Tag: Layden Robinson

Four Aggies selected in Pro Football Networks’ newest 2024 NFL Mock Draft

In Pro Football Networks’ newest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, four Aggies were selected, including stand-out linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

Surprising to some, but Texas A&M has over 25 active NFL players coached by three separate coaching staffs over the last decade-plus, and leading into April’s 2024 NFL Draft, several Aggie veterans are deemed to hear their names called, including linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, and wide receiver Ainias Smith.

While a bevy of NFL Mock Drafts will continue to be released across the internet for the next three months, Pro Football Focus’ Ian Cummings, one of the hardest-working analysts in the industry, released his newest 7-round Mock Draft last weekend, which included four Aggies selected across six of seven rounds.

While Cooper, Smith, and safety Demani Richardson have the most realistic shot at being selected sooner rather than later, veteran offensive lineman Layden Robinson could be a late steal for guard-needy teams.

Even though Texas A&M, in now former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s final season at the helm, finished 7-6, the Aggies’ have continued to develop talent on both sides of the ball year after year, and under new HC Mike Elko, expect even more players to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Here are the four players Ian Cummings predicted to will be selected in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.

Texas A&M will have three Aggies participating in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Texas A&M will be well represented in the Senior Bowl, sending three Aggies that will have a chance to raise their draft profile.

The season might be over but there is still football to be played. Several all-star games will be played over the next month with everything from the Polynesian Bowl to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. While Texas A&M will have representation in both of those games, we are going to touch on the Aggie seniors who received their invitations to the senior bowl near the end of 2023.

Of the four Aggies invited three accepted and will take part in the week-long event that will take place on NFL Network on February 3rd in Mobile, Alabama. Texas A&M fans will be able to tune in and watch Ainias Smith, Layden Robinson, and McKinnley Jackson compete with Edgerrin Cooper opting to pass.

This event will allow these three the opportunity to raise their draft stock as this all-star game is widely considered the premier place to evaluate talent and personalities firsthand before the draft starts. Every NFL team will have representatives onsite and the media will have round-the-clock analysis for each day.

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The Senior Bowl invites have been sent out and the Aggie will be represented well

The Reese’s Senior Bowl invites have been sent out and the Aggies will be well represented

The regular season is over and bowl season is approaching. While the Aggies piece together a staff and team to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Reese’s Senior Bowl has sent out their invites.

Not only did they request the presence of seniors across the NCAA, but they also named their Reese’s Senior Bowl All-American Team. You guessed it, Edgerrin Cooper was named to the All-Defensive team, and Ainias Smith was named to the All-Specialists Team as a returner.

Along with those two being invited, Layden Robinson and McKinnley Jackson were also extended the invitation. As of December 12th, Jackson, Robinson, and Smith have accepted and will be on the field in Mobile, Alabama.

To see what the Senior Bowl is all about, you can check out the information in the statement below:

The Reese’s Senior Bowl is widely regarded as the preeminent college football all-star game and the first stage in the NFL Draft process. The longest continual-running all-star game has taken place in Mobile, Alabama the past 74 years.  More than 900 NFL personnel, including key decision-makers from all 32 teams, and over 1100 media members from around the country were credentialed this year. This past April, the game produced 100 total picks for the third straight year, representing 40 percent of the entire NFL draft, including 40 selected on the first two days.

Congratulations to the invites and we wish them the best when they compete on February 3rd on the NFL network.

Texas A&M senior OL Layden Robinson declares for the 2024 NFL Draft

After five years in College Station, Aggies senior offensive lineman Layden Robinson has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.

After five years in College Station, Texas A&M senior offensive lineman has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Robinson joins senior wide receiver Ainias Smith and senior defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson as the first three Aggies to declare.

On Monday, Robinson, through a post on X, shared the news that his collegiate career has ended, and while his NFL Draft stock will likely be impacted by his performance at the combine, coaches will have plenty of tape to work off of. Like Smith and Jackson, Robinson did have one more year of eligibility remaining, but after five years in the trenches coupled with a head coaching change likely impacted his final decision.

As he noted in his final send-off, Robinson leaves College Station with his “degree in hand,” accomplishing the final goal for every college athlete once their playing career reaches its final stage.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, Robinson has logged more than 30-plus starts at right guard in his five-year career after his 2019 redshirt season and earned several designations, including making the 2021 PFF All-SEC First Team and 2021 AP All-SEC Second Team, and recently named to the 2023 SEC Community Service Team.

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4 Texas A&M football players chosen for All-SEC teams, highlighted by 2 first team selections

The All-SEC teams were revealed Tuesday afternoon and four Aggies were recognized for their play during the 2023 season.

The All-Southeastern Conference teams were revealed Tuesday afternoon and four Texas A&M Aggies were recognized for their play during the 2023 season.

Graduate student wide receiver Ainias Smith and junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper were chosen for the All-SEC first team. Graduate right tackle Layden Robinson and junior defensive lineman Shemar Turner were selected for the conference’s second team.

 

Smith was a first-team selection in two separate categories: all-purpose and as a return specialist. He has hauled in at least one catch in 39 consecutive games. The versatile playmaker racked up 1,204 all-purpose yards this season with 53 receptions for 795 yards and two touchdowns.

He added 285 punt return yards and 103 kick return yards, including a career-high 131 punt return yards against Arkansas on Sept. 30. During the 34-22 win against the Razorbacks at “Jerry’s World,” he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.

In 2021, Cooper was chosen for the SEC All-Freshman team. Two years later, he started at linebacker in every game for the Aggies to earn an All-SEC first-team selection. With 17 tackles for loss in 2023, Cooper ranked fifth among Power Five players. He recorded team highs of 84 total tackles and eight sacks to rank sixth and fourth in the SEC, respectively.

Robinson, who is no stranger to accolades, was picked for the conference’s second team. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound graduate student was also chosen for the SEC Community Service Team in 2023. In 2021, Robinson was picked for the Pro Football Focus All-SEC first team and the Associate Press All-SEC second team. He started in 31 consecutive games, including the first 11 contests in 2023, til he missed the regular season finale at LSU.

Turner was chosen by coaches for the Freshman All-SEC team in 2021.  This season, he earned a second-team selection by racking up 33 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss of yards, six sacks, and two forced fumbles. Among his SEC peers, Turner ranked fifth in sacks and eighth in tackles for loss.

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2024 NFL mock draft: Browns overhaul WR room, add talented Ohio State DT

In this 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft, the Browns improve their roster with Ja’Lynn Polk and Tyleik Williams

We have hit cold weather, so that means it is time to start firing up the 2024 NFL mock drafts. And for the 7-4 Cleveland Browns, they have one more season with no first round picks, but that does not stop them from adding talents like wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams here.

When looking ahead to April for the Browns, their team needs remain relatively the same as they were a year ago. Last year, we knew they needed to target a wide receiver, a defensive tackle, another defensive end, and thought that offensive tackle could be the wildcard. And they drafted just those four positions with their first four picks in the draft.

This year, the Browns are playing rentals at defensive tackle in Maurice Hurst (please re-sign him!) and Shelby Harris and Jordan Elliott is about to see his rookie contract expire. The wide receiver room is lacking outside of Amari Cooper still, and another defensive end could be on the menu with Za’Darius Smith set to hit free agency after this season.

What can the Browns do with the seven picks they currently hold in the 2024 NFL draft? Find out here in this 2024 NFL mock draft.

‘It’s more than just football at the end of the day’ Layden Robinson provides insight on the Aggies’ mindset

Hear what senior Layden Robinson had to say about the mindset of the team and looking forward to playing ACU

Outside of some social media posts, there’s been a lot of intrigue on how the players took the news of Jimbo being let go over the weekend. So, for the first time, on Wednesday, we got to hear directly from the Aggie locker room.

Senior guard Layden Robinson sat down with the media to give us some insight into the team mindset and where he stands on a few issues. He made things clear. One – He is going to finish the season out and will be playing in the bowl game. Two – the grass may not always be greener on the other side even when things do get tough.

He also expressed his opinion on the next coach who gets the opportunity to coach here, which I’m sure everyone in Aggieland can agree with:

“Whoever gets this job, I just pray they have the best interest of the team because this place is definitely going to have the best interest for them. “
“Whoever gets the job is going to be very blessed.”
Below you can listen to the entire Q&A with Robinson.

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Five players to watch ahead of Texas A&M vs. South Carolina

Will the O-line show a sign of life? is QB Spencer Rattler a threat? here are five players to watch ahead of Texas A&M vs. South Carolina

We’re slightly past the halfway point of the 2023 college football season. For Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC), head coach Jimbo Fisher and his talented but underwhelming offense have plagued any sense of consistency, recently dropping two consecutive SEC matchups against Alabama and Tennessee.

While Fisher’s coaching future in College Station remains a mystery, the final five games of the regular season will likely provide more answers down the line, especially if what we’ve seen from the Aggies since reaching 4-1 after decisively defeating Arkansas to reach 2-0 in the SEC.

Yes, quarterback Conner Weigman’s season-ending injury certainly threw a wrench in the Aggies’ offensive plans. Still, second-year O-line coach Steve Addazio’s failure to fix the blocking issues in the trenches has put then-backup signal caller Max Johnson under constant duress, virtually destroying any rhythm in both the passing and running game since.

However, facing a Gamecocks defense that allows more than 30 points per game should give the offense confidence heading into the matchup.

This week, we have provided several storylines to help provide the full scoop on what to expect on Saturday afternoon.

Focusing on the players that need to make this weekend, here are the five players to watch ahead of Texas A&M vs. South Carolina.

Texas A&M Football 2023 Midseason Grades: Offensive Line

Texas A&M’s offensive line midseason report card is in, and it’s an ugly sight to behold as the team comes off a pivotal bye week.

The Aggies Wire team is doing the same with Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2), looking to take a breather and reassess heading into the bye week. Namely, there’s no better time to take a pulse check on how the Aggies have fared through the first half of the season, with a deep dive on each positional group.

Next up, we’re looking at the Aggies offensive line, headlined by Bryce Foster, Layden Robinson, Trey Zuhn III, Chase Bisontis, and Mark Nabou Jr.

Highlights

We’ll be blunt; this section of the breakdown will not be expansive. The Maroon Goons were much more promising early on in the season, and when it comes to run blocking, they’ve been solid. Their 63.2 run-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus, is decent, and they’re only allowing 2.0 sacks per game (66th) while gaining just 4.1 yards per carry (80th).

The drop-off in run efficiency was to be expected when losing a talent like De’Von Achane, who declared for the NFL Draft. It’s been a carousel of Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and Rueben Owens in the backfield. But for the most part, run blocking hasn’t been a stumbling block.

Areas of improvement

“Pass protection” should be bolded with an emphatic emergency alarm stamped alongside it when speaking on areas of improvement. This a huge area of weakness that needs to be addressed by the offensive line, and their second-year coach Steve Addazio. Their 47.5 pass-blocking grade, according to PFF, is absolutely atrocious and marks a decrease from their 49.4 grade in 2022.

The caveat there: last season the unit was plagued with injuries across the board. This season, they’re the ones responsible for the biggest injury this season, after Conner Weigman was pressured and suffered a foot injury back against Auburn, which ended up being season-ending.

Fast forward to today, and their porous pass protection has rendered veteran southpaw Max Johnson to that of an average quarterback. In their latest loss to Tennessee, Johnson was pressured on 64.1 percent of his dropbacks, which was the highest pressure rate since PFF started tracking the metric back in 2014. The Maroon Goons officially made history, and not in a good way.

Final grade: F

Without the ability to point toward injuries for their porous play, responsibility has to fall on o-line coach Steve Addazio for the unit’s putrid performance in SEC play. Bad snaps, miscommunication at the line of scrimmage, and Foster literally tripping over himself are illustrative of fundamental issues that must be corrected.

It falls on Addazio to get this unit prepared for Saturday afternoons, otherwise, this season is ready to steer off course toward utter disaster.

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‘This is the exciting part. What are you going to do now?’ Texas A&M’s ‘prove it’ mentality key vs. Tennessee

Among a raucous environment, Texas A&M’s road trip to Tennessee will take a complete team effort to get the job done on Saturday afternoon.

For some, Texas A&M’s 2023 season may seem on the brink of collapse after falling to Alabama 26-20 in a game that was theirs to lose after leading 17-10 at the half.

Let me assure you that after sustaining their first loss in SEC play, this Saturday’s road trip to Tennessee represents the actual “make or break” matchup for the Aggies’ chances at competing in the West while likely altering head coach Jimbo Fisher’s future with the program.

During Monday’s annual players’ press conference, defensive lineman Fadil Diggs and veteran offensive lineman Layden Robinson represented both sides of the Aggie trenches. Only one has dominated at the line of scrimmage through six games this season.

Sporting the 10th-ranked defense (1st in sacks and 1st in TFLs), Diggs (two sacks) has become a vocal leader among the talented Aggie D-line, as the group has accumulated 20 sacks (26 on the year) and 38 tackles for loss in their last three games. As the predominant strength of the team with no sign of slowing down, second-year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin deserves credit for flipping the script mid-season.

“As a defensive line and as a defense, it’s great. I didn’t even realize we were leading the nation in sacks. I don’t pay attention to stats that much. We just play our game.”

Conversely, Texas A&M’s O-line play has been average to below average at best, ranked 69th in sacks allowed (12) and 80th in rushing offense, constantly throwing quarterback Max Johnson out of his comfort zone in a more balanced attack.

After every starter on the offensive line outside of left guard Mark Nabou Jr. received a PFF pass-blocking grade below 60, Robinson, who received an abysmal 40.6 PB grade, is adamant that communication across the line needs to improve for symmetry to occur.

“We have to zone out everything else and play our game. We have to make sure we have communication… and focus in every part of the game.”

From a physical standpoint, Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s second-half adjustments completely dismantled the Aggie’s “bend but don’t break” blocking scheme, as players were treated like a weight sled as the Tide offense eventually took their final lead of the night. However, Robinson feels this was rare, as the Aggies will attempt to match the defense’s physicality moving forward, especially against the Vols’ intimidated defensive front.

“We are a physical offensive line. One play does not define us. One play does not define any player. We have to get back to work.”

Going away from the trenches, Max Johnson and the offense must find consistency through the air if the ground game stalls. As my colleague Pete Hernandez noted, the Aggie offense made five trips to the red zone against a Top 10 defense, resulting in just 13 points, so even with all the sacks and pressures, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has found a way to move the ball, “feeding the studs,” specifically WR Evan Stewart must increase.

So, with the colossal road battle vs. Tennessee looming, How will the Aggies respond to adversity again? I believe Layden Robinson summed it up best:

“This is the exciting part. What are you going to do now?”

Texas A&M will travel to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m. CT, inside Neyland Stadium (TV: CBS).

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