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2023 NFL Combine results for former Aggie Jaylon Jones

Final results for Jaylon Jones at the 2023 NFL Combine

Speed, strength, and athletic ability are the traits on display during the shirt and shorts Olympics. Scouts and coaches are going through the annual routine of evaluating athletes at the 2023 NFL scouting combine. Over 300 former college football players filed into Lucas Oil Stadium with the opportunity to make a lasting impression on the NFL teams in attendance.

Jaylon Jones was one of three former Aggies participating in this week’s events. The junior cornerback is viewed as a project with good size and average speed. Most evaluations see him being as a possible late-day two-pick and the opportunity to try him at safety.

Here is a look at the final numbers from the NFL combine for former Aggie Jaylon Jones, including his overall grade and projection.

2023 NFL Combine results for former Aggie Antonio Johnson

Final results for Antonio Johnson at the 2023 NFL Combine

Another year another NFL combine. Scouts and coaches are going through the annual routine of evaluating athletes at the 2023 NFL scouting combine. Over 300 former college football players filed into Lucas Oil Stadium with the opportunity to make a lasting impression on the NFL teams in attendance.

Antonio Johnson was one of three former Aggies participating in this week’s events. The junior safety is widely regarded as one of the top defensive backs in this draft class and prior to the combine was seen as a potential first-round pick.

Here is a look at the final numbers from the NFL combine for former Aggie Antonio Johnson, including his overall grade and projection.

Dallas Cowboys looking to re-sign former Aggies Safety

Dallas Cowboys intent on trying to resign former Aggie safety this offseason

As teams are evaluating the new crop of talent entering the 2023 season, they are also looking at ways to keep their in-house contributors. The Cowboys had one of the better secondary groups in the country where Donovan Wilson produced one of the better seasons of his career.

While he didn’t specifically single out Wilson, Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones, stated the importance of keeping the current safety group together in a recent interview.

“It’s great to have all three of them. Obviously, a priority to keep them together. It will be one of our priorities.”

Wilson can essentially play all three safety positions but excels when coming downhill to put the brakes on anyone with the ball in their hands. He led the Cowboys in tackles (77) and led all defensive backs in the NFL in sacks (5).

Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Donovan Wilson (6) in action during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The former Texas A&M safety has worked his way into the starting lineup after being drafted in the sixth round and is due for a payday from one of 32 teams. Due to the Cowboy’s depth in the secondary, his skills could demand a higher price tag than the notoriously cheap front office might allow him to walk. I personally would love to see him remain in the Silver and Blue for the next 3-5 years I would he gets what he deserves and continues to have a productive career.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Photos: A look back on Jaylon Jones’s Aggie career

Jaylon Jones through the years

Jaylon Jones held his own for the past few years while manning the cornerback position for Texas A&M. Similar to Antonio Johnson, his 2022 production took a little bit of a hit, but that was the theme of the entire Aggie team during the disappointing 2022 season. But once you look at his career as a whole, he has traits that will make him an interesting prospect.

At 6′ 2″ inches and 205 pounds, his size makes him a great candidate to play cornerback or safety once he gets to the league. He will also come in with a lot of experience in the toughest league in college football, where tackling in the secondary is a must while facing some of the better receivers in the country.

I’m not sure where he will be drafted and has been mocked anywhere from the 2 – 4 rounds, but for a look at what might entice a few teams we’ll look at the pros to his game from The Draft Network

“Jaylon Jones is a tall and long corner with good overall size that embraces a physical brand of football. For a bigger corner, he plays to that size with how he competes to get off blocks, tackle, and defend the run. He is aggressive to invade the catch point and showcases good ball skills. His blend of size, length, physicality, and ball skills projects him well to playing in a zone defense. Jones is a highly-touted recruit that has gained notable experience against top competition already across his first two seasons at Texas A&M. For a bigger corner, Jones is an explosive athlete that isn’t lacking anything physically. Jones has excellent length and it shows in his ability to tackle outside his frame and how he uses it to close on the football in the air. Jones is a young prospect that turns 21 in April of 2023.”

Like his teammates Achane and Johnson, Jaylon Jones also declared for the NFL draft early and will be at the NFL combine in March. No matter what round he gets his name called, Jones will no doubt be competing for regular playing time by the end of the preseason. Take some time to look at some photos over the course of his career.

Photos: A look back on Antonio Johnson’s Aggie career

Antonio Johnson through the years

Antonio Johnson is a potential first-round pick and is even rated the second-best safety in the 2023 draft by PFF. The 6-3, 200-pound safety missed a few games due to injury last season but still managed to help bring much-needed stability to an extremely young defense playing in a new system.

His sophomore year is where he put up his best numbers during his three years at Texas A&M. In the 12 games he started in 2021 he was second on the team with 79 tackles, had five pass breakups, and ended the season with 8.5 tackles for loss. Johnson was named to the AP All-SEC second team and a PPF All-American during that same year.

Like Achane, Johnson also decided to leave a year early to enter the NFL draft. He will be putting his skill on display along with his fellow Aggies. Check out this excerpt from The Draft Network:

“…Johnson is an instinctive defender that plays a physical brand of football and lines up all over the field. Texas A&M aligns Johnson as a slot corner, split zone safety, and even occasionally as a linebacker and he shows comfort in each of those roles. Johnson is a sharp processor that stays leveraged and has a rapid downhill trigger. He is aggressive in pursuit and physical when playing through contact. Johnson is an outstanding tackler that embraces the fundamentals of arriving balanced, wrapping, and bringing his feet through…”

If Johnson is taken in the first round it will be the first time a defensive player was taken in the first two rounds since 2017. We believe he will end that drought in April when he is picked. Please take a few moments to take a look at some photos over the course of his career.

Photos: A look back on Devon Achane’s Aggie career

Devon Achane throughout the years

Texas A&M has produced a lot of productive college running backs throughout its history. One of the most electrifying has been Devon Achane and his championship-level track speed was on display weekly. After spending a few years splitting time with other backs, he was handed the keys to the car during his junior season where he put up his career-best in rushing yards.

Following the end of the season, Achane made the decision to enter the 2023 NFL Draft and also earned an invite to the NFL Combine located in Indianapolis. NFL analyst, Lance Zierlein, recently gave his overview of the speedster:

Finding a player comparison for Achane is challenging because he has blazing speed and is fearless as an inside runner, but is very small by NFL standards. He has the creativity and burst to create chunk plays but durability concerns will likely limit the amount of carries a team is willing to give him. Achane can be a complementary slasher with the ability to mismatch coverage out of the backfield or from the slot. However, he’s simply too talented and explosive as a runner to be confined to gadget duty. History does not favor backs his size, but his playmaking potential could be too tough to pass up on Day 2 of the draft.

He’s been mocked mainly in the third round on most of the boards I’ve seen, and especially to the Dallas Cowboys due to their running back position being in limbo.

We wish Achane the best in this draft and please take a few moments to take a look at some photos over the course of his career.

Jimbo Fisher rearranges staff for the second year in a row

Jimbo shuffles the deck again to get the hand he wants for his coaching staff

“Aphorism plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

For my non-french speaking friends here is the well-known quote translated as “The more things change the more they stay the same”. Jimbo Fisher’s coaching staff is finalized outside of adding another adviser or analyst. The new additions to the staff caused another rearranging of the deck chair on Fisher’s vessel after a shuffle last season.

Now why start with one of the most famous quotes in history? That’s because a handful of the changes are coaches reverting to their position groups prior to last year. Look below for the who is where for the 2023 season.

Dameyune Craig will move from quarterbacks coach back to wide receivers coach where he spent four seasons (2018 – 2021)

James Coley will move from receivers coach back to tight ends coach where he spent two seasons (2020 – 2021)

New OC Bobby Petrino will be coaching the quarterbacks; a position he excels in and has tons of experience. His hire is probably the driving force for having Coley and Craig move back to their pre-2022 coaching spots.

DJ Durkin will more than likely start coaching the linebackers after the departure of Santucci with no additional hire to replace him.

While these moves are not technically official, an inference can be made based on how the offers have been going out to the high school prospects. I’m personally encouraged by these moves and find myself being a little more optimistic every day.

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Areas of concern heading into week 5 vs. Mississippi State

Two main areas of concern for Texas A&M heading into the Week 5 match-up vs Mississippi State.

We are officially on the doorstep of week 5 of the 2022 college football season, As the Aggies are preparing to take on the 3-1 Mississippi State Bulldogs at their always very loud and intimidating domain, Davis Wade Stadium.

Texas A&M is coming off of their thrilling 23-21 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday night in a game that would have had the Aggies trailing with nearly a minute left in the fourth quarter if it wasn’t for a Cam Little field goal miss now coined the “oink doink” by those more clever than myself.

Going into the matchup with Mississippi State, The Aggies are playing their first game this season without senior wide receiver Ainias Smith after his devastating season-ending injury in the second half of the Arkansas game, which no matter how you spin it will present a challenge for an offense that hasn’t moved the ball as effectively as they’ve wanted to in four games played. With that, here are a couple of areas of concern I have for Texas A&M going into this weekend:

Texas A&M wide receivers vs. Mississippi State secondary

Earlier this week, I briefly discussed the Bulldog’s pass defense ranked within the Top-50 in the FBS. While facing a secondary that isn’t ranked in say the Top-10, the Aggies still struggled in the passing game against an Arkansas pass defense that before the game, was ranked as the worst in the country, out of 131 teams. What worries me even further is the previously mentioned fact that star slot wide receiver Ainias Smith is out for the season, and aside from senior wideout Jalen Preston who is low on the depth chart, the current starting receiver group is exceptionally talented but very young and inexperienced. However, As Aggies quarterback, Max Johnson is starting his third consecutive game, the hope is that he began to develop a repertoire with his core receiver group.

Bulldog’s quarterback Will Rogers vs. Texas A&M’s defense

If you don’t know about Mississippi States’ starting quarterback, junior Will Rogers by now, I regret to inform you that he could be in for a consecutive huge passing day unless the Aggie defense, which has been quite impressive so far, strategically prepares for head coach Mike Leach’s new age Air Raid offense, putting a ton of pressure on Texas A&M’s linebackers and secondary.

With veteran corners, Myles Jones and Jaylon Jones protecting the boundary, defending the intermediate zone which Leach will likely try to attack throughout the game means that linebacker Chris Russell, who had the best game of his career against Arkansas last Saturday, paired with the always reliable nickel corner Antonio Johnson and outside linebacker Edgrerrin Cooper will be a couple of names to watch.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

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SEC power rankings after Week 1: Two teams stand out among others

See where each team stands in the latest SEC power rankings after Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Heading into Week 1, there were some questions regarding several SEC programs. In particular, many football fans were skeptical of first-year LSU head coach Brian Kelly, as well as second-year Auburn head coach Brian Harsin. The two are in charge of revitalizing football programs that were essentially at rock bottom in comparison to recent seasons.

Meanwhile, other programs such as Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky were all seen as teams on the rise heading into this season and did not disappoint in Week 1. The two teams that always seem to meet or exceed expectations are Georgia and Alabama. It seemed like neither team missed a beat although both rosters lost multiple players to the NFL draft.

Another program that fans across the country will continue to keep a close eye on is Florida. Under the direction of new head coach Billy Napier, the Gators were able to take down the No. 7 ranked Utah Utes. Today, I will dive into my SEC power rankings after Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Social media reacts to Jimbo Fisher suddenly wanting to play Texas

Apparently a lot has changed over the last year in regards to Jimbo Fisher’s stance on playing Texas.

When news first surfaced that Texas and Oklahoma were interested in departing the Big 12 conference to join the SEC, the Texas A&M Aggies were notably unhappy with the move. Continue reading “Social media reacts to Jimbo Fisher suddenly wanting to play Texas”