Mike Elko has always preached defense during his coaching career. Now, with some help coming thanks to the [addition of Lyle Hemphill](https://gigemgazette.com/texas-a-m-football-begins-defensive-staff-improvements-with-impressive-addition), Elko has more eyes on his football philosophy.
The Aggie defense began crashing down in the second half of the season, and after the bowl game loss against USC, fans were adamant that this team was lost from a while before that. Perhaps it had to do with the injury to Le'Veon Moss during the South Carolina game. Or, was the defense too much out of sync in pass coverage? Probably a little bit of both, but the defensive secondary will become more experienced this year.
With the help of Tyler Onyedim and Albert Regis up front, the run-defense definitely bulked up. Regis has a golden opportunity this upcoming season to move up on some NFL mock draft lists.
Regis has chance to improve his NFL Draft numbers
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Regis saw the most action as a college football player last season, and now, he has a shot to force some NFL Draft scouts to call his name.
In 2024, Regis recorded a total of 36 tackles along with 0.5 sacks. This was by far his most improved season as an Aggie, and with him and Onyedim about to make noise up front, this makes for a chance for Regis to improve his draft stock.
Regis also has an NFL body that can help stuff runners for little to no gain. He's 6-foot-2, 310 pounds, with a body wide enough to [cause havoc in the backfield](https://gigemgazette.com/way-too-early-prediction-why-texas-a-m-will-put-record-numbers-into-2026-nfl-draft). I'm not saying he's going to have superstar numbers, but he's about to see the field even more this upcoming season, and he deserves a chance to have some scouts look in his direction.
The Aggies might have a historic year in the draft next year, with defenders like Cashius Howell, Will Lee III, Onyedim and Taurean York (along with offensive talent) contributing to the Aggie representation in the 2026 NFL Draft. Regis will be one to look at as potentially a late sixth-round pick, but the chance is there for his ceiling to improve while he's still got a golden opportunity. Regis is our pick at the most underrated defender going into 2025.