The 2025 NFL draft is still a long time from now. Before then, we must first get through the 2024 seasons for both the NFL and college football. However, mock drafts can give fans an idea of which players are on the first-round radar. For the Alabama Crimson Tide, there’s only one.
According to NFL draft expert Matt Miller of ESPN, star Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe is not projected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 draft. Instead, Miller believes offensive lineman Tyler Booker is a player to look out for.
In Miller’s way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft (subscription required), Booker is projected to land with the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 29 overall pick.
“The Ravens lost guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler to free agency and did very little to replace them, relying now on backup Ben Cleveland and former seventh-rounder Andrew Vorhees,” writes Miller. “Booker, meanwhile, is the best guard in the nation and would have likely been the top true guard in the 2024 draft class had he been eligible. He’s powerful and pancakes defensive linemen with ease. In 2023, he surrendered just four pressures and one sack over 13 starts at left guard. This is the type of no-nonsense interior blocker whom the Ravens covet.”
There’s no doubt that Booker has the talent to be a first-round selection. His name has consistently appeared in early mock drafts. However, it does come as somewhat of a surprise to see Milroe’s name excluded from the first 32 picks.
Numerous quarterbacks from programs all across the nation are referenced in the mock draft, including some from SEC rivals.
It is important to mention a few things to fans who wonder why Milroe was left off. First of all, this is a projection. It’s very early and even mock drafts that are done just hours before the actual draft are off by a fair number of picks. Also, Milroe is a talented quarterback who steadily improved throughout the 2023 season. Under Kalen DeBoer in 2024, he will surely have all the tools needed to excel. Expect projections to change, it’s natural.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news and projections as the 2024 college football season approaches.
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