Texas A&M's rise to prominence in college football the past few seasons might have it's biggest moment yet when the 2014 NFL Draft rolls around next week. While the Aggies have produced the second overall pick in two of the past three drafts, this year could result in a record-setting three top 10 selections for the program.
Quarterback Johnny Manziel and wide receiver Mike Evans have received the most buzz heading into the draft, but offensive tackle Jake Matthews is the player who might end up being the first to hear his name called by the commisioner in New York City. With a trio of highly touted prospects, NFL Media analyst Willie McGinest jumped on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" to give his thoughts on who is the safest pick for teams among the bunch.
"Jake Matthews has to be the guy, it runs in his bloodlines," the former Pro Bowl linebacker said. "He's one of those guys who's durable and can play for a long time.
"If you need a tackle, a premier player who is going to be impactful in a certain position for a long time, you put your money at the tackle position and you're pretty safe."
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound Matthews will be the latest member of his family to make it to the NFL and is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews. The younger tackle could end up going higher in the draft than his old man, with the latest NFL.com mock drafts have him going as high as No. 2 overall to the St. Louis Rams and no further down the board than the sixth overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons.
Matthews slid from right tackle to left tackle last season to protect Manziel's blindside, and solidified himself as a top-10 pick during his third season as a starter in the tough SEC. He's highly regarded by scouts for his technique and agility, but doesn't have the arm length or power of fellow top tackle Greg Robinson. While some teams might look at the upside of other players at the position early in the draft, most analysts believe a team can't go wrong spending a top-10 pick on the former Aggie lineman.
"Teams know they can plug him in at left tackle. He played right tackle two years ago when Luke Joeckel was the starter at A&M so he has great flexibilty in being able to play both sides too."
Matthews will be one of 30 prospects at Radio City Music Hall for the draft on Thursday night, and likely not have to wait long before a team comes running up with a card with his name on it.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.