Top 10 Alabama Football players in 2023 NFL Draft: no. 9

Former Alabama Football offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. enters the NFL Draft after spending five seasons in Tuscaloosa. Ekiyor Jr. was a fixture in the lineup, starting 40 games over his final three years with the Crimson Tide.

He committed to Alabama as a 4-star center in the class of 2018, but settled in at guard by the time his redshirt freshman season rolled around.

Ekiyor Jr. earned a starting role at right guard as a redshirt sophomore in 2020, and was one of the youngest members of Bama’s Joe Moore Award winning offensive line. That group paved the way to an undefeated season, and the most recent national championship for Alabama Football.

Emil Ekiyor Jr. returned as a fourth-year junior in 2021, assuming a leadership role along the offensive line. That line really struggled at times, failing to provide a consistent push in the running game and never quite finding stability at right tackle.

While Ekiyor Jr. remained fairly solid in his individual performance for the last two years of his career, he never seemed to make that jump to be a dominant interior offensive lineman. He returned once again for his redshirt senior season in 2022, which saw the Alabama offensive line make major improvements.

Ekiyor Jr. started 12 games during the season, but began to lose reps to true freshman Tyler Booker at guard. Although Booker is very talented, Ekiyor Jr.’s experience kept him on the field for the majority of the snaps.

As he prepares for the draft, Emil Ekiyor Jr. is currently receiving mid-round projections. At worst, he will be a serviceable interior offensive lineman at the next level with the ceiling to become a perennial starter. His positional versatility, given his experience playing center, should also be of a benefit.

Good luck to Alabama Football NFL Draft entrant Emil Ekiyor Jr.!