Texas Bowl viewers, come for Myles Garrett, stay for a slew of other NFL prospects.
One of the best defensive ends in college football in recent memory will (likely) play his final game on Dec. 28, capping a magnificent career that began as the nation's top-ranked defender and will end as the best defensive player in the 2017 NFL Draft.
But there are five other players between Texas A&M and Kansas State that should be selected next April, including Garrett's former linemate. Here are the top NFL Draft prospects in the Texas Bowl, ranked:
| Rank | Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myles Garrett | DE | Texas A&M |
| 2 | Avery Gennesy | OT | Texas A&M |
| 3 | Justin Evans | S | Texas A&M |
| 4 | Daeshon Hall | DE | Texas A&M |
| 5 | Jordan Willis | DE/LB | Kansas State |
| 6 | Josh Reynolds | WR | Texas A&M |
The only first-round lock in the Texas Bowl, and potential top overall pick Myles Garrett, is easily the game's top NFL prospect.
With a lightning-quick first step, he uses a spiderman-like torso to either blast through offensive tackles or simply zip past them. In 2016, he had 8.5 sacks in only nine games, including 4.5 against UTSA, to give him 21 in three seasons. His run skills aren't amazing but still very good for a 6-foot-5, 260-pound elite pass-rusher.
Garrett is one of five Aggies hoping to hear their name called in the first four rounds. Next up is rising tackle Avery Gennesy, who helped A&M top 5,000 total yards, 3,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards twice, just the seventh and eighth times in school history. A two-year starter after arriving from East Mississippi Community College, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle could slide to guard.
Also in the mix for a position change is safety Justin Evans, a potential second-day pick. He needs one-on-one coverage work, especially on the line of scrimmage, but is big (6-foot-1, 200 pounds), good enough with his hands and can run with almost anyone to play cornerback.
Daeshon Hall is is the third and final A&M defender hoping to be chosen in the first three rounds (receiver Josh Reynolds could also earn a second-day selection but is a long shot to be chosen before the fifth round), and joins Gennesy and Evans as a position-change candidate.
A terrific pass-rusher (16 sacks from 2014-2016) and decent coverage man, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end is a bigger but less disruptive version of former Clemson star Shaq Lawson.
Garrett and Hall aren't the only elite defensive ends on display in the Texas Bowl.
Jordan Willis, a former three-star recruit with minimal Power Five interest, is built similarly to Hall and could also move to outside linebacker, at least part-time. He had 11.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in the regular season to give him 26 and 39.5 for his career, respectively. A mid-round selection is most likely.
