Alabama Football: Plenty of winners at the Senior Bowl
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football saw plenty of winners at the Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a unique opportunity for college football players to showcase their talents before the NFL Draft process truly begins. Alabama football was well-represented at the Senior Bowl, and they did plenty to help their stock this week.
Despite Alabama’s history of defenses dominating games, the majority of the seniors on this year’s roster were on offense. Many of them traveled to Mobile for this year’s Senior Bowl. On the offensive line, Deonte Brown and Alex Leatherwood carried the way. This gave them a unique experience to go one-on-one against some of the best pass rushers in this draft class. It was a long week, but they held their own in front of NFL scouts.
DeVonta Smith did not run drills in Mobile due to his finger injury in the CFP National Championship, but he still had a chance to talk to scouts. Working with the coaching staff of the Miami Dolphins might be enough to cement his landing spot in this year’s draft.
Najee Harris showed toughness at the Senior Bowl by simply appearing. After an intense season with nearly 300 touches in 13 games for Harris, he was clearly banged up. However, he still did as much as he possibly could at the Senior Bowl. This showed his love o the game and determination to better himself.
While all of these players helped themselves, no one did more for their NFL stock than Alabama football’s Mac Jones. There was zero doubt that he was the best quarterback in Mobile this week, and he proved that with excellent vision and accuracy. Critics did not expect Jones to throw the ball well to new targets, but he did a great job in a new environment.
Jones suffered an ankle injury halfway through practices, but he still worked the day after. He could’ve bowed out of activities, but he still did everything he could to prove his worth to the Carolina Panthers and other NFL teams. All things considered, he cemented his floor near the middle of the first round of the NFL Draft. Depending on how the rest of the offseason goes, he could be as high as QB3 by April. When analysts discuss the rise of Mac Jones, they will point to the Senior Bowl.
This week was the last time that we will see these legends play in an Alabama football helmet. They will now go on to fight against professionals, and fans will cheer for them every step of the way.