Alabama mock draft roundup following the Super Bowl

It’s officially NFL draft season. Following Sunday’s Super Bowl, this year’s draft order has been finalized. While we still have two and a half more months until the first pick is made, mock drafts are in full flow.

The general consensus is that Alabama will have four players selected in the first round, as edge rusher Dallas Turner, offensive lineman J.C. Latham and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry find themselves high on most projected draft boards. Edge rusher Chris Braswell is also in contention to hear his name called on Day 1. However, he projects as a second-round pick at the moment.

To get a feel for where Alabama’s biggest stars will land next April, Tide Illustrated has compiled a list of seven recent mock drafts following the Super Bowl

Who we used: Pro Football Focus (Trevor Sikkema), Pro Football Network (Tony Catalina), SB Nation (Joseph Acosta), Tankathon (Staff), The Athletic (Nick Baumgardner), USA TODAY (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz), 33rd Team (Connor Livesay).

Pro Football Focus: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

Pro Football Network: No. 9 overall (Round 1), Chicago Bears

SB Nation: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

Tankathon: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

The Athletic: No. 11 overall (Round 1), Minnesota Vikings

USA TODAY: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

33rd Team: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

Combined average: 8.57

Outlook: Five out of the seven mock drafts we used had Turner projected to the Atlanta Falcons. That makes sense, provided the Falcons don’t trade up to select a quarterback.

While the top few picks figure to come on the offensive side of the ball, Turner is in strong position to be the first defender off the board. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound edge rusher earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, registering 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 13 quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles over 14 games.

Turner’s not as polished as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. was when he was selected No. 3 overall by the Texans last year. However, he has all the tools to be successful at the next level.

Pro Football Focus: No. 15 overall (Round 1), Indianapolis Colts

Pro Football Network: No. 8 overall (Round 1), Atlanta Falcons

SB Nation: No. 15 overall (Round 1), Indianapolis Colts

Tankathon: No. 13 overall (Round 1), Las Vegas Raiders

The Athletic: No. 15 overall (Round 1), Indianapolis Colts

USA TODAY: No. 17 overall (Round 1), Jacksonville Jaguars

33rd Team: No. 13 overall (Round 1), Las Vegas Raiders

Combined average: 13.71

Outlook: Several draft analysts have Arnold as the top cornerback in this year’s class. If that projection holds up in April, he should come off the board within the first 15 picks of the draft.

Arnold has everything NFL teams look for at the cornerback position. Listed at 6-foot, 196 pounds, he has nice size for the position. He couples that with elite ball skills and a physical presence. During his first full season as a starter last year, he tallied a team-high 12 pass breakups and five interceptions while holding opposing passers to a stingy 50.7 NFL quarterback rating on balls thrown his way.

Along with manning the cornerback position, Arnold has the ability to move inside to the slot or drop back deep and play safety. His first look at the next level will come on the perimeter, but his versatility only adds to his value.

Pro Football Focus: No. 7 overall (Round 1), Tennessee Titans

Pro Football Network: No. 13 overall (Round 1), Las Vegas Raiders

SB Nation: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Cincinnati Bengals

Tankathon: No. 17 overall (Round 1), Jacksonville Jaguars

The Athletic: No. 10 overall (Round 1), New York Jets

USA TODAY: No. 14 overall (Round 1), New Orleans Saints

33rd Team: No. 18 overall (Round 1), Cincinnati Bengals

Combined average: 13.85

Outlook: Notre Dame’s Joe Alt is the top-rated tackle on the board, but it’s an open battle after that. If Latham can convince NFL teams he’s the No. 2 tackle, he could end up sneaking into the top 10.

As far as the top 10 is concerned, the New York Giants, (No. 6), Tennessee Titans (No. 7) and New York Jets (No. 10) all have the tackle position high on their draft needs. Las Vegas (No. 13) and New Orleans (No. 14) are also possibilities if they fail in their attempts to land a quarterback.

Latham’s main competition at the tackle position includes’ Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. Where he ends up among that trio will likely determine whether he’s an early first-round pick or falls to the middle of the round.

Pro Football Focus: No. 22 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles

Pro Football Network: No. 11 overall (Round 1), Minnesota Vikings

SB Nation: No. 23 overall (Round 1), Houston Texans

Tankathon: No. 22 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles

The Athletic: No. 29 overall (Round 1), Detroit Lions

USA TODAY: No. 23 overall (Round 1), Houston Texans

33rd Team: No. 22 overall (Round 1), Philadelphia Eagles

Combined average: 21.71

Outlook: McKinstry isn’t the top-10 pick some projected him to be ahead of last season. However, the five-star talent should still hear his name called on Day 1.

McKinstry, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, has nice size for the cornerback position. He’s also coming off a productive junior season where he recorded seven pass breakups on just 39 balls thrown his way.

Houston is a popularly-projected landing place for McKinstry. That would pair him up across from fellow five-star talent Derek Stingley Jr. while reuniting him with Anderson, his former Alabama teammate.

Pro Football Focus: No. 45 overall (Round 2), New Orleans Saints

SB Nation: No. 29 overall (Round 1), Detroit Lions

Tankathon: No. 46 overall (Round 2), Indianapolis Colts

The Athletic: No. 52 overall (Round 2), Los Angeles Rams

33rd Team: No. 36 overall (Round 2), Washington Commanders

Combined average: 41.6

Outlook: Braswell is trending in the right direction. Could a big performance at the NFL scouting combine next month help him climb into the first round?

After waiting behind Anderson and Turner earlier in his career, Braswell was finally given the opportunity to step into a bigger role last season. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher didn’t disappoint either, recording 8.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss to go with five quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.

33rd Team: No. 59 overall (Round 2), Houston Texans

Outlook: Consistency was a problem at times for Jermaine Burton, but the Georgia transfer still led Alabama in receiving each of the past two seasons.

Last year, the 6-foot, 194-pound receiver averaged 20.46 yards per catch, recording 798 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. While a second-round projection seems a bit high, his deep-ball potential and ability to beat defenders in the air could certainly see him hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft.