Alabama spring practice position preview - Defensive backs

Alabama entered last spring with a wealth of depth at secondary. However, that soon evaporated following the transfers of cornerbacks Maurice Smith and Kendall Sheffield as well as safety Shawn Burgess Becker. Those departures particularly stung as the Crimson Tide was later forced to deal with the loss of starting safety Eddie Jackson, who broke his leg during the game against Texas A&M.

While inconvenient, the shortage of numbers in the secondary forced players into new roles, which created a versatility across the unit. That should come in handy this season for the Tide, as it once again tries to compensate for a lack of depth.

Alabama will lose Jackson as well as starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who declared early for the NFL Draft. While the Tide has had half a season to prepare for Jackson's departure, losing Humphrey, a projected first-round pick, will be a tough task. Fortunately for Alabama, it has plenty of talent returning, including a first team All-American in Minkah Fitzpatrick.

* Take a look at our projected depth chart for the 2017 season

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Linebackers

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Defensive line

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Offensive line

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Wide receivers and Tight ends

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Quarterbacks

* Alabama spring practice position preview - Running backs

Below is a breakdown of how the secondary race will play out and who will come out on top: