Alabama started the NFL Draft in style Thursday night as it tied Miami’s record of six first-round selections set in 2004.
The Crimson Tide accounted for 18.75 percent of the picks in this year’s first round. That included three selections inside the top 10 and five in the top 20.
Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith became Alabama’s second straight first-round duo at receiver as they went to Miami and Philadelphia respectively. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II will look to lock down Denver’s secondary, while Mac Jones will aim to take over the quarterback position from a pair of former Auburn players in New England. Offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood was perhaps Alabama’s biggest surprise landing in Las Vegas, while Pittsburgh made Najee Harris the first running back off the board.
Here’s a look at five Alabama takeaways on what was a historic night for the Tide.
Plenty of reunions
Reunions were the theme of the night as several Alabama players will once again be joining forces with former Tide teammates.
Tua Tagovailoa received a familiar weapon when the Dolphins selected Waddle with the No. 6 pick. During the duo’s two seasons together in Alabama from 2018-19, Waddle became a big-play threat for Tagovailoa. The speedy receiver will likely be one of the left-hander's favorite targets in Miami for years to come.
Smith will also be teaming up with his former college quarterback as he joins Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. Hurts hit Smith for the game-winning touchdown during Alabama’s 31-24 victory at Mississippi State in 2017. Entering his first full year as the Eagles starting quarterback, he’ll likely lean on the Heisman Trophy winner a lot this season.
Denver drafted an Alabama player in the first round for the second straight year as Surtain will be joining Jeudy with the Broncos. Meanwhile, Las Vegas has selected a Tide player in the first round in each of the last three drafts as Leatherwood will be blocking for his former teammates Ruggs and Josh Jacobs.
Even Mac Jones will have a familiar face in New England as he’ll be handing the ball off to good friend Damien Harris. The former Alabama back showed his excitement for the reunion shortly after Jones’ selection.
Outside of Alabama pairings, LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase will once again be catching passes from former Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Ettienne were both selected by the Jaguars.
The pick he was Jonesing for
Sure, Jones would have probably liked to be selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 3 overall pick. After all, higher picks not only come with more prestige but also a heftier payday. However, when it comes to scheme fits, the Alabama quarterback couldn’t be happier with his landing spot.
