July NFL Mock Drafts are next to worthless, except for firing up Alabama football players

Many football fans will disagree, but to me near the top of a 'next-to-worthless' list is a July NFL mock draft. Because of a tweet, one caught my attention anyway. Seeing the artwork, with Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas players, I wondered how many top Alabama Crimson Tide players would be included in the 2025 First Round mock.

The ESPN details are behind a paywall, so they are not provided here. I will report Alabama football players came close to being excluded. Fifteen SEC players were chosen and only one is an Alabama football player. Among the eight SEC football programs with a mocked player, Georgia, LSU, and Texas have three times the number of players as did Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Does this mean that because of these potential game-changers, the Bulldogs, Longhorns and Bengal Tigers will be stronger teams than the Alabama Crimson Tide? It does not. At the least, championship teams must have dozens of players who perform at a high level. In those dozens are many that will not become high Draft selections. Some will not make it to the NFL.

A Motivation Factor for the Alabama Crimson Tide

Then there is a motivation factor for Alabama football players. Not having many or perhaps not any Alabama players predicted to be drafted in the first round benefits the Alabama Crimson Tide team. It is the opposite of one of Nick Saban's favorite terms; rat poison. Games against Georgia and LSU could become platforms for disrespected Alabama players to stand out and prove others wrong.

There will be thousands of mock drafts from now until next April. Another recent one that can be linked comes from Walter Football's Charlie Campbell. I have followed Campbell for years and consider him one of the best. He has zero Alabama Crimson Tide players in the 2025 First Round. Certainly, I disagree with Campbell, but I am glad to point out his oversight. It can be used to fire up Crimson Tide players.

Alabama Football can ride a naysayer wave to championship contention in the 2024 season. Not getting much NFL mock draft respect can be of value.