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Yesterday served as one of the more monumental days of the 2021 NFL Draft process. No, it wasn’t the NFL Combine. It wasn’t the Senior Bowl. But it may very well have been the next best thing: yesterday was the Pro Day for the Alabama Crimson Tide program. And Alabama, as they usually are, is absolutely loaded with NFL Draft prospects in 2020. QB Mac Jones, RB Najee Harris, WRs Jaylen Waddle & DeVonta Smith, linemen such as Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown and Landon Dickerson — and that is just on the offensive side of the football. And the vast majority of those names? Expected to be top-50 selections when it is all said and done.
And for the Miami Dolphins, knowing this group intimately is an important obligation. Because the Dolphins, as things currently stand, own four of the first top-50 picks; meaning they’ll have plenty of chances to draft Alabama players. General manager Chris Grier seemed to get the memo — he was reportedly in Tuscaloosa amid a sea of general managers from across the league (8 in total) who were reported to be there in person.
RSVPs for Alabama's Pro Day today: Bengals GM Duke Tobin, Bills GM Brandon Beane, Broncos GM George Paton, Cardinals GM Steve Keim, Colts GM Chris Ballard and HC Frank Reich, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, Dolphins GM Chris Grier (1/2)
— Andrew Groover (@APGroover) March 23, 2021
Given the fruits of Miami’s 2020 efforts with drafting Alabama players and the pressure the Dolphins face to build a strong supporting cast around QB Tua Tagovailoa, perhaps a repeat of last year’s draft class is in order. Remember, the Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with their first pick and nose tackle Raekwon Davis with their final pick in the 2nd-round. Davis obliged by playing as one of the more physically dominant defenders in the Dolphins’ front seven down the stretch.
Many of Miami’s ideal targets from Alabama, such as Jaylen Waddle, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith, did not partake in any of the testing or on-field activities. But the tape on these three first-round candidates speaks for itself. Who else may have caught Grier’s eye is where the real intrigue comes into play. But one thing amid the questions that we do know is that Grier will have no shortage of former Crimson Tide players to choose from next month when the Dolphins are on the clock.