Texas A&M football: Erik McCoy getting lots of love from NFL

Texas A&M football had a few players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, and the first one taken is almost universally recognized as a great pick.

The 2019 NFL Draft was one of the better for Texas A&M football players in recent memory. Not only did a handful of players get selected in the seven-round draft, but several signed free agent contracts after the draft as well. Oh, and the 12th Man got drafted, which puts 2019 on the best Aggie drafts list no matter how many were taken.

It was the most players Texas A&M had drafted since the draft moved to the seven round format. Erik McCoy, Jace Sternberger, Kingsley Keke, Daylon Mack, Donovan Wilson, Trayveon Wilson and Cullen Gillaspia heard their names called, plus Tyrel Dodson, Otara Alaka, Landis Durham, Keaton Sutherland, Trevor Wood, Daniel LaCamera and long snapper Austin Frey each signed contracts with teams after the draft.

Several of these picks were lauded in real time, but the McCoy pick by the New Orleans Saints in the second round has been pretty much universally recognized as a good pick.

Todd McShay identified McCoy as his favorite pick by the Saints in an article of each team’s best value picks. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said of McCoy:

"“Teams typically hunt for centers with the traits to withstand power or athleticism depending on their divisional competition. McCoy comes gift-wrapped in a thick, strong frame and proved he could hold up to both power (Dexter Lawrence) and athleticism (Quinnen Williams)”"

Dane Brugler of The Athletic (subscription required), Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Tony Pauline at Draft Analyst, and Jon Ledyard of The Draft Network all had similarly positive things to say about McCoy. They believe he will step in for the retired Max Unger and fill that hole brilliantly. This is a feeling shared by Saints head coach Sean Payton.

"“He’s one of those players that, in the process, stood out,” he said, per USA Today’s Saints Wire. “See his strength on tape in each game. Really had a high grade on him. Played at obviously a high level of competition. See the consistency.”"

Anyone who watched McCoy at Texas A&M knows how well he played and he was basically the best offensive linemen on the team for his entire three years. He started from day one despite being just a 2-star recruit. It didn’t take him long to make an impact and the general consensus is he won’t wait long to make an impact for the Saints either.

Even if he is not the long-term solution at center, he has experience at guard and is talented and smart enough to make the transition if need be.

There are plenty of reasons to love the Saints pick of Erik McCoy. Most of the experts agree he has the tools to be a successful interior linemen at the next level and the Saints got incredible value — especially considering he was their first overall selection as they did not have a first round pick.