"York has proven those rankings wrong thus far, leading all returning Power Four linebackers with 59 run-defense stops since 2023. His 122 first contacts on the ballcarrier are tied for fourth among that same group. York has a stocky build, standing at 6 feet, 235 pounds, and is an excellent tackler."

Through two seasons with the Aggies, the Temple, Texas, native has 156 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, five passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He was the team's leading tackler in 2024.

York will undoubtedly play an even larger role in 2025 as he and the Aggies look to take the next step. He was already a leader last season, but with several veterans departing, the unit will undoubtedly lean on him even more than it did before.

If York manages to hold his status as a first-round pick, it would mark the second straight year the Aggies have had one after the Cincinnati Bengals selected Shemar Stewart at No. 17 overall last week. It would mark the first time the Aggies have had a first-round pick in consecutive years since they had one or more in seven-straight drafts from 2011-17.

Hopefully for the Aggies, York will continue to ball out and solidify his draft status further.