KBTX \u2014 As picks continued to flow in rounds two and three of the 2026 NFL Draft, a record number of Aggies flew off the board.<\/p>\n
After six A&M players heard their name called Friday, the Aggies set a new program record with seven players taken in the first two rounds of the draft.<\/p>\n
The total also tied for the most A&M players selected in a seven-round draft, which began in 1994. The Aggies had seven players selected in the 2019 draft.<\/p>\n
After wide receiver KC Concepcion was the first Aggie off the board Thursday<\/a> as the 24th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, offensive lineman Chase Bisontis started Friday off with a maroon flare. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman was the second name announced Friday with the 34th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals.<\/a><\/p>\n Seven picks later, defensive end Cashius Howell was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 41st overall pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just in awe, honestly,\u201d Howell said. \u201cI was just filled with gratitude, and just was so thankful to be placed in this position. This is not my first time being in Ohio, so I\u2019m just ready to come in, come get to work. Man, let\u2019s go get a Super Bowl!\u201d<\/p>\n Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden coached against Howell two seasons earlier when his Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the Aggies at Kyle Field. Assistant general manager Mike Potts said he felt Howell slid a little from where the team expected he might go.<\/p>\n Howell said he held on to the fact that the Bengals\u2019 staff told him on his visit they hoped he would fall to them.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was far and away the top guy up there that stood out most on the board,\u201d Potts said. \u201cThere were other defensive ends that we looked at. There was a grouping at a number of different positions of guys that we liked. We thought the first round shook out pretty well for us. There were a lot of guys we liked in that top grouping here going into the day. It was a little combination of the position and him being our number one target there on the board.\u201d<\/p>\n Howell joins his former teammate Shemar Stewart in Cincinnati, though that relationship did not play a part in his selection Friday, Golden said.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not lean on that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just looked at them independently. We talked to the coaching staff, people in the building (at Texas A&M). We had him in on a \u201830\u2019 visit, so that\u2019s what our homework was in terms of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Howell was watching the draft in Kansas City and grew up a Chiefs fan. The Chiefs had the opportunity to take him with the pick before, but ended up selecting Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, which Howell said he\u2019ll remember.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had taken an edge rusher before me, so… you know, it\u2019s all good,\u201d Howell said. \u201cI grew up a Kansas City Chiefs fan, but at this point, I\u2019m just thankful to be a Bengal, so we\u2019re going to see them when we see them.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the surprise picks Friday was the Jacksonville Jaguars\u2019 selection of tight end Nate Boerkircher as the 24th pick of the second round<\/a>. ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper Jr. slotted Boerkircher as the 127th-best prospect on his big board.<\/p>\n Boerkircher told reporters after his selection that he thought the call from the Jaguars might have been spam.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know how it is with spam coming up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt said spam on there. I didn\u2019t know what to do. I showed my agent and he said you better answer it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aggie trenches were highlighted in the third round, beginning with defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim hearing his name called as the second pick of the third round (66th overall) by the Denver Broncos.<\/a><\/p>\n The pick fell to the Broncos after they traded pick No. 62 to the Buffalo Bills for picks No. 66 and No. 182.<\/p>\n \u201cI prayed. I prayed to God. We talked about this,\u201d Onyedim said of the draft day experience. \u201cI\u2019ve been praying about this my whole entire life, so just me waiting. I know the coach really wanted me. I saw Denver on the clock. I saw they traded. I just had a feeling they were picking me. I just had a feeling. When they traded, I looked at my agent, and I just knew. I knew what it was. That\u2019s how I felt.\u201d<\/p>\n A late run of Aggies began with Jacksonville dipping back into the Aggie well for defensive tackle Albert Regis as the 17th pick of the third round (81st overall).<\/a> Prior to the draft, he was ranked the No. 134 overall prospect by ESPN.<\/p>\n \u201cJust know God knows this is home for us and we are beyond happy and blessed,\u201d Regis told KBTX via text Friday.<\/p>\n