The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 48: Texas A&M's Daylon Mack

[caption id="attachment_22986" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Photo by Will Leverett Photo by Will Leverett[/caption] The importance of a player is not always defined by their skill. The most important player on a team is not always the best player on a team. This list is designed to breakdown the 50 most important players in Texas college football for the 2016 season. It is not a ranking of the 50 best college football players in the state. Importance can be defined by position, need, skill or leadership. We’ll count down the list through the summer, all the way to No. 1.Previously — 49: TCU S Denzel Johnson // 50: Baylor S Chance WazNo. 48: Texas A&M defensive tackle Daylon MackThe History Mack left Gladewater High School as a four-star prospect, according to Rivals.com. Mack, a little undersized at six-feet tall, dominated the prep level with his size, strength, balance and quickness. He was a top-100 prospect in the nation at every recruiting service and was the prized defensive recruit for the Aggies in the 2015 class after Mack put on a show at the Under Armour All-America Game. He arrived on recruiters’ radar with 72 tackles and six sacks as a high school sophomore. He had 97 tackles, with 36 for loss in a junior campaign of terror. His senior season included 78 tackles, five sacks and the “Mack Truck” even rushed for 262 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mack played in 12 games as a true freshman for Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M. He recorded 30 tackles, with 8.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage. A few nagging injuries kept Mack from establishing himself as a full-fledged starter for his complete freshman season. The Skillset Mack would have been considered the best prospect in the country during his recruiting cycle had he been three inches taller. His lack of length was a concern, but not enough to keep major colleges from calling. Mack received an offer from nearly every major FBS program in the country. He wavered a bit in his recruitment towards the end, but signed with Texas A&M as expected. Mack is insanely athletic for a 320-pound man. His first-step is electric for a defensive tackle, which is why he’s made a career on tackles for loss. Almost a third of his tackles as a true freshman came behind the line of scrimmage. He can’t get taller or longer, but Mack utilizes a plethora of other skills to get inside offensive linemen and get to his spot. The Impact Defensive tackles Alonzo Williams and Julien Obioha were listed as starters on the depth chart entering Texas A&M’s bowl game. Both of those players are now gone to graduation. That leaves Mack, listed at 6-foot-1 and 335 pounds to become the anchor of an Aggie defense in dire need of a plug in the middle of the defense. It is no secret that the Aggies defense has struggled to matchup physically in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball since joining the SEC. Signing Mack out of high school was supposed to signal a change in that trend, and his continued development is crucial to Texas A&M’s chances of competing in the SEC West.

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