2017 NFL Draft Texas Bowl and Kickoff Alumni
The 2017 NFL Draft concluded Saturday after 253 picks, but it took just one pick for the Texas Bowl to be represented in Philadelphia. Texas A&M star Myles Garrett, who played in the 2015 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff and the 2016 Texas Bowl, got the first call of the draft from the Cleveland Browns. The 6-4, 272 lb. star was the consensus all the way throughout after playing his last game in Houston against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Along with Garrett, there were four other Aggies that played in both the 2015 Kickoff and 2016 Bowl game – wide receiver Josh Reynolds, guard Jermaine Eluemunor, safety Justin Evans and fellow defensive end Daeshon Hall, who opened the 2015 season in grand style with four sacks.
The four teams that played in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff and the Texas Bowl in 2016 accounted for 14 draft selections.
Houston had outside linebacker Tyus Bowser, cornerbacks Howard Wilson and Brandon Wilson. Oklahoma saw RBs Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, receiver DeDe Westbrook and linebacker. Kansas State had two players taken – Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Willis and linebacker Elijah Lee. Texas A&M had five players selected, noted above. All in all, 14 future NFL draft picks came through NRG Stadium in the two bookend games in Houston in 2016.
Of those 14, three were taken in the first two rounds – Garrett, Evans and Mixon. All in all, six of the 14 were selected on the first two days, within the first three rounds.
That was just from the 2016 game. The Texas Bowl and/or the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff were represented by two of the top four picks (Garrett and Leonard Fournette, LSU – 2015 Texas Bowl) and three of the top ten (Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech – 2015 Texas Bowl). Tre’Davious White, LSU was the other Texas Bowl representative in the first round as Buffalo selected him at pick No. 27 after their trade with the Chiefs.
Who did the Chiefs trade up to get?
That’s right Mahomes. So, the Chiefs and Bills made that trade and the two players selected were Texas Bowl alums.
LSU led the way with former Texas Bowl teams with eight selections, led by Fournette at number four to Jacksonville, Jamal Adams number six to the Jets and White to the Bills at number 27.
It was a tremendous weekend for alums of one of the best bowl and kickoff games in the nation.
By: John Harris
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