It's officially NFL Draft week and Alabama is looking to extend its 17-year streak of having at least one player selected in the first round.
At times, that looked a little perilous. Recently, it has appeared to be a pretty safe bet that one of, if not both of, Kadyn Proctor and Ty Simpson would find themselves selected in the first round.
But not everyone sees that as a slam dunk.
ESPN NFL Draft expert Jordan Reid released his final seven-round mock draft on Monday, and if it goes as he projects, it'll be nerve-wracking for Crimson Tide fans hoping to see the streak extend to 18 years.
Here's where he sees eight Alabama players being selected this weekend.
Jordan Reid projects 8 Alabama players to hear their name called in the NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 28: OT Kadyn Proctor - Houston Texans
Reid has Proctor as Alabama's one representative in the first round and has him much lower than he has recently been trending. Some experts have seen smoke connecting the Tide's three-year starter at left tackle all the way up at No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns. It seems unlikely that he falls all the way to No. 28, but if he does, former Alabama LB DeMeco Ryans would happily run the card to the podium himself in order to grab him.
Reid knows more about the inner-workings of the draft than me, but I'll just say this: I'll be stunned if Proctor's absolute floor isn't 17th overall to the Detroit Lions. And I would not be shocked to hear his name called among the first 10 picks.
Round 2, Pick 34: QB Ty Simpson - Arizona Cardinals
Reid doesn't project any trades in this mock, but the most likely scenario for Simpson, something Reid even admits himself, is that he'll go near the end of the first round via some team trading back into the first round to take him.
The Cardinals have been heavily linked to Simpson throughout the pre-draft process. So, too, have the New York Jets. With the Jets holding pick No. 33 to open the 2nd Round, if Arizona really covets Simpson the way it appears, they'll likely look to trade back into the 1st Round in order to grab him as their QB of the future.
Round 2, Pick 40: WR Germie Bernard - Kansas City Chiefs
It's hard to envision a better landing spot for Germie Bernard than with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. Bernard has consistently been mocked in the early 2nd Round range, so it wouldn't be the biggest shock in the world to see him ultimately land on day one himself.
Round 5 Pick, 142: LB Justin Jefferson - Tennessee Titans
It's a big gap between Alabama's top three NFL prospects and No. 4, which Reid projects to be versatile off-ball LB Justin Jefferson. Jefferson took full advantage of the extra year he got with the Crimson Tide and had an outstanding season in the middle of the Alabama defense. Don't be surprised if he's one of the steals of the draft in the middle rounds.
Round 5, Pick 145: DT Tim Keenan - New York Giants
Tim Keenan probably won't be an every-down player in the NFL with his lack of pass-rushing upside, but the mammoth nose tackle has a clear role as a run-stuffing force. The Giants could certainly use one after trading Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals over the weekend.
Round 5, Pick 161: DL LT Overton - Pittsburgh Steelers
This would be a disappointing fall for LT Overton, who was projected as a 2nd or 3rd rounder a year ago before deciding to return to Alabama for his senior season. But he didn't breakout as a pass rusher as many hoped he would, bringing forth concerns about his best positional fit in the NFL.
He's a bit of a tweener - not a true EDGE guy, and maybe too small to play in the interior on a four-man front in the NFL.
Round 6, Pick 182: C Parker Brailsford - Buffalo Bills
Parker Brailsford flying under the NFL radar continues to make little sense to me. The Alabama center would be an absolute steal if he is still on the board in the 6th Round. It's fair to question, however, with a year of eligibility remaining, if Brailsford made the right decision to leave Alabama a year early with where his draft stock currently is.
Round 7, Pick 231: LB Deontae Lawson - Atlanta Falcons
Deontae Lawson once looked like a future 1st rounder, but his devastating knee injury in November of 2024 has made his NFL future a lot less certain. He returned last season for Alabama, and while he took some time to round into form, he started to look like himself again around midseason. A late round flier on him could prove pretty fruitful.
Along with these eight, Alabama had four other players attend the NFL Draft Combine who Reid has going undrafted: TE Josh Cuevas, RB Jam Miller, CB Domani Jackson, and OG Jaeden Roberts.
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