Texas A&M football officially closes Jimbo era with disappointing lone first-rounder

Texas A&M football turns the page from Jimbo Fisher after producing only one first-rounder in six seasons

With the conclusion of the first round of the NFL draft tonight, an ignominious stretch continues for Texas A&M football. Since 2017, the final year of Kevin Sumlin's tenure, the Aggies have only produced one first-round selection in the NFL draft. That means that for the entirety of Jimbo Fisher's tenure in College Station, only one player he produced—Kenyon Green—was selected in the first round.

Compare that to previous coach Kevin Sumlin, who had a player—or multiple players—selected in the first round every year he was the coach of the Aggies until his final one. In 2013, it was Luke Joeckel. In 2014, it was Mike Evans, Jake Matthews, and Johnny Manziel. In 2015, Cedric Ogbuehi. In 2016, Germain Ifedi. In 2017, it was the top overall pick in Myles Garrett.

Now, there's some obvious nuance that needs to be brought into the discussion here. Sumlin can really only bear partial credit for Joeckel, who he only coached for one year. In fact, only Myles Garrett (who admittedly has a case to be the most successful out of all the names listed) was a guy that Sumlin recruited and developed.

If we confine it to only players a coach both recruited and developed, though, both Fisher and Sumlin have the same number with one. Kenyon Green committed to Jimbo in the 2019 class, headlining that group as a five-star, just as Myles did with the 2014 class. This comparison obviously shows that not all first-round picks are created equal, either, but there you have it.

This also won't give Jimbo any credit for any possible first-rounders from his record-breaking 2022 group, of which there are several. Shemar Stewart is an NFL prototype. Noah Thomas could be a dominant receiver if he actualizes his potential. Conner Weigman could be a first-round guy as well.

Of course, none of them are necessarily day one selections at the moment. They have the potential, but would require further development—something that was lacking under the previous staff, but looks to be a strength under Elko.

The Aggies could—and should—have multiple first-rounders next year. They have the talent to have that be the case for a couple years to come, in fact. Under Elko, they hope to return to producing NFL talent at a high clip—something they should have been doing all along.