Alabama Football: NFL Pro Bowl 2017-18 is Built by Bama

This year’s National Football League Pro Bowl selections feature four former Alabama football players who are having exceptional seasons.

The NFL is going to need to start using the hashtag #BuiltbyBama pretty soon. Each of the four Crimson Tide alumni who were selected for this season’s Pro Bowl are making cases that they are the best in the entire league at their respective positions.

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All four players have admitted how they learned to be men in the professional ranks by playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Who could argue with these four selections?:

Let’s take a look at each selection:

Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons (drafted in 2011; 1st Round, Pick #6)

Between 2008 and 2010, NFL scouts were salivating so much at the chance to draft Jones that they needed multiple towels to wipe up the drool. He made 179 catches for 2 653 yards, an average of 14.8 yards per catch, in 40 games wearing the crimson and white. His powerful, 6-foot-3 frame made Jones more like a monstrous tight end, which helped to block for running backs on the edges and allowed him to push for extra yards of his own.

The same continues to happen for Atlanta on an annual basis.

In 93 games, Jones has helped the Falcons by catching 573 passes for 8 825 yards, averaging 15.4 yards per catch and 94.9 yards per match. His 43 touchdowns have made him a phenom to the Georgia fans.

This season alone, Jones has caught the ball 76 times for 1 215 yards, a 16-yard average, and three touchdowns. He is third only to Antonio Brown (1 533 yards) and DeAndre Hopkins (1 313 yards), according to ESPN.com. And, while those two other wide receivers are pretty much the only real targets that their respective teams have, Jones is the chosen one over many weapons for the Falcons.

If Jones does not make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a travesty would have occurred. Jones shows no signs of stopping at the tender age of 28. While some receivers get burned out from getting hit and injured too many times, Jones has been delivering some hits of his own to complement his catches.

That fight was forged in his heart when he played for Alabama.

Mark Ingram – New Orleans Saints (drafted in 2011; 1st Round, Pick #28)

Ingram recently stated that his Heisman Trophy and future in the NFL was also forged by Bama. Now, just imagine Jones and Ingram playing at the same time on the same team for the NFC.

Alabama fans don’t have to imagine; they saw it between 2008 and 2010.

In 572 attempts as a member of the Crimson Tide, Ingram rushed for 3 261 yards and 42 touchdowns. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Some of those runs were teamed up with blocks made by Jones, making for a powerful and yet balanced force of strength and speed both in the air and on the ground.

Although much of Ingram’s early years in New Orleans was spent watching Saints quarterback Drew Brees put up Hall-of-Fame numbers with an aerial assault, the Alabama alumni has been showing everyone this season what it means to be built by Bama.

Ingram has rushed 204 times for 1 045 yards, almost matching his average in Tuscaloosa (5.1 yards per carry), and earning 11 touchdowns. Those numbers will always mean a Pro Bowl selection for a running back, especially having the second most touchdowns by a rusher this season.

C.J. Mosley – Baltimore Ravens (drafted in 2014; 1st Round, Pick #17)

Mosley loved playing for Alabama so much, he played his senior year in Tuscaloosa. The star linebacker could have played in the NFL after Year Three, but he took a chance at getting paid more money.

What a great decision it was, too.

Mosley proved that his 2012 season was not a fluke, almost matching his total and solo tackles in 2013. In his final 27 games for Alabama football, Mosley made 213 tackles, 128 of them were solo. His five college career interceptions also showed that he had some hands in the secondary, making him a threat to any errant pass as well as any opposing player trying to run in the flats or through the middle of the field.

The Baltimore Ravens must have agreed, since they decided to take him early in the first round of the NFL draft.

Their decision paid off, as well. The Ravens, well known for having an incredible defense, decided to put Mosley at inside linebacker, taking over for the legendary Ray Lewis. Since then, Mosley has played in 61 games and has made 468 tackles, 313 of them solo. He has also earned eight sacks and eight interceptions, making him one of the elite linebackers in the NFL.

When one thinks of defense in the NFL, one thinks of Mosley, one of the most dominant defenders in the league who was built by Bama.

Landon Collins – New York Giants (drafted in 2015; 2nd Round, Pick #33)

Even Collins’ Twitter account profile features a silhouette of him and the Alabama A, symbolizing that he remembers where he was built. The defensive back made 184 total tackles, 122 of them solo, and five interceptions for his home away from New Orleans, Louisiana.

New York understands that kind of love, hence why they traded up to get Collins in the 2015 NFL draft.

Collins’ impact has been immediate for the Giants. In only three seasons, Collins has already made 340 tackles, 261 were solo, and made eight interceptions. His ferocious aggression that seems glued to any opposing receiver who comes his way makes quarterbacks think twice about throwing in his direction.

His 103 tackles and two interceptions, in a horrendous year for the team itself, is proof that one who comes from Bama is built to never take a day off. Instead, they are to outwork yesterday.

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These four men exude the standard of excellence that Alabama football has instilled upon them. The ‘Process’ continues to help them through their pro careers, making them the best that they can be at their positions. It is still early, but if these seasons that they are having are any indications of the careers that they will end up having then Bama may have made them ready for the Hall of Fame in the future.