LT Overton took an Iron Bowl loss at the Senior Bowl that will have Alabama fans sick

LT Overton is heading to the NFL, and the first stop on his pre-draft process is Mobile, Alabama, for the Panini Senior Bowl. It has long been a proving ground for mid-range prospects who want to help their stock, but for anyone to move up the draft board, somebody else has to move down. 

Overton could be heading in the wrong direction, though. He was put to the test on a big stage at the end of Day 1, matched up with Auburn offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright in a one-on-one, and with everyone else finished for the day and watching, Overton got stonewalled. 

LT Overton got worked by Jeremiah Wright to end Day 1 of Senior Bowl practice

The former five-star recruit never materialized into a dominant pass-rusher for Texas A&M or Alabama. After transferring to the Tide before the 2024 season, Overton totaled six sacks and nine tackles for loss across two seasons. 

He was expected to become the top pass-rushing force for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, but without that emergence, Wommack was forced to manufacture pressure and even turn to other young players to provide it. This season, for example, Yhonzae Pierre led the way with 45 QB pressures to Overton’s 24 and an underwhelming 8.8 pass-rush win-rate. 

It’s not just seeing a former Alabama player lose to an Auburn player on a big pre-draft stage that will sting; it’s the fact that the rep is a reminder of the pass-rush issues that ailed Wommack’s defense all season. 

Alabama finished the year 55th in sacks per game at 2.1, but to get pressure in the big spots, Wommack had to crank up the heat, dialing up increased blitzes. In the Rose Bowl loss to Indiana, Alabama blitzed Fernando Mendoza on 69.6 percent of his dropbacks, a staggering rate, and he carved the Tide for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 9/10 passing when blitzed. 

As offenses continue to get more sophisticated in college football, it’s tougher and tougher to bring players out of coverage to get after the quarterback. Especially a quarterback like Mendoza, who is a decisive and accurate thrower in the quick game. 

Alabama never stood a chance against Indiana for a myriad of reasons, but the lack of pass rush is certainly one of them. Overton was never the player the Tide needed him to be, and the Senior Bowl has revealed those limitations.