​Following a record-breaking draft where 10 players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, including unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell who led the SEC with 11.5 sacks last season, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko is entering his third year and has secured a major commitment from Northwestern transfer Anto Saka. Over three seasons with the Wildcats, Saka posted 41 tackles and 12 sacks but was markedly underutilized. Under Elko and defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, Saka is on track to reach his elite NFL potential and is expected to start at defensive end beside returning senior T.J. Searcy, complemented by senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks and transfer nose tackle CJ Mims. Standing 6’4″ and 255 pounds, Saka has emerged as a familiar figure in NFL scouting circles and will participate in this weekend’s Sack Summit in Las Vegas.
How Elko will deploy Saka remains to be seen, but it’s reasonable to expect him to spend more time on the interior to stop the run, a strength of his, before utilizing him as a wide-9 stand-up pass rusher against vulnerable tackles to fully unleash his pass-rush repertoire. Recently, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz included Anto Saka in their top 100 “lesser-known” Power Four players. They noted that although Saka’s production has been modest over the last three seasons at Northwestern—13 tackles and three sacks last year—the 6-foot-4, 255-pound athlete is a freakish athlete already on NFL scouts’ radar as a potential top-three-round pick in the 2027 draft. Based on feedback from Aggies sources, there’s optimism that he could become a significant draft riser and a major producer for the Aggies this fall.
Saka will be relied upon to pressure the quarterback in crucial moments, and while his sack numbers may not jump off the page, CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel highlighted the 2025 pass-rush leaders, ranking Saka No. 10 with an impressive 16.7% pass-rush win rate. That metric matters far more than total sacks and strongly suggests Anto Saka is on course to spearhead the Aggies’ pressures and sacks this fall.
For ongoing Texas A&M coverage, follow Aggies Wire on X (formerly Twitter) at @AggiesWire and like our page on Facebook. You can also follow Cameron Ohnysty on X at @CameronOhnysty. This report originally appeared on Aggies Wire under a headline noting Anto Saka’s 10th-ranked pressure rate last season, underscoring his potential impact in the upcoming season.