With the Super Bowl out of the way, several major mock drafts were updated this week. As expected, Alabama was well-represented with as many as eight former Crimson Tide players projected to be selected in the first round.
Today, BamaInsider compiled a list of nine major mock drafts to show where Alabama players could wind up in this year’s NFL Draft.
Who we used: Bleacher Report (Brent Sobleski), CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson), Draft Wire (Luke Easterling), ESPN (Todd McShay), NBC Sports (Dalton Johnson and Josh Schrock), NFL.com (Chad Reuter), Pro Football Focus (Michael Renner), Sports Illustrated (Alex Gilstrap) and Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer).
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver
DeVonta Smith will likely be the first Alabama player off the board in this year’s draft. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is a bit undersized at the receiver position but has proven himself enough over the past two seasons to where his slight frame shouldn’t be too much of an issue for NFL teams. Smith is capable of playing both on the perimeter and in the slot. He also showed he can be a weapon on special teams last season.
Bleacher Report: No. 11 overall (Round 1), New York Giants
CBS Sports: No. 5 overall (Round 1), Cincinnati Bengals
Draft Wire: No. 6 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles
ESPN: No. 7 overall (Round 1), Detroit Lions
NBC Sports: No. 6 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles
NFL.com: No. 11 overall (Round 1), New York Giants
Pro Football Focus: No. 6 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles
Sports Illustrated: No. 3 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
Sporting News: No. 6 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles
Patrick Surtain II, cornerback
Patrick Surtain II will likely be the first Alabama defender off the board and has an outside chance of being the first Crimson Tide player selected. Listed at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, the former five-star recruit has the size and ball skills to develop into one of the league’s premier cornerbacks. NFL teams will also like his pedigree as he is the son of three-time Pro Bowler Patrick Surtain.
Bleacher Report: No. 12 overall (Round 1), San Francisco 49ers
CBS Sports: No. 19 overall (Round 1), Indianapolis Colts
Draft Wire: No. 10 overall (Round 1), Dallas Cowboys
ESPN: No. 9 overall (Round 1), Denver Broncos
NBC Sports: No. 9 overall (Round 1), Denver Broncos
NFL.com: No. 6 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles
Pro Football Focus: No. 11 overall (Round 1), New York Giants
Sports Illustrated: No. 9 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons
Sporting News: No. 12 overall (Round 1), San Francisco 49ers
Jaylen Waddle, wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle might be the most dynamic player in this year’s draft. If not for an ankle injury that kept him out of eight games last season, the speedster might have been the first receiver off the board. Waddle was able to return in time for the national championship game on Jan. 11 and should be fully recovered to participate in Alabama’s Pro Day on March 23. Last year, NFL teams salivated over Henry Ruggs III’s sub-4.3 time in the 40-yard dash. If Waddle can post a similar number next month, his stock could skyrocket.
Bleacher Report: No. 16 overall (Round 1), Arizona Cardinals
CBS Sports: No. 12 overall (Round 1), San Francisco 49ers
Draft Wire: No. 15 overall (Round 1), New England Patriots
ESPN: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
NBC Sports: No. 16 overall (Round 1), Arizona Cardinals
NFL.com: No. 16 overall (Round 1), Arizona Cardinals
Pro Football Focus: No. 15 overall (Round 1), New England Patriots
Sports Illustrated: No. 7 overall (Round 1), Detroit Lions
Sporting News: No. 7 overall (Round 1), Detroit Lions
Mac Jones, quarterback
Mac Jones’ draft stock is soaring at the moment. The Davey O’Brien Award winner followed up his record-breaking season with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl last month and is now being heavily projected to land somewhere in the top 20 picks. Jones is a member of a stacked quarterback class and that also features Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. While the Alabama quarterback doesn’t have the same mobility as the other members of that group, he has the decision making and accuracy to excel at the next level.
Bleacher Report: No. 15 overall (Round 1), New England Patriots
CBS Sports: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Carolina Panthers
Draft Wire: No. 19 overall (Round 1), Washington Football Team
ESPN: No. 12 overall (Round 1), Chicago Bears
NBC Sports: No. 15 overall (Round 1), New England Patriots
NFL.com: No. 14 overall (Round 1), Washington Football Team
Pro Football Focus: No. 28 overall (Round 1), New Orleans Saints
Sporting News: No. 19 overall (Round 1), Washington Football Team
Najee Harris, running back
Najee Harris elected to return to Alabama for his senior season in hopes of improving his draft status. That turned out to be a wise decision. The Doak Walker Award winner is competing with Clemson’s Travis Ettiene to be the first running back off the board. Harris has exceptional athleticism to go with a 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame. He should become one of the NFL's best backs upon entering the league and could be the missing piece for a contender late in the first round.
Bleacher Report: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
CBS Sports: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
Draft Wire: No. 24 overall (Round 1), Pittsburg Steelers
ESPN: No. 30 overall (Round 1), Buffalo Bills
NBC Sports: No. 30 overall (Round 1), Buffalo Bills
NFL.com: No. 23 overall (Round 1), New York Jets
Pro Football Focus: No. 32 overall (Round 1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sports Illustrated: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
Sporting News: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Miami Dolphins
Christian Barmore, defensive lineman
Christian Barmore burst onto the scene last season, leading Alabama with eight sacks while finishing third on the team with 9.5 tackles for a loss. Listed at 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, the defensive lineman provides a similarly explosive inside pass rush to former Alabama first-rounder Quinnen Williams. Barmore struggled with consistency at times during his college career but finished on a high note, tallying at least one sack in five of his last six games. He’s Alabama’s biggest wildcard in this year’s draft as he’s been mocked as high as the top-15 by some and out of the first round by others.
Bleacher Report: No. 30 overall (Round 1), Buffalo Bills
CBS Sports: No. 14 overall (Round 1), Minnesota Vikings
Draft Wire: No. 32 overall (Round 1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
ESPN: No. 32 overall (Round 1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NBC Sports: No. 17 overall (Round 1), Las Vegas Raiders
NFL.com: No. 42 overall (Round 2), New York Giants
Pro Football Focus: No. 14 overall (Round 1), Minnesota Vikings
Pro Football Network: No. 17 overall (Round 1), Las Vegas Raiders
Sports Illustrated: No. 25 overall (Round 1), Jacksonville, Jaguars
Sporting News: No. 20 overall (Round 1), Chicago Bears
Alex Leatherwood, offensive lineman
Alex Leatherwood is another player who saw his stock rise after electing to return for his senior year. The Outland Trophy winner earned a 79.4 offensive grade, including an 84.5 run-blocking mark and a 72.5 pass-blocking mark from Pro Football Focus. He allowed just three sacks over 423 pass-blocking snaps. There’s been some question as to whether the 6-foot-6, 310-pound lineman will remain at tackle at the next level. How teams view him in that that regard might determine whether or not he is able to break into the first round.
Bleacher Report: No. 24 overall (Round 1), Pittsburgh Steelers
Draft Wire: No. 20 overall (Round 1), Chicago Bears
NFL.com: No. 56 overall (Round 2), Seattle Seahawks
Sports Illustrated: No. 31 overall (Round 1), Kansas City Chiefs
Landon Dickerson, offensive linemen
Landon Dickerson served as the leader of an Alabama offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award last season. The Rimington Trophy winner was the Tide’s highest-graded offensive lineman, recording a 91.3 offensive grade, including a 92.8 run-blocking mark and a 76.2 pass-blocking mark according to Pro Football Focus. Dickerson suffered a knee injury during the SEC Championship Game in December which kept him out of the Tide’s run in the College Football Playoff. It’s uncertain how much that will affect his draft status moving forward. Regardless, the center’s blue-collar approach on and off the field should be a hit with NFL scouts.
Draft Wire: No. 27 overall (Round 1), Baltimore Ravens
NFL.com: No. 36 overall (Round 2), Miami Dolphins
Deonte Brown, offensive lineman
They don’t make them much bigger than Deonte Brown. The mammoth offensive lineman measured in at a whopping 6-foot-3, 364 pounds at the Senior Bowl last month. Brown’s massive size makes him hard to move at the line of scrimmage. He’s also shown a surprising amount of mobility. According to Pro Football Focus, he received a 77.2 pass-blocking grade and a 62.5 run-blocking grade last season.
Draft Wire: No. 43 overall (Round 2), San Francisco 49ers
Dylan Moses, linebacker
Once thought of as a sure-fire first-rounder Dylan Moses was never able to rebuild his draft stock after missing the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL. The inside linebacker admitted to playing through pain this past season but was still able to lead Alabama with 80 tackles. Moses served as Alabama’s signal-caller on defense last year. Given his football IQ and athleticism, the former five-star recruit could be one of the biggest steals of Day 2.
NFL.com: No. 66 overall (Round 3), New York Jets
