Alabama Football: Will Slade Bolden be drafted this year?

Slade Bolden could be another Alabama football receiver drafted

Since Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa, Alabama football has been known for elite receivers. Julio Jones will be in the Hall of Fame, and stars like Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley followed in his footsteps. We’ve seen four receivers taken in the first round of the past two drafts, and Jameson Williams could make it five.

Everyone is talking about Williams and John Metchie, but the Tide lost another starting receiver this offseason. Slade Bolden started in the slot for Alabama football and stepped up when other receivers went down with injuries.

Bolden graduated with two degrees and is hoping to make it onto an NFL roster. He had a lackluster NFL Combine performance, but he can still make it onto an NFL team if everything goes right.

So, will Slade Bolden be drafted? Before we answer that, we need to look at what Bolden provides. While he has experience on special teams, muffed punts were a concern. This limits his value on special teams in the NFL. Also, Bolden doesn’t provide elite traits that one can build on.

What Bolden does provide is a great work ethic and a high floor for a player viewed this late in the draft. He also played in the biggest moments and stepped up, so someone could take a risk and hope that he develops into a better athlete. Either way, his football IQ will help him contribute in any capacity he has.

Personally, I do not believe that Bolden will be drafted. I think that some teams will have him on their boards, but they’ll take a risk on a player with more upside. Instead, I expect Bolden to be a priority undrafted free agent who fights for a roster spot. If not, he could at least make the practice squad somewhere and occasionally get the call to play on Sunday.