Who is Max Wright?

Max Wright is a native Texan who competed for the Texas A&M Football team for six years, serving as a captain for two of them under the guidance of Coach Jimbo Fisher. With ties to one of the biggest longhorn ranches in Texas, Max has a deep respect for the culture of the state. During his college years, he underwent a position change from Defensive End to Tight End, where he struggled with injuries throughout the process, yet excelled nonetheless. His contributions were recognized with prestigious awards, including the Strength and Conditioning Award, Unselfish Leadership Award, Offensive Leadership Award, The Trenches Award (given to a player who excels for their impact in the blocking game), and the coveted Aggie Heart Award—the highest honor a Texas A&M football player can receive. As a senior, he started 10 of 12 games, including nine consecutive starts to finish out the regular season.

The Spirit of Aggieland 

With plenty of colleges to choose from starting his academic and collegiate career, Max had no problem finding his dream school. When asked why he chose A&M, he said, “A&M is a true four-year choice. The culture and personality of the school is like nowhere else in the country. I know there are professors, donors, and coaches who would have my back if a football career didn’t work out for me. It’s pretty special to know that my name will be called at Aggie Muster one day.” Playing for A&M for six years, Max can’t convey his gratitude for the university and his coaching staff enough. He expressed himself as being in a “dark” place his sophomore year when he got injured and became a redshirt as a result. Yet the coaching staff, under Coach Fisher, and his fiance Mallory helped him get back on track, to even potentially play in the NFL one day. 

Favorite memories wearing Maroon and White

Max’s ample time at A&M came with some lifelong memories. A year after he suffered a brutal neck injury, playing his first season after he transitioned to Tight End, Max described one of his most notable experiences as catching a 42-yard pass to score a touchdown against South Carolina in 2020. “I was just happy to get minutes and I was not expecting it all,” said Max. Another memory Max holds close to his heart, as do all Aggie fans, was the win against Alabama in 2021. He had the honor of being on the field when the field goal was kicked to win the game for A&M. Max described the ball curving in mid-air in which it looked like it wasn’t going in until it bent at the last minute. It was a truly remarkable moment for Max to be able to share that experience with his family. Lastly, the final regular season game of his senior season at LSU was monumental for him looking back at his time in Aggieland. Max had a dropped catch earlier in the game. Losing and frustrated at himself, he couldn’t imagine the game being much worse. Yet in the fourth quarter, down by two scores, Max was able to pull together a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Aggies back in contention for the game. Even though the Aggies lost that game, Max said “It was amazing to have all my family at that game and to see my brother going crazy after I scored.” He also expressed how epic it was to see how the guys rallied around him after his drop, to help him ultimately be able to make that play.

The NFL Draft

Based on the NFL Football Operations, there are currently 32 clubs that receive one pick in each of the seven rounds of the NFL Draft. The order of selection is determined by the reverse order of finish in the previous season. To be eligible for the draft, players must have been out of high school for at least three years and must have used up their college eligibility before the start of the next college football season. Before the draft, NFL Player Personnel staff members confirm the eligibility of draft prospects; that means researching the college backgrounds of approximately 3,000 college players each year. In the U.S., on average, there are just over a million players at the high school level. 73,000 make it to the NCAA level, representing just 7.3% of the talent pool. At any time, just over 16,000 are draft-eligible, which is only 1.6% of that college player pool. And then only 259 players will be drafted. In other words, it is not an easy task to have the opportunity to play in the NFL. 

Max’s Preparation 

Even though getting drafted can be an extremely hard goal to accomplish, Max is very optimistic about his odds. When asked what the main difference in his mentality of collegiate ball vs, preparing for the draft, he says, “I’m working like I got a chip on my shoulder. I have nothing to lose and I’m working like I’m in last place.” Max has described his training regiment as very straining to say the least. His typical week looks like 4 days of strict physical training to improve his speed, explosiveness, and overall strength. He then has one day designated for recovery and muscle management to help with hip strength and injury prevention, one day for fieldwork that is primarily NFL Combine focused, and one day for rest. That doesn’t even mention his weekly diet. Working with a trainer, Max has a rigorous daily meal plan in order to gain the magical mix of strength and weight while staying in league regulations. With years of hard work and discipline, Max hopes to get drafted by a team in Texas to stay close to family and keep his Texan roots alive.

To follow Max’s journey, you can watch the NFL draft from April 25- 27. 

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Cover Photo courtesy Max Wright

Tucker Flatt is a lifelong Texas A&M football fan and he’s proud to be a member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2026.