As the 2020 NFL Draft comes to a close, there’s one very impressive stat that few have mentioned: Bill Belichick set an NFL Draft record by drafting the 10th Nick Saban coached player.
Anfernee Jennings was the 10th player Bill Belichick has drafted who played under Nick Saban in college.
That sets the record for the most players selected by a pro-college coach combo in the Common Draft Era (since 1967). pic.twitter.com/1gB0otuOFD
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 25, 2020
Here are the 10 Saban coached players that Belichick has drafted over the years:
2000: OT Greg Randall, Michigan State
2002: DE Jarvis Green, LSU
2002: QB Rohan Davey, LSU
2004: DE Marquise Hill, LSU
2010: DL Brandon Deaderick, Alabama
2012: LB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama
2016: LB Xzavier Dickson, Alabama
2016: CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama
2019: RB Damien Harris, Alabama
2020: LB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
There’s no denying the history between New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick and Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The two met when Belichick’s father was an assistant coach at Navy, and the two became friends. Saban would eventually coach under Belichick as a defensive coordinator for 4 years for the Cleveland Browns.
HBO even shared a documentary about them called, “The Art of Coaching,” which includes topics never publicly broached before, including their fathers’ respective influences on their careers, their tenures with the Cleveland Browns organization in the 1990s, and how they connect with the newest generation of players, and more.
The both of them respect each other, and have both become two of the greatest coaches to ever coach football.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]