Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II declares for 2021 NFL draft

Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II is leaving school early to enter the 2021 NFL draft

One of the top cornerback prospects in the country is leaving school early for the next level.

Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II has declared for the 2021 NFL draft, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

The son of a Pro Bowl cornerback, Surtain has made his dad proud with a stellar college career, and could easily end up being the first player selected at his position in this year’s draft.

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Multiple Alabama underclassmen declare for the 2021 NFL Draft

The Alabama Crimson Tide saw four of its underclassmen choose to forgo their final year of eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

Alabama is used to dealing with early entrants into the NFL draft. Every year, the Crimson Tide loses 3-5 guys who choose to forgo their remaining college eligibility for a chance at going pro.

Well, that has proven to be the case once again. On Thursday, four players have announced their decision to leave the Alabama program early. Who are those four players? Check it out below.

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How did Justin Fields, other potential Jets draft picks do in the National Championship?

Jets Wire takes a look at how potential Jets draft picks, including Justin Fields, performed during Monday’s National Championship game.

Monday’s National Championship gave the Jets a glimpse at college football’s two best teams on the biggest stage.

With Alabama winning in a 52-24 rout, there’s not a lot that can be taken from Ohio State’s performance, especially with Justin Fields being in the cards for the Jets at No. 2.  Prospects that could potentially be on the Jets’ radar — Wyatt Davis and Trey Sermon — were unable to finish the game for the Buckeyes, as they both suffered significant injuries.

Still, Monday’s contest was the latest opportunity for the Jets to scout some of the nation’s top prospects. With that said, let’s take a look at how some potential Jets draft picks performed in the National Championship.

2021 NFL Draft: 17 prospects in the CFB Playoff National Championship for the Eagles to watch

2021 NFL Draft: 17 prospects in the CFB Playoff National Championship for the Eagles to watch

No college footbal programs have produced more NFL Draft picks than Alabama (48) and Ohio State (45) over the past five years and despite the Eagles penchant for passing on Crimson Tide stars, they have a handful of players to watch in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship game all the more interesting.

With the Eagles holding the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, here are 17 players for the Birds to watch.

Howie Roseman on the Eagles need to hit on the 6th pick in the draft

Eagles GM Howie Roseman knows the No. 6 pick in the draft is important and told the media that Philadelphia needs to hit on the pick

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The Philadelphia Eagles are not among the 14 teams slated to participate in the NFL playoffs this weekend, so that means early draft preparation can begin.

During his end of season exit meeting with the media on Monday, GM Howie Roseman addressed the Eagles quarterback controversy and the need to add more talent to the roster.

When the topic of talent evaluation was broached, Roseman was the first to admit that there have been missteps in the draft process.

When asked about the 2021 NFL Draft — where the Eagles hold the No. 6 overall pick — Roseman admitted that he really needs to “hit on the pick”.

“We’ve had a lot of draft picks here who have done a really good job and we have to get back to that and make sure we attack this offseason,” Roseman said. “This is, really, besides 2012, we haven’t picked because of earning it in the top 10, we obviously traded up for Carson, but we didn’t start that year, either that way. That’s something we have to hit on, the sixth pick in the draft, in a huge, huge way, and I think that we have the right people to do that. I know that we’re going to be incredibly focused on not only that pick, but the other picks we’ll have in this draft and hopefully we’ll have a bunch of picks and we’ll go from there.”

The 4-11-1 Eagles have holes all over the roster, but the top player’s available figure to center around Ja’Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith, and Patrick Surtain II.

The wildcard in the process could center around reports that Philadelphia could consider drafting a quarterback at No. 6 overall, further complicating things at the NovaCare Complex.

The process has just begun.

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How did Patrick Surtain II, other potential Eagles draft picks do in major bowl games?

How did Patrick Surtain II, other potential Eagles draft picks do in major bowl games?

The College Football Playoffs kicked off on Friday and with the Eagles eliminated from playoff contention, the focus is now on stockpiling young talent.

The Eagles will either pick at No. 6 or No. 9 overall and several key needs could be available depending on what the Bengals do at No. 5 overall.

Eagles fans are clamoring for Ja’Marr Chase at No. 6 overall, but names like Patrick Surtain II and DeVonta Smith could change Philadelphia’s fortunes as well.

Here’s how some of the top Eagles targets performed in major bowl games.

How did Justin Fields, other potential Jets draft picks do in major bowl games?

Jets Wire takes a look at how potential Jets draft picks, including Justin Fields, performed in major bowl games.

Friday’s New Year’s Six bowl games were a possible look into the future for Jets fans.

The nation’s top prospects, including two of the country’s top quarterback prospects, were in action. With New York strapped with draft capital, it will have a chance to plug multiple holes throughout April’s draft. Friday was an opportunity for Joe Douglas to dig further into his scouting operation and there could very well be a new frontrunner for the No. 2 pick.

With that said, let’s take a look at how some potential Jets draft picks performed in the major bowl games on Friday.

Alabama lands eight players on AP All-America team

The Alabama Crimson Tide ran through the first SEC-only schedule in history with an 11-0 mark and No. 1 overall ranking in the College

The Alabama Crimson Tide ran through the first SEC-only schedule in history with an 11-0 mark and No. 1 overall ranking in the College Football Playoff.

With such team success comes plenty of individual success, too. The Crimson Tide dominated the All-SEC teams last week and, on Monday, the AP released its All-American team, and, as expected, featured plenty of Alabama stars.

Quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, center Landon Dickerson and cornerback Patrick Surtain II were all first-team selections.

Defensive lineman Christian Barmore and linebacker Dylan Moses were third-team selections on defense.

Jones, Harris and Smith on the first team is the first time since 1980 that a quarterback, running back and wide receiver from the same team all made first-team All-American.

Just last week, Jones and Smith were named finalists for the Heisman Trophy with Harris just outside the top four. Smith was also named SEC offensive player of the year.

The Crimson Tide play No. 4 Notre Dame on Friday in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

 

How many Alabama stars go in first round in latest USA TODAY mock draft?

Since Nick Saban took over as Alabama coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have become a factory for producing NFL players

Since Nick Saban took over as Alabama coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide have become a factory for producing NFL players — especially first-round picks.

Beginning in 2019, when Andre Smith went No. 6 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, Alabama has 33 first-round picks in the previous 12 NFL drafts.

During that time, the Crimson Tide have won six SEC titles and five national championships.

The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide currently sit at 6-0 on the season and are ranked No. 1 in the country. And despite all of that success in the past 12 seasons, Alabama could have its most first-round picks in a single draft coming in 2021.

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY Sports recently unveiled his midseason mock draft, and he has five Alabama stars going in the round.

Cornerback Patrick Surtain II is the earliest selection, going No. 4 overall to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas chose Surtain’s former teammate, Trevon Diggs, in 2019.

Next, is wide receiver Jaylen Waddle going No. 11 to the Detroit Lions. Waddle solidified his draft stock before a broken ankle ended his outstanding 2020 season.

In back-to-back picks at No. 22 and No. 23, the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders went with Alex Leatherwood and Christian Barmore, respectively.

The final Alabama player selected in Middlehurst-Schwartz’s midseason mock draft is linebacker Dylan Moses to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at No. 31.

Surprisingly, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones — the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy —was not in the one-round mock draft. Five quarterbacks did go in the first round, though.

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Alabama football countdown: 2 days until kickoff

We are 2 days from Alabama football kicking off its season on the road against the Missouri Tigers to start a 10-game, SEC only schedule.

There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding college football over the last couple of months, but as of right now, the season still looks like it’s a go for the SEC, ACC and Big 12.

So, what does that mean? It means that we can continue the Countdown to Kickoff en route to the Crimson Tide — and the rest of the SEC — getting things underway on Sept. 26.

With it now being Sept. 24, we are officially 2 days away from the start!

Junior cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the lone returning starter in the secondary from 2019, has worn the No. 2 for Alabama throughout his career. Sophomore running Keilan Robinson, who is still currently listed on the Tide’s roster, also wears the number.

Keilan Robinson
Sep 28, 2019; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Keilan Robinson (2) carries up the field against Mississippi Rebels linebacker Qaadir Sheppard (97) during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

2020 Alabama football schedule

  • Sept. 26 at Missouri (Columbia, Mizz.)
  • Oct. 3 vs. Texas A&M (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 10 at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
  • Oct. 17 vs. Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 24 at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
  • Oct. 31 vs. Miss State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 14 at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
  • No. 21 vs. Kentucky (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 28 vs. Auburn (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Dec. 5 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.)

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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