Alabama Football represented by 10 NFL Draft Combine invitees
Alabama Football is always well-represented at the NFL Draft, and the 2024 event will not be any different. Even in falling short of its national championship aspirations, Bama will place a large number of players in this spring’s draft.
On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that 10 former Crimson Tide standouts received invites to the NFL Draft combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. The scouting combine will last a week, spanning from February 26th to March 4th, and will feature many of the best college football players in the country.
Alabama could produce as many as five first-round picks this year, so it is no surprise that all of those potential first-rounders received invites, along with a handful of others.
Alabama Football defensive invitations
Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry became a lockdown tandem at cornerback in 2023, arguably the nation’s best duo at the position. The pair constantly took away opposing receivers, helping to return the Bama defense to prominence. Arnold and McKinstry will both hear their names called very early in the 2024 Draft.
Similarly, edge rushers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell could lay claim to being the best duo in the country at their position. Turner and Braswell generated a fierce pass rush all season, causing turnovers and generally wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. Additionally, both are very technically sound and underrated as run defenders. With a longer, more athletic frame, Turner projects to the pros more seamlessly and appears to be a lock to go in the first round. Though he doesn’t have the prototypical edge build, Braswell will be a menace at the next level and is expected to be a borderline first-rounder.
On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe and safety Jaylen Key also received combine invites. Eboigbe was a productive 5-year contributor on the Alabama defensive line, enjoying a breakout 2023 campaign that saw him rocket up draft boards despite medical concerns. Key, a transfer from UAB, was only in Tuscaloosa for one season, but capitalized on the opportunity and started every game when he was healthy. Eboigbe and Key will likely both be mid-round picks, but will have the chance to improve their stock with impressive combine performances.
Alabama Football offensive invitations
Offensively, Bama did not produce any bona fide stars, but had several quality players with high floors that will be drafted. Along with Turner, McKinstry, and Arnold, offensive tackle JC Latham was a 5-star recruit in the class of 2021 that followed a linear trajectory towards declaring for the draft following his junior season. Latham lacks the eye-popping physical tools of a prospect like Evan Neal, but he consistently showed that he was one of the best tackles in the country. He is widely expected to be the highest-drafted offensive player from Alabama, and could very well be a first round pick.
Running back Jase McClellan and wide receiver Jermaine Burton are the Tide’s other offensive players who received combine invites. McClellan is a complete back with lots of experience and no true weaknesses. A speed back coming out of high school, McClellan has added weight, become accustomed to running between the tackles, and shown proficiency as a receiver out of the backfield as well as in pass protection. If he can regain some of the explosiveness he lost after a 2021 ACL tear, he will be a steal and a solid NFL running back.
Jermaine Burton was one of Alabama’s most consistent receivers in his two years on campus and will be one of the better deep threats in the draft. Including his time at Georgia, Burton put four years of solid production on tape, and it's pretty clear what his niche will be in the league. Expect both McClellan and Burton to be mid-to-late round draft picks.
Finally, kicker Will Reichard received an invite. One of the most consistent kickers in the country over the last four seasons, Reichard has probably been ready for the pros since 2020. He will solidify the kicker position for an NFL franchise, just as he did for Alabama Football.
These 10 players are excellent representatives for Alabama Football. Most, if not all, will likely be drafted in April, adding to Bama’s absurd NFL pipeline.