Vigil, Fackrell taken back-to-back in NFL Draft’s third round

Utah State linebackers Nick Vigil and Kyler Fackrell were taken in consecutive picks Friday in the third round of the NFL Draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals, selecting Vigil with the 87th overall pick, bring in a 6-2, 234-pound two-time all-Mountain West defender who averaged more than 11 tackles per game as a junior last year, good for the sixth-best mark in the nation. Vigil led USU with 144 tackles last season, including a 20-tackle outing at Air Force.

Vigil’s particular brand of physical run-stopping will be welcomed onto the reigning AFC North champion Bengals squad.

Less than 15 minutes after Cincy looked USU’s direction for linebacker help, Green Bay followed suit selecting Kyler Fackrell with the 88th overall pick in the draft. The perennial NFC heavyweight with a reputation for building its roster primarily through the draft picked up a 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker hybrid capable of edge rushing as well as terrorizing the ground game.

Fackrell ranked first in the country with five fumble recoveries his senior season. The Mesa, Arizona native earned a first-team all-Mountain West nod In 2015, and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award.

Fackrell will be one of 15 Aggies currently on NFL rosters, joining Nick Vigil, safety Maurice Alexander, defensive back Will Davis, defensive back Tay Glover-Wright, wide receiver Chuck Jacobs, offensive guard Tyler Larsen, defensive back Nevin Lawson, long snapper Patrick Scales, offensive tackle Donald Penn, tight end D.J. Tialavea, running back Robert Turbin, linebacker Zach Vigil, linebacker Bobby Wagner and running back Kerwynn Williams.