Bama Hammer
Fansided

Alabama Football: What ’20 NFL Draft will say about ’19 Crimson Tide

By Ronald Evans

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 25: Hometown fans of the Tennessee Titans react after their first round pick of Jeffery Simmons is announced on day 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 25: Hometown fans of the Tennessee Titans react after their first round pick of Jeffery Simmons is announced on day 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

By the standards of the rest of college football, Alabama football had a strong, 2019 season. By Crimson Tide standards it failed and the upcoming NFL Draft may indicate why.

For the last few weeks, we have been writing about former Alabama football players and the upcoming NFL Draft. There are mock drafts galore and many are good, even though the best of the mocks will end up being less than completely accurate.

Keeping up with numerous mocks allows visibility of the ebb and flow in player predictions. And there should be an ebb and flow as NFL teams continue to evaluate players and adjust team roster priorities.

Today’s post looks at something entirely different. It takes a single credible, mock draft and measures, by position, how many former Crimson Tide players will likely be selected the Draft’s first two rounds. Future NFL stars come from later draft rounds, but being chosen in the first or second round is a good indication of a player’s collegiate success.

Some Alabama football fans will not agree with the specific mock draft chosen by Chris Trapasso. Trapasso only projects six former Alabama football players being drafted in the first two rounds. He has five in the Draft first-round. For this discussion, it does not matter if Trapasso’s numbers are off a bit.

Instead, looking at the first 64 projected picks in the 2020 Draft might explain why the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide failed to achieve Championship goals. The common explanation for last season’s 11-2 ‘failure’ is injuries. The injuries to Dylan Moses and Tua Tagovailoa were devastating.

A review of Trapasso’s draft prediction shows something more. It shows upper-classmen talent of last season’s Tide roster was lacking in some position groups. Check out a breakdown of defensive positions below. Trapasso projects 31 defensive players will be chosen in the Draft’s first two rounds.

  • Cornerbacks (10) – one former Tide player, Trevon Diggs
  • Defensive Linemen (8) – zero former Tide players
  • Edge Rushers (7) – zero former Tide players
  • Linebackers (4) – zero former Tide players
  • Safeties (2) – one former Tide player, Xavier McKinney

Even if Raekwon Davis and Terrell Lewis prove Trapasso wrong by being selected in the Draft’s first two rounds, the Tide’s 2020 Draft showing for defensive players shows weakness in the ’19 Tide roster.

The projection for offensive players shows more Tide strength. Of the 33 players, Trapasso has in his two-round mock, four are former Crimson Tiders. Plus those four are all projected to be chosen in the first 12 picks of the 2020 Draft.

Next. Tua in a strong position. dark

How strong is Tua’s position? Trapasso has the Crimson Tide great going at No. 3 to the Dolphins, after a trade with the Giants.

Home/Alabama Football