This year’s draft class for the Crimson Tide may not be as rich as many are used to, but Alabama boasts some solid prospects that could make an immediate impact on an NFL roster from day one.
According to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, Alabama has three prospects in the Top 50 of all 2022 NFL Draft hopefuls. The highest-ranked among them, to nobody’s surprise, is Evan Neal.
Evan Neal
Neal signed with the Crimson Tide in 2018 and sacrificed his body at three different positions on the offensive line for Alabama. He started as a left guard as a freshman and sophomore before switching to left tackle in 2020. He finished his career in a crimson uniform as a left tackle, protecting the blind-side of Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young in 2021. This fact suggests that he has not yet reached his full potential since he hasn’t logged consecutive seasons at his likely professional position (left tackle).
The underclassman allowed only 24 pressures over the last two seasons between right and left tackle, per PFF. As a run-blocker, Neal graded in the 96th percentile in percentage of positively graded plays, according to PFF’s Eric Eager.
There are rumblings around the profession suggesting that Neal could go as high as the No. 1-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, which belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second consecutive year.
He is ranked at No. 5 on Jeremiah’s top-50.
Jameson Williams
Jameson Williams didn’t spend a whole lot of time at Alabama, but the time he was able to contribute for Nick Saban proved to be more than worth the wait in getting him to Tuscaloosa.
Prior to transferring to Alabama, Williams caught just 15 passes for 266 yards in 10 games over his first two college seasons.
The transfer proved to be a good move for both parties, however, as Williams recorded a spectacular season, hauling in 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns.
His decision to declare for the draft was expected following his incredible season. He has elite speed that is highly coveted at the professional level and has fantastic acrobatic acumen, which he shows by catching difficult passes that look to be uncatchable for the average wideout.
Whoever lands this 6-2, 189-pound speed machine will not be disappointed.
Williams comes in at No. 27 on Jeremiah’s top-50.
Christian Harris
Christian Harris arrived in Tuscaloosa as a four-star recruit out of high school from Louisiana and started for three years for Nick Saban at linebacker.
In 2019, Harris recorded 63 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. The following season Harris recorded 79 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 tackles for loss, and one interception.
This past season Harris recorded 79 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.
Harris shows impressive technique in blitzing the quarterback, which was reflected in his stat-line over the course of the last two seasons in which he recorded 10 sacks and recorded 21 quarterback pressures.
The linebacker prospect may not go off the board until day two of the NFL Draft, but wherever he lands you can expect him to put forth significant effort.
Harris comes in at No. 44 on Jeremiah’s list of top 2022 NFL Draft prospects.
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