Latest ESPN 2026 NFL mock draft completely underrates Alabama’s talented roster

The college football season is nearly underway, and for NFL fans, that means a look at the top prospects for next year’s draft. As always, many of those eyes will gravitate towards Tuscaloosa. 

However, ESPN’s Field Yates doesn’t seem to think too highly of the top prospects on Kalen DeBoer’s roster. Yates released his preseason 2026 NFL mock draft on Thursday, and it featured two Alabama players in the first round, but it seems the NFL community is underrating the talent level of the No. 7 team in the country. 

Kadyn Proctor slips late in the first round of Field Yates’ NFL mock draft

It’s no secret that former five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is Alabama’s top NFL Draft prospect for the 2026 class, and he was the first Crimson Tide player off the board in Yates’s mock, but that came at No. 24 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Heading into the season, there has been a general consensus about the top three offensive tackles in the 2026 class. For most evaluators, that group includes Proctor, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, and Utah’s Spencer Fano. For Yates, Proctor was the fourth offensive tackle off the board, slipping behind Boston College’s Jude Bowry. 

That’s a shocking drop for a player who is entering his third year as a starter for the Crimson Tide and who has a hulking frame at 6-foot-7 and over 360 pounds. For Yates, it’s Proctor’s size that is a concern, because the evaluator worries that he won’t have enough quickness and athleticism to handle the speed of NFL edge rushers. Perhaps someone should direct him to Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, which detailed Proctor’s 32-inch vertical and 800+ pound squat. 

LT Overton left out of first round of ESPN mock

While he didn’t finish off as many sacks as Alabama fans and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack would’ve liked, LT Overton is clearly one of the top pass rushers in the country. The junior Texas A&M transfer produced a team-high 39 quarterback pressures and managed an 18 percent pass-rush win-rate, one of the better marks in the SEC. 

Overton will need to up his raw production for the Tide this season, but he’s an impressive rusher with an imposing 6-foot-5, 280-pound frame, and in many cases, that profile is enough to warrant a first-round NFL Draft pick. Yet, while Overton is Mike Renner’s 20th overall prospect, he didn’t crack the first round in Yates’s mock. So, if not Overton, then who is Alabama’s second first-rounder? Wide receiver Germie Bernard.

Germie Bernard sneaks into first round of NFL mock

Bernard was productive in his first year after following DeBoer from Washington with a team-high 50 receptions for 794 yards. He will be the clear No. 2 to Ryan Williams in 2025, but his production should increase as the Tide transition to a more traditional passing game with Ty Simpson taking over at quarterback. 

Yates had Bernard coming off the board at No. 25 overall to the Washington Commanders as the No. 2 wide receiver in the class. Even with Bernard’s surprising inclusion, it feels as though Yates is underrating Alabama’s talent heading into the year. We’ll see if he’s justified in his doubt about the Tide’s top prospects.