Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down Alabama players ahead of NFL draft

In two weeks' time, the next wave of Alabama players will make their way to the NFL. This year’s Crimson Tide draft class has the chance to be historic as seven players have been mentioned as possible first-round picks.

LSU set the SEC record with five first-rounders in last year’s draft while Miami holds the all-time mark with six players selected in the first round in 2004.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has six Alabama players projected to go in the first round of his Mock Draft 4.0 released this week. Kiper’s projected Crimson Tide first-rounders included quarterback Mac Jones (No. 3, San Francisco 49ers), receiver DeVonta Smith (No. 8 Carolina Panthers), receiver Jaylen Waddle (No. 11 New York Giants), cornerback Patrick Surtain II (No. 12, Philadelphia Eagles), running back Najee Harris (No. 24, Pittsburgh Steelers) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (No. 32, Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The two-round mock also includes offensive lineman Landon Dickerson, who is projected to go No. 39 overall to the Panthers.

Thursday, Kiper took part in a conference call with reporters discussing his latest mock draft. Here’s what he had to say about Alabama’s draft hopefuls.

“What makes him attractive is the incredible intelligence. Some guys are smart, and some guys are just off-the-chart intelligent. It’s the way he gets the plays, communicates the plays. The way he picks up offenses and concepts and all the things he does so quickly. At the Senior Bowl it was amazing what he did down there and how accurate he is throwing the football.

“So you can say, super, super intelligent, super, super accurate, super competitive, then that’s all the things that allowed Tom Brady to be successful. … I think Tom Brady really helped Mac Jones, and he’s helped a lot of quarterbacks along the way. You don’t have to have dual-threat quarterbacks to be effective. Drew Brees was still playing really well in his late 30s, even at 41. Look what Tom Brady did, led his team to a Super Bowl win at 44. So you don’t have to be a dual-threat guy to be attractive.

“Mac Jones — because of the incredible intelligence and the incredible accuracy and the way he maneuvers in the pocket — even though he’s not the gifted athlete some of these other guys are, he works the pocket extremely well. He gets the ball out quick. That’s why some of these offensive linemen didn’t have sacks allowed because he got the ball out of his hands and he recognizes coverages so well. So there’s a lot to like about Mac Jones even though he’s not the gifted dual-threat quarterback like some of the other guys.”

"I don’t necessarily think Barmore’s a guarantee to be there for the Buccaneers. I had a thought about moving him up higher. There’s talk he could even go around that 20-23 area. He finishes. He gets sacks, and that’s what you want in a defensive lineman now. With his size and his length, he’s not a stay-at-home type. This guy gets after the quarterback.”

“They’re intriguing because they have that versatility. DeVonta, 50 percent of his catches were at the slot, 50 percent were outside. He had punt-return ability. Waddle was a great punt returner and an impactful slot guy who is a coast-to-coast player. You look at how compact he is, how explosive he is, how competitive he is. Then you’ve got the Splendid Splinter too in DeVonta Smith.

"They’re both great, and they have pushed each other. They’re both remarkable talents and remarkable workers. To see Waddle out there battling with a fractured ankle, coming back from that, and still had three catches in that championship [against Ohio State], shows you what he meant to that Alabama team.

“I love them both. I think one of those two could drop a little because other players get pushed up and a receiver may drop. It’s possible at 12 you could see one of those two or at 11 for the Giants. It wouldn’t shock me if Waddle went before Smith because they’re both great players and Waddle is also a phenomenal punt returner. … So was DeVonta. DeVonta returned a punt this year for a touchdown. I love them both, and I think they’re two of the five best players in this draft.”

"He got better every year. He’s got that spin move. He kept the chains moving. He finished. He caught the ball — wheel routes, not just the dump-offs. He blocks, helps out the quarterback in protection — last line of defense, he holds up well there. He doesn’t fumble, doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s just a complete running back. Great attitude, always gave credit to the offensive line. Loves to play the game. Has great versatility, patience as a runner. He breaks tackles, keeps his balance.

“I think he’s a Pittsburgh Steeler type running back or a [Buffalo] Bills type. He could go in the late first round.”