Clint Lamb and Brett Hudson finish up the spring position breakdown series for the Alabama Crimson Tide with the defensive line.
Clint Lamb and Brett Hudson finish up the spring position breakdown series for the Alabama Crimson Tide with the defensive line. How good can the group be? Will Christian Barmore become a full-time wrecking ball? Is this the deepest position on the roster? All those questions answered and more!
Hall of Fame NFL executive Gil Brandt listed his top-50 seniors in college football as we look ahead to the 2021 NFL draft.
Former Vice President of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys Gil Brandt took to Twitter to post a series of tweets listing his top-50 senior prospects for the 2021 NFL draft.
Football fans all across the country began looking into the 2021 draft as soon as the 2020 draft concluded. Brandt hopped on that bandwagon, not by making a mock draft, but by listing of seniors, who he feels will shine in the upcoming college football season, into the spotlight.
In Brandt’s list, three Alabama seniors get their name called.
My top SENIOR offensive linemen to watch this season:
Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame Matt Farniok, Nebraska Alex Leatherwood, Alabama Alaric Jackson, Iowa Walker Little, Stanford D’Ante Smith, East Carolina Trey Smith, Tennessee
Senior offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood made the list as one of two SEC linemen. Leatherwood decided to return for his senior season instead of joining Jedrick Wills by entering the NFL draft.
My top SENIOR wide receivers for the 2021 draft, in ABC order:
Tarik Black, Texas Nico Collins, Mich Damonte Coxie, Memphis Danny Davis III, Wisc Dez Fitzpatrick, Louisville Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU DeVonta Smith, Ala JD Spielman, Nebraska Tyler Vaughns, USC Tylan Wallace, OK St
There is only one SEC wide receiver listed and that is Alabama’s DeVonta Smith. Smith decided to return to Alabama for his senior season, it was unclear whether he would be a first-round draft choice or not. He will headline the Alabama wide receiver corps alongside junior Jaylen Waddle.
My top SENIOR running backs for the 2021 draft, in ABC order:
Travis Etienne, Clemson Chris Evans, Michigan Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State Najee Harris, Alabama Kylin Hill, Mississippi State Elijah Mitchell, La-Lafayette Trey Ragas, La-Lafayette Landry Rountree III, Missouri
The last member of the Crimson Tide to be named in Brandt’s top-50 is running back Najee Harris. Much like Leatherwood and Smith, Harris could have entered the NFL draft, but chose to wait one more year. Harris is one of three SEC running backs, the other two being Mississippi State’s Kylin Hill and Missouri’s Larry Rountree III.
Miller, like most draft analysts, understand that there will more than likely be an Alabama presence in the first round of the NFL draft…
NFL draft expert, Matt Miller with Bleacher Report, released his ‘way too early’ mock draft for the 2021 cycle.
Miller, like most draft analysts, understands that there will more than likely be another strong representation from Alabama standouts in the first round. Four Crimson Tide products heard their names called during the 2020 NFL Draft, after all.
In Miller’s first mock draft for 2021, seven different Alabama players were selected in the first round.
It’s important to note that we are still extremely far away from the next draft taking place. Some of the players mentioned are entering their junior season, which means they may elect to stay for their senior year rather than entering the draft.
Here’s where the former members of the Crimson Tide landed:
30: Baltimore Ravens – LaBryan Ray, IDL
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Miller claims that Ray is the second best defensive lineman in the 2021 draft class and the Ravens get a steal by selecting him this late in the first round.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Patrick Surtain II, CB
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Surtain is credited for having the NFL in his blood, but Miller also states that he is a fast and physical defensive back that is “tough to beat.”
Buckled up Jags fans, it appears the nation’s NFL analysts are projecting a bumpy season.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars had a solid 2020 NFL Draft and could have a solid nucleus after using all 12 of their picks this past weekend, many don’t believe they’ll be very good next year. In fact, the good folks at BetMGM feel as though the Jags have the slimmest chance to win Super Bowl LV, slotting them with odds of 150/1, which is tied with the Washington Redskins.
Of course, that has led many to believe the Jags will be picking first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft that will take place in Cleveland. Additionally, it has also connected them to the prospect who most draft pundits have down as their No. 1 prospect in Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Upon searching the web, it didn’t take long to find a few way-too-early mocks with the Jags taking the young Tiger. In fact, one that came across the Jags Wire’s Twitter timeline Saturday was by The Draft Network’s Trevor Sikkema, who also had the Jags getting Lawrence’s teammate Justyn Ross with their other first-round selection (from the Los Angeles Rams).
Gardner Minshew is the guy in Jacksonville for 2020. If the Jaguars are picking anywhere near the top, quarterback will be their biggest need; they’ll get the QB prospect NFL fans have been waiting for for years.
Lawrence to Justyn Ross sounds so good on the broadcasts, why break that up?
Talk about a pairing. While I’m more of a Justin Fields type of guy, Lawrence and Ross have done some phenomenal things on the collegiate level and Jags fans should have their popcorn ready if this happens.
Sporting News was another publication that has posted their way-too-soon mock and it bared the same result with the No. 1 overall pick, however, the Jags were able to land some defensive help with their other first-round selection.
The Jaguars may be sticking with Gardner Minshew. And with more potential departures to shake up their offensive and defensive rebuild, there’s a fair chance they will have the clear shot at Lawrence. Lawrence (6-6, 220 pounds) has lived up to the hype of being the best college talent at the position since John Elway with his arm, athleticism, accuracy and winning qualities. Already a top passer, he found his groove as a runner last season.
The Jaguars strongly consider linebacker, edge rusher and secondary in the 2020 draft, so it follows they would be more into this defensive position in 2021, looking to give third-round rookie Davon Hamilton a strong complement. Look for Ray to dominate during his final season with the Crimson Tide at 6-5, 292 pounds.
Just like the pairing of Lawrence and Ross, the pairing of LaBryan Ray and DaVon Hamilton sound pretty good two. After years of watching the pairing of John Henderson and Marcus Stroud, it would seem as though a lot of Jags fans could get behind this.
The crew over at CBS also have a 2021 way-too-soon mock up by Ryan Wilson. He spoke with analysts Barton Simmons and Pete Prisco (who knows the Jags very well). Prisco praised Lawrence as a very good quarterback and said he’s a better quarterback than 2020 first-round pick Joe Burrow, who Lawrence battled in the national championship.
CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson)
Of course, there is a lot of football to be played before we even try to start remotely predicting the Jags’ 2021 outlook but it does provide fans with a fun conversation to have.
This also doesn’t mean that Gardner Minshew II should be overlooked as he led the Jags to six wins in 2019. He’ll have some new weapons in draft selections Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson and will also have a new veteran tight end in Tyler Eifert to target if he can stay healthy. Add that with some more growth from Leonard Fournette and D.J. Chark, with the return of Josh Oliver, and it appears the Mississippi Mustache could really improve.
If he takes a big enough step, awesome, the Jags have their quarterback of the future. If not, that may not necessarily be a bad thing either as it could lead them to a front-row seat for the Lawrence or Fields show.
Alabama is currently preparing for the upcoming game against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl down in Orlando (Fla.), which is set to take place on New Year’s Day. With the excitement surrounding the early signing period on Wednesday, there hasn’t been …
Alabama is currently preparing for the upcoming game against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl down in Orlando (Fla.), which is set to take place on New Year’s Day.
With the excitement surrounding the early signing period on Wednesday, there hasn’t been much room for news outside of those developments. But Brett Hudson, beat writer for TideSports.com, did reveal something interesting on Thursday.
Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray, who has been dealing with foot injury since the South Carolina game in Week 3, was spotted by Hudson out on the practice on Thursday in a black, non-contact jersey:
This is excellent news for the Crimson Tide defense, which has struggled with consistency and injuries all season. Ray was considered one of the team’s top breakout candidates, and his added presence could be a major boost to the interior pass rush.
Now, it should be noted that we do not yet know what his status is going into the Citrus Bowl, so it’s possible that he still may not be fully back in time to play. But this is a surprising — and pleasant — development nonetheless.
Stay tuned for more updates on Ray and everything else Alabama related from Roll Tide Wire, brought to you by USA TODAY Sports!
