The college football season is almost here, which also means you're going to see a lot more 2026 NFL Mock Drafts start to get posted. Right now, mocks are based almost exclusively on projection. Some of the top prospects might remain the same, but there will be a lot of movement throughout the season.
Alabama football has plenty of high-end draft prospects for the 2026 cycle. Some are already known by draft experts, others could explode onto the scene with big seasons. Guys like Qua Russaw and James Smith are flying under the radar currently, but if they have the seasons some are expecting, they could easily work their way into the first round of next April's draft.
Alabama has had a first-round pick for an NFL record 17 consecutive seasons. For nine straight drafts, the Crimson Tide has had multiple first-round picks. In the 2025 draft, that streak extended with Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell hearing their names called on the first day. The first streak is likely to continue, but can Alabama make it a decade of multiple first-rounders?
ESPN's Field Yates posted his preseason mock draft on Wednesday, and there are quite a few surprises littered throughout. For Alabama, Yates sees both streaks continuing with two Tide players projected in his first round. The first name is the obvious one, but the second Alabama player he has in the first round might come as a surprise to many.
Field Yates projects Kadyn Proctor and Germie Bernard as 1st Round picks
Kadyn Proctor is a consensus first-round prospect according to the experts. He took a sizeable leap from his freshman to sophomore seasons in Tuscaloosa, and if he can take a similar leap as a junior, he's likely going to be an All-American and Top 10 pick in the 2026 draft. Most expect that leap, while Yates is taking more of a wait-and-see approach with Alabama's star left tackle.
Yates projects Proctor to be drafted with the No. 24 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. He questions whether Proctor has the athletic ability to be a Top 10 pick, which tells me right away that he must have missed Bruce Feldman's freaks list. There are advantages to going later in the first round. Here, Proctor gets to immediately go to a contender with one of the NFL's truly elite quarterbacks in Joe Burrow.
Yates has Germie Bernard going right behind Proctor at No. 25 overall to the Washington Commanders, pairing him with another former LSU QB in Jayden Daniels, who turned in an elite rookie season.
Bernard is flying under the radar for Alabama this season with all the talk about sophomore sensation Ryan Williams and the shiny new toy in the WR room, Miami (FL) transfer Isaiah Horton. It gets forgotten that Bernard was the Crimson Tide's most consistent receiver last season. He led the team in receptions with 50 and finished behind only Williams in receiving yards with 794. He could be in for an even bigger season in 2025 with an offense that will be committed to pushing the ball down the field through the air.
If Bernard is truly a first-round talent like Yates believes, Alabama's WR room is better than even the most lofty of expectations.