Despite Taurean York's perennial status as Texas A&M football fan favorite, becoming a well-loved player months before he ever took the field for the Aggies, I'm not sure there has been a groundswell of discussion among the A&M faithful that York has what it takes to be the top linebacker off the board in his draft year.
Whether York declares after this season or stays for his senior year, the same concerns that recruiting services had about his frame and measurables coming out of high school seem to control those discussions, for the most part, among Aggie fans.
However, there is at least one draft-focused outlet that is much higher on York than some of the Aggie fans are. Pro Football Focus raised eyebrows when their early first-round mock draft included Taurean as a high selection, and now they're making a case for him to be the top player at his position to come off of the board.
Pro Football Focus advocates for Taurean York to be top linebacker selected in 2026 NFL Draft
We're not even sure yet that York will be declaring after 2025, but if he does, Pro Football Focus looks to be among his foremost cheerleaders.
Who is LB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft?@TampaBayTre makes the case for Texas A&M’s Taurean York⬇️https://t.co/nfURThyOph
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 21, 2025
So, why do they consider York such a high-level player? Here's a sampling from their evaluation:
"There were a handful of plays during the three games I watched of York where it was some sort of stretch or zone-blocking concept to the outside. On those plays, York was so quick and light on his feet that he would first occupy the initial cut-back lane but then had the quickness to sift through the chaos and meet the ball carrier at the outside aiming point. That is incredibly impressive stuff. He reminds me of Nick Bolton in that regard (size, skillset and quickness combination)."
The author, Trevor Sikkema, discounts York's smaller frame in the face of his impressively low number of missed tackles. Given that York is not often asked to drop back into coverage, too, Sikkema sees his lack of length as less of a concern in general.
So is Sikkema ahead of the curve or out over his skis? Heaven knows that Aggie fans everywhere would absolutely love to see Taurean live up to a projection like this, but to do so, he needs an excellent season in the Maroon and White. With the way this defense is shaping up, he might have just that.