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Texas A&M Football: How did the Aggies perform at the 2018 NFL Combine?

By Matthew Bartlett

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Linebacker Eric Striker of Oklahoma runs the 40-yard dash during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Linebacker Eric Striker of Oklahoma runs the 40-yard dash during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Four former Texas A&M football stars earned invites to the NFL Combine. Which of the Aggies’ NFL prospects made the biggest strides up draft boards?

Texas A&M sent four players to the 2018 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Led by prospective first round pick wide receiver Christian Kirk, the delegation from Aggieland also included punter Shane Tripucka, defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson and safety Armani Watts.

The four arrived in Indianapolis in scattered pairings. Each of them participated in on-field drills on days assigned by their position grouping, and oddly enough  none of them worked out on the same day.

Here’s how each of the Aggies’ measured up:

As a specialist, Tripucka didn’t participate in the strength or agility drills. He’ll face a uphill battle as a punter when it comes to a draft selection, but he did everything in his power to put his best foot forward at the combine.

Christian Kirk walked into Indianapolis as a first round pick and left it the same way. There weren’t any red flags in any of the workouts for Kirk and there’s little doubt that he nailed his interviews. Kirk’s speed and agility, which had come into question prior to the combine, were proven out with a speedy 40-yard dash. His 20 bench reps were fourth best among wide receivers.

Zaycoven Henderson proved out what everyone already knew about him at the combine. He’s a big-boned mauler in the trenches. His chief focus was acing his interviews, particularly because of his recent off-field incidents that led to his dismissal from the Texas A&M football team. Having an opportunity to prove out his character was the goal for Henderson this week.

Safety Armani Watts did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine as expected, but the rest of his measure were well within range of a Day 2 safety. The hard-hitting defensive back makes his hay in the on-field drills and should be well within range of a top 100 selection when the draft arrives in April.

Next: Rankings every Aggie QB ever drafted

Overall it was an all-around decent showing by the Texas A&M contingent. None of the four had “off the charts” performances in either direction. Kirk and Watts still look to be locks to earn selections while both Henderson and Tripucka have the potential to be a late round pick.