Texas A&M is sending 13 players to the NFL Combine this year, a mark which not only sets a record for their program, but leads the entire nation this year. That's quite a statement for the Aggies in what is only Elko's second year in College Station, and it's a signal of where this program is headed under his leadership.
While not every player that gets invited to the NFL Combine is guaranteed to be drafted, receiving an invite like this is a positive signal of how much interest a given player is generating in the minds of NFL general managers. The Aggies clearly have a lot of pieces that are catching the attention of the people in those positions, which is a huge validation of what Elko has been promising.
Mike Elko's promises are beginning to be validated with record-setting Aggie presence at NFL Combine
When the Aggie head man stepped into this position, he promised that producing NFL draft picks would be a priority of his, and for good reason. While Texas A&M was already adept at bringing in highly-regarded recruits, and have remained so under Elko, where they lacked was in developing those players into prospects that caught the eyes of NFL front offices.
These combine numbers display not only Mike Elko's development, but his eye for talent overall. Seven of the thirteen players invited to the NFL Combine from Aggieland are transfers that came in under Elko— all but one of which were, generally speaking, pretty overlooked.
Though these players were little-heralded even coming from their previous schools, Elko has turned them into players that are going to get long looks from NFL teams at the very least. Some, like Cashius Howell, stand a chance of becoming first-round selections.
Texas A&M is turning back into a program that develops players, regardless of their status as a recruit. The Aggies pull in top talent, yes, but top to bottom on the roster, Elko is ready to transform these players into the kinds of prospects that NFL teams covet— and that is a massive achievement, given where the Aggies came from.