NEW YORK — Texas A&M All-American offensive tackle Luke Joeckel (Arlington, Texas) has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday, which would be a first for the Aggie football program.
The 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall returns to primetime, with the first round taking place Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. CT, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. CT. Rounds 4-7 will be held Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. CT.
Joeckel, who accepted an invitation to New York for the draft, is seeking to become the third Aggie drafted in the top 10 in the last three drafts. The other top 10 picks were Von Miller (No. 2 overall to the Denver Broncos in 2011) and Ryan Tannehill (No. 8 overall to the Miami Dolphins in 2012).
Aggies in the Top 10 of NFL Draft First Round
2012 Ryan Tannehill, QB, 8th, Miami Dolphins
2011 Von Miller, LB, 2nd, Denver Broncos
1994 Sam Adams, DL, 8th, Seattle Seahawks
1992 Quentin Coryatt, LB, 2nd, Indianapolis Colts
1990 Richmond Webb, OL, 9th, Miami Dolphins
1985 Ray Childress, DL, 3rd, Houston Oilers
1980 Curtis Dickey, RB, 5th, Baltimore Colts
1980 Jacob Green, DL, 10th, Seattle Seahawks
1976 Bubba Bean, RB, 9th, Atlanta Falcons
1970 Larry Stegent, RB, 8th, St. Louis Cardinals
1958 John David Crow, RB, 2nd, St. Louis Cardinals
1958 Charlie Krueger, OL, 9th, San Fransisco 49ers
1949 Bob Goode, RB, 8th, Washington Redskins
1941 John Kimbrough, RB, 2nd, St. Louis Cardinals
1941 Jim Thomason, RB, 5th, Detroit Lions
Also in attendance at Thursday’s NFL first round festivities at Radio City Music Hall will be Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, who will serve as a guest analyst for the NFL Network.
If Joeckel is selected with the first overall pick, it would be the highest that a Texas A&M player has ever been selected in the NFL Draft. . Four Aggies have been drafted No. 2 overall – Miller, Quentin Coryatt (Indianapolis Colts, 1992), John David Crow (1958, St. Louis Cardinals) and John Kimbrough (1941, Chicago Cardinals).
Joeckel, who declared early for the draft, was a unanimous All-America selection as a junior for the 11-2 Aggies in 2012. Protecting the blind side for Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Joeckel became the first Aggie to win the Outland Trophy, which is given annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and recipient of the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy. Joeckel started every possible game of his A&M career and finished with 39 consecutive starts at left tackle.
Also projected as a NFL first rounder is Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore, who was also an early entrant to the NFL Draft. Moore, from Rowlett, Texas, was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End Award. In his first full season as a starter in 2012, Moore led the team in tackles (85), solo tackles (57), sacks (12.5), tackles for loss (21.0), QB pressures (9) and blocked kicks (2) as he earned All-SEC honors.
Texas A&M has had two first-round picks on seven occasions, most recently in 2003 when defensive end Ty Warren was picked 13th overall by the New England Patriots and cornerback Sammy Davis was picked 30th overall by the San Diego Chargers. Texas A&M has had 30 players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in its history. Since 1975, at least one Aggie has been selected in the NFL Draft in 27 of 28 possible years with the lone no-pick year in 2007.
Fourteen seniors from the 2012 Aggies squad participated in A&M’s annual Pro Day on March 8 and will be waiting for their names to be called over the weekend:
Steven Campbell/DB/Houston, Texas
Dustin Harris/DB/Livingston, Texas
CJ Jones/DB/Houston, Texas
Patrick Lewis/OL/Reserve, La.
Jonathan Mathis/DL/Houston, Texas
Kenric McNeal/WR/Spring, Texas
Christine Michae/RB/Beaumont, Texas
Spencer Nealy/DL/San Antonio, Texas
Uzoma Nwachukwu/WR/Allen, Texas
Sean Porter/LB/San Antonio, Texas
Rhontae Scales/DL/Killeen, Texas
Jonathan Stewart/LB/Shreveport, La.
Ryan Swope/WR/Austin, Texas
Steven Terrell/DB/Allen, Texas