Texas Longhorns

Meet Mykkele Thompson, the most unexpected pick of the NFL draft

Published May. 5, 2015 11:59 a.m. ET

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A year ago the Texas Longhorns were shut out of the NFL draft. Not a single player selected for the first time since 1937. That's 77 consecutive years with at least one player taken.

In 2015, they had five players drafted, including one who never even expected it.

Frankly, neither did New York Giants fans. When Big Blue selected Texas defensive back Mykkele Thompson in the fifth round, there was only one thing Giants backers could say: "Who?!"

"'Honestly, I had no idea where I was going to go,'' Thompson told reporters after being drafted last Saturday. ''I thought free agency was the main goal because I didn't really get the numbers this season. I didn't have that much action."

Even Longhorns fans might not be all that familiar with Thompson's work. He had one interception last season, and just two for his career. Of his 69 tackles in 2014, he produced four tackles for loss and one half-sack. In Texas' defensive backfield, he was overshadowed by the boisterous Quandre Diggs (who wasn't taken until the sixth round by Detroit) and hard-hitting newcomer Jason Hall.

Thompson wasn't invited to the NFL combine and he had just one team visit -- you guessed it, to the Giants.

So what did the Giants see in Thompson that nobody else did?

"We felt like in [Mykkele] Thompson we had a guy that actually will go very well with (second-round pick) Landon Collins," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters after the third day of the draft. "Thompson has played corner, as you know, the majority of his collegiate career. He is a good cover guy and he is fast. He can play in the centerfield position."

Maybe the traditionally conservative Giants also saw something else in Thompson, who will likely play on special teams next season and be groomed to play safety. Thompson presents no character issues. He grew up an Army brat and as a kid lived in different parts of the world before his family settled in San Antonio, just an hour south of Austin. 

His makeup and upbringing should allow him to fit in just fine with a disciplinarian coach such as Coughlin. 

The Giants certainly surprised people with the pick, but perhaps they also outsmarted the competition.

(h/t NJ.com)

Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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