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Cincyfan78
Well-Known Member
Interesting thought(s):
And while the Bears' selection stole the headlines, the bigger story in the scouting community was the fall of the Alabama players.
Let's rewind three months ago after the national title game and Senior Bowl were completed. At that time it was believed that as many as six Crimson Tide players could land in the first 20 picks of the draft. Jonathan Allen was viewed as a top-four pick while Reuben Foster, Tim Williams, Marlon Humphrey, O.J. Howard and Cam Robinson were all graded as players who could land as early as the eighth pick of the draft and no later than the 20th selection.
So what happened?
More and more teams are starting to realize Alabama players are entering the league both beat up and maxed out. Both are understandable as the Crimson Tide is always fighting for the national title, which lengthens their season. Their pro-style coach Nick Saban gets the maximum from his players, who then enter the NFL without high upside.
There's also the concern that some players are playing with injuries when they should not be on the field, which damages their next-level potential and careers. It's something I mentioned in January during an interview when I stressed that this is not exclusive to Alabama but takes place all across big-time college football.
2017 NFL Draft: End Notes | Draft Analyst
And while the Bears' selection stole the headlines, the bigger story in the scouting community was the fall of the Alabama players.
Let's rewind three months ago after the national title game and Senior Bowl were completed. At that time it was believed that as many as six Crimson Tide players could land in the first 20 picks of the draft. Jonathan Allen was viewed as a top-four pick while Reuben Foster, Tim Williams, Marlon Humphrey, O.J. Howard and Cam Robinson were all graded as players who could land as early as the eighth pick of the draft and no later than the 20th selection.
So what happened?
More and more teams are starting to realize Alabama players are entering the league both beat up and maxed out. Both are understandable as the Crimson Tide is always fighting for the national title, which lengthens their season. Their pro-style coach Nick Saban gets the maximum from his players, who then enter the NFL without high upside.
There's also the concern that some players are playing with injuries when they should not be on the field, which damages their next-level potential and careers. It's something I mentioned in January during an interview when I stressed that this is not exclusive to Alabama but takes place all across big-time college football.
2017 NFL Draft: End Notes | Draft Analyst