Record Number Aggies Taken in First Two Rounds of NFL Draft
Apr 26, 2003 | Football
April 26, 2003
A record number four Texas A&M football players were selected in the first two rounds of the 2003 NFL Draft with two defenders taken in the first round while one wide receiver and a safety were selected in the second round Saturday.
Aggie defensive lineman Ty Warren was taken in the first round by the New England Patriots as the 13th overall pick.
Warren, from Bryan, Texas, is the first Aggie selected in the first round since 1996 when linebacker Reggie Brown was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
Then, cornerback Sammy Davis, from Humble, Texas, was selected by the San Diego Chargers as the 30th overall pick.
It marks the first time since 1994 that two or more A&M players have been selected in the first round. In the '94 draft, NFL teams selected defensive lineman Sam Adams, cornerback Aaron Glenn and running back Greg Hill all in the first round.
In the second round, the Patriots and Chargers kept with their newfound tradition of selecting Aggies as New England selected receiver Bethel Johnson as the 45th pick and San Diego chose safety Terrence Kiel as the 62nd overall pick.
It marks the first time that the NFL has chosen four Aggie players in the first two rounds.
In the third round, the Miami Dolphins selected offensive lineman Taylor Whitley as the 87th overall pick.
Warren was a force for the Aggies in the trenches for four seasons. As a senior, he was performing at an All-America level before suffering a high ankle sprain in the Kansas game. That injury limited Warren's effectiveness for the remainder of the regular season. He missed the Nebraska and Missouri games and most of the Oklahoma game.
Warren was named Midseason All-American by Collegefootballnews.com and totaled 52 tackles, including 32 solo stops, while seeing action in 10 games. He made 11 tackles for a loss of 34, including 4 sacks for minus 20 yards. He ranked second on the team in quarterback pressures and forced a fumble. Warren also blocked a pair of field goal attempts.
Davis has been a shutdown cornerback for the Aggies for the past three seasons. A semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate defensive back, Davis excels in pass coverage and against the run.
With 11 career interceptions, Davis is A&M's most prolific pass interceptor since Kevin Smith picked off 20 from 1988-91. Despite being generally avoided by opposing passers, Davis picked off 2 passes and broke up 6 others in 2002. He posted 61 tackles, including a whopping 48 solo hits and he added 5 tackles for losses, including 2 sacks. He forced a fumble and recovered a fumble, and also had a pair of double digit tackle games in 2002 - a career-high 13 against Texas Tech and 12 against Pittsburgh. Davis, finished the season with 38 career starts, including 36 straight.
Johnson, from Corscicana, Texas, returned to the field of play in 2002 with a flourish after missing the bulk of the 2001 season due to a ruptured spleen.
He finished his A&M career as the all-time leader in catches and receiving yards with 117 catches (previous record: 110 by Keith Woodside, 1983, 85-87) for 1,740 yards (previous record: 1,576 by Tony Harrison, 1990-93). Johnson's 11 career receiving touchdowns tied for No. 4 in school history and he matched a long-standing school record with his team-leading 8 receiving touchdowns (8 by Bob Long in 1967 and 1968).
Johnson was third on the team with 40 catches and second on the team with 718 receiving yards. His 18.0 yards per catch average led the team and he is the second A&M player to post two 40-plus catch seasons during his career (Albert Connell posted 57 in 1996 and 41 in 1995). His four career 100-yard receiving days are tied for the most in school history (with teammates Jamaar Taylor and Terrence Murphy).
He also served as A&M's top return man with 12 punt returns for 139 yards (11.6) and 12 kickoff returns for 252 yards (21.0).
Kiel, from Lufkin, Texas, finished as the team leader in tackles for the second straight year. He posted 95 tackles, including a team-high 66 solo hits.
He also produced 3 interceptions and broke up 6 other opponent passes. Kiel had 5.5 tackles for losses, including 1.5 quarterback sacks and posted the game-clinching interception against then top-ranked Oklahoma. He had three double-digit tackle games - a season-high 13 vs. Pittsburgh and 10 vs. Virginia Tech and Missouri. Kiel career totals stand at 263 tackles, 8 interceptions and 17 passes broken up.
Whitley, from Sudan, Texas, was a three-year starter for the Aggies at offensive guard. He helped pave the way for an A&M offense that averaged 386.2 yards per game. The team also set school records for passing yards with 3,216 in 12 games and passing touchdowns with 25. Whitley, a 300-pounder, made 36 straight starts at either guard or tackle.
More updates will be posted on AggieAthletics.com as the draft continues. For a complete look at all of the NFL Draft eligible Aggies, click on the link on the front page of AggieAthletics.com.
