Clint Lamb and Brett Hudson recap the Citrus Bowl, as well as Dylan Moses and Alex Leatherwood returning to Tuscaloosa.
Cecil Hurt and Clint Lamb, through TideSports.com and The Tuscaloosa News, produce a podcast called “The ‘Bama Beat”, which features all the latest news and analysis surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In this episode, Lamb sits down with Brett Hudson to recap Alabama’s 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. The two then turn their attention to the recent decisions from Dylan Moses and Alex Leatherwood to return to Tuscaloosa for their senior seasons.
Alabama right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has decided to forgo his senior season in Tuscaloosa and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft, according to an announcement he made via his Twitter account on Saturday. In the tweet, the junior offensive lineman made …
Alabama right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has decided to forgo his senior season in Tuscaloosa and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft, according to an announcement he made via his Twitter account on Saturday.
In the tweet, the junior offensive lineman made strong references to his amazing journey and wanted to “say thank you to the University of Alabama for an unbelievable experience the last 3 years of my life”.
Alabama has received some spectacular news over the last few days with the return of star linebacker Dylan Moses and offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood. But it does hurt to lose a player as talented as Wills.
Kyle Crabbs, NFL draft analyst for The Draft Network, released his latest big board on Saturday. Wills was listed as the No. 8 overall prospect, the No. 1 offensive tackle and the No. 3 player from Alabama — Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 and Jerry Jeudy at No. 6.
It’s possible that former five-star offensive tackle Evan Neal, who started at left guard during his first season in Tuscaloosa, kicks out to right tackle to replace Wills in the starting lineup.
The 2020 Draft is down one potential top pick along the offensive line, losing Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood — a potential Dolphins fit.
The Miami Dolphins, as anyone who watched the team last year would tell you, have a lot more needs on this roster than just finding a quarterback of the future. Unfortunately, Miami’s stripped down roster is in dire need of help along the trenches, in the secondary and in the backfield. It’s a good thing the Dolphins stocked up on all those picks — right?
But even when the picks are added up in your favor, sometimes the ball bounces the other way. Such was the case when Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa injured his hip, casting his future and eligibility for the 2020 NFL Draft into question. And now the football factory that is the Alabama Crimson Tide is looking to retain their draft-eligible players for another chance to run it back in 2020 and make a run at the National Championship the team missed out on this season.
The first few dominoes have fallen, but none more relevant to the Dolphins than offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood announcing a return to school in 2020. Leatherwood was generally regarded as a top-50 NFL Draft prospect in 2020 by draft pundits and has experience playing both left tackle and right guard — which would have made him an appealing prospect for the Miami Dolphins, given their holes at both spots on the roster.
The underclassmen declaration deadline is still about two weeks out, so there’s going to be more heartbreak on the pro front as potential high picks spurn the league for another chance to play college ball again next season.
Fortunately the offensive line talent is plentiful in 2020 and the Dolphins should have no issue finding a suitable upgrade in the draft — but the loss of Leatherwood in the player pool will slightly increase the urgency of teams atop the draft to land their plug and play starters up front on the line.
One of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country is returning to school for one more year.
Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood is passing up the 2020 NFL draft to play his senior season for the Crimson Tide. Leatherwood made the announcement via social media Thursday.
Widely regarded as a potential first-round pick in the 2020 draft class, Leatherwood’s decision to return for his senior season will give him a chance to refine his game and boost his draft stock even further. A strong performance in 2020 could make him a first-round lock heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
The Draft Network, a site dedicated to analyzing, predicting and breaking down the NFL Draft, has started putting out mock drafts ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. Their most recent mock draft, this time from Joe Marino, has a total of eight Alabama …
The Draft Network, a site dedicated to analyzing, predicting and breaking down the NFL Draft, has started putting out mock drafts ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Here’s where Marino believes members of the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide will start their NFL careers:
3. Miami Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa, QB
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Marino believes that the unfortunate injuries Tagovailoa has sustained late in his Junior season aided the struggling Miami Dolphins win the ‘Tank for Tua’ sweepstakes.
7. New York Jets – Jedrick Wills, OT
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The reasoning behind this pick: Sam Darnold can’t throw if Sam Darnold keeps getting sacked. He needs protection, and Wills is one of the best at offering it in this draft class.
10. Denver Broncos – Jerry Jeudy, WR
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Jerry Jeudy’s route-running paired with a healthy Drew Locke? Sounds like an SEC Football reunion in Denver. Can the Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton combo replace the elite Denver duo that was Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas?
13. Oakland Raiders – Henry Ruggs III, WR
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Marino’s reasoning for this pick has nothing to do with how well Ruggs would fit into the Raiders’ offensive scheme, but rather how big of a weapon he would be on an offense with his speed and versatility.
14. Cleveland Browns – Alex Leatherwood, OT
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Much like the Jets’ pick of Jedrick Wills earlier in the draft, this is a team with offensive talent and promise, but they are no use if Baker Mayfield can’t get the ball off without getting hit. If the Browns want to protect Mayfield, Leatherwood is their guy.
27. New Orleans Saints – Dylan Moses, LB
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Marino recognizes the fact that Moses didn’t play a single snap in the 2019 season due to injury, but cites that it shouldn’t hinder his draft stock because of how well he’s played in previous years. He believes Moses will fill a hole the Saints have in the secondary.
28. San Francisco 49ers – Xavier McKinney, S
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Marino believes that McKinney could offer some versatility to the secondary that the 49ers need. He cites the different skillsets McKinney has learned while at Alabama which could make him a valuable asset to the San Fransisco defense.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Terrell Lewis, EDGE
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Would the Ravens really be the Ravens if they didn’t at least consider and Alabama player for their first round pick? Marino doesn’t believe so. He also feels that Lewis could be a big help for the ravens defense as a monster with the blitz.
CBS Sports’ NFL draft analyst Chris Trapasso has released his most recent mock draft for the 2020 NFL Draft. In this mock draft, Trapasso has a player named for all 32 picks in the first round, along with his reasons why he believes that player is …
In this mock draft, Trapasso has a player named for all 32 picks in the first round, along with his reasons why he believes that player is best suited for that team.
He did not hold back on his belief that the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide football team was loaded with first round talent as he has five draft-eligible Crimson Tide players going in the first round.
Here’s where those players lined up:
4. Washington Redskins – Jerry Jeudy, WR
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Trapasso believes that this selection for the struggling Redskins is more of a “best available player” situation. This selection should be beneficial to the team as it’s offense lacks any strength in the receiving corps which would offer some much needed help to Washington’s 2019 first round-pick Dwayne Haskins.
