Former Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 41st pick during the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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Carrying on the tradition of “Linebacker U” for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ragland is poised to make some noise early and often in the NFL. There is not one single doubt that he could have entered the draft last season, but he opted to return to Tuscaloosa for one more season, get his degree, and also to hopefully improve a little more before he headed to the pros. If you are playing under Coach Nick Saban in the most NFL-like college in the country, you can easily benefit from the extra year in college.
During his senior season with the Crimson Tide, the Madison, Al. native led the team with 102 tackles, 6.5 for losses, 2.5 sacks, seven passes broken up. and two forced fumbles. For his efforts in 2015, he was named as a finalist for numerous college football awards as well as an unanimous All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
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Weaknesses
According to his scouting report on NFL.com, some scouts in the league question his play speed as well as if he could get into trouble by miscalculating NFL speed to the perimeter. Personally, I watched him close pretty quickly going sideline to sideline. However, they make the big bucks and not me. The strong defensive front of the Tide also allowed him to roam more freely so he more than likely will be a bit more contained in the pros. They gave him credit for his zone coverage, but stated that his man coverage skills are limited. Ian Rapoport also reported that he was flagged for an enlarged aorta valve, but several teams said that it should not effect his career.
Strengths
The positives are just exactly what you would expect. What Ragland will bring is a hard-nosed linebacker that is not at all afraid to bring the wood. The same scouting report said that he “steps into hole and will swap paint with lead blockers in order to constrict his gap”. In returning for his senior season, he also dropped his missed tackles down to three from ten in the prior season. If you need someone to stop the run, you have found your man. He improved his angles and leverage by returning for one more year of experience and he won’t over pursue the ball carrier.
Overall
I don’t think I could have said it any better than NFL.com did: Thumping inside linebacker with throwback size and tone-setting mentality. An AFC linebacker coach told Yahoo Sports, “If you use him the right way, you’re getting a dog. I mean that in a good way … a bulldog. He will bury you. I had Beason, and he has that same thing, that explosiveness and that pop. That’s what you want .” This one has all the tools necessary to become one of the better linebackers against the rush in the league, and every Alabama fan hopes he does just that.
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Congratulations, Reggie! Roll Tide! We can’t wait to see what your career in the NFL has in store for you.