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Texas A&M transfer Edge ranked 10th in pressure rate last season After a record 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, coach Mike Elko, who is entering his third season, landed a massive commitment from Northwestern transfer edge Anto Saka.
Over his past three seasons with the Wildcats, Saka recorded 41 tackles and 12 sacks, but was severely underutilized.
Under Elko and defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, Anto Saka is on track to reach his elite NFL potential and is slated to start at defensive end alongside returning senior T.J.
Searcy, paired with senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks and transfer nose tackle CJ Mims.
Standing 6'4" and 255 pounds, Saka has become a popular name in the NFL scouting world and is taking part in this weekend's annual Sack Summit in Las Vegas.
How Elko will use Saka is up in the air, but it's assumed that after lining up more on the interior to stop the run, which he already thrives at, the Baltimore native should be utilized as a wide-9 stand-up pass rusher against susceptible tackles to truly unlock his pass-rush arsenal.
Last week, 247Sports' Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz ranked their top 100 "lesser-known" Power Four players, including Anto Saka.
"While Saka's production was modest the last three seasons at Northwestern, including just 13 tackles and three sacks last season, the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder is a freak athlete who's already on the radar for NFL scouts as a potential top three-round 2027 draft pick.
However, based on feedback from A&M sources, it's safe to assume he could be a big draft riser and a big producer for the Aggies this fall.
Saka will be counted on to pressure the quarterback in critical situations, and while his sack numbers don't jump off the page, CBS Sports' Cody Nagel released the 2025 pass rush pressure leaders, with Saka coming in at No.
10 with an impressive 16.7% pass rush win rate.
This number matters far more than total sacks and clearly indicates that Anto Saka is on his way to leading the Aggies in pressures and sacks this fall.
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