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NFL Draft: Why Were Tide Players Passed Over in First Round?

By Chris Hale

Apr 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of 2016 NFL Draft logo at Los Angeles Rams draft party at L.A. Live. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of 2016 NFL Draft logo at Los Angeles Rams draft party at L.A. Live. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Only center Ryan Kelly was selected during the first round of the NFL Draft, but why were so many Tide players passed over on the first night?

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The first night of the NFL Draft is in the books and the second night of the event is on tap for this evening. After the dust settled for the first set of picks, former Alabama center Ryan Kelly was the only Alabama player that heard his name called in the first round. Kelly was drafted 18th overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

So why were so many of the projected first rounders left sitting in the green room on Thursday?

Linebacker Reggie Ragland, defensive tackles Jarran Reed and A’Shawn Robinson as well as a slight possibility of Derrick Henry being selected were the only other ones that had a chance on Thursday.

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of football fans in the stands during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Anderson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of football fans in the stands during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Anderson-USA TODAY Sports /

During the broadcast, NFL.com’s Mike Mayock said that Robinson and Reed could have been passed over as a result of the NFL being a “pass happy” league and the Tide duo being limited in the pass rushing area. I still expected the two to be selected on the first night and was a bit shocked at them being passed over for other tackles.

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Many Alabama fans were expecting Derrick Henry to go in the first but in all likelihood, the Heisman trophy winner more than likely wasn’t going to go until the next set of rounds scheduled for Friday night. Henry was always going to go to a team that could utilize his power running. On his NFL.com profile, his scouting report stated that many scouts were concerned with the workload Henry had to shoulder at Alabama as well as it taking a bit of time to get up to full speed.

The biggest surprise for me of the night had to be Reggie Ragland being left in the green room. Earlier on Thursday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that a red flag popped up on Ragland before the draft in the form of an enlarged aorta valve. Rapoport said that many teams dropped him down on their boards because of that. On the other hand, others said that it shouldn’t affect his career as long as he kept it in check.

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If you are going to tuned in tonight, there is a very good chance you’ll hear all of their names called at some point during the night. If not, maybe some scouts should see about getting their head examined.

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