| PRO Alabama in the NFL Draft: 2018

[It Takes Eleven]

Another part of the theory on not taking Bama players is that they're developed so well by an NFL-quality staff - in college - that they are closer to their peak performance level - less room for development.

 

[JoshB]

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

Yes I'm a donkeys fan.

And it's been noted many times in the local media that Elway stays away from drafting Bama players because he believes they're physically worn down by draft day. I don't believe that to be made up, and have no reason to believe otherwise. He's never drafted a single 1 and has only signed CK and Jarrell Harris to the practice squad.

And in all honesty I understand that point, but lumping them all together especially the guys who leave early is kind of weird... Significantly lowering your pool of players at certain positions in the first few rounds and the rest of the league knows you're not considering Bama dudes. I can't speak on Pittsburgh but I know Elway won't touch the Good Guys.

Quick google search has an article from Woody Paige last week. CHeck it out:

During the Elway Era, the Broncos have not drafted a University of Alabama player. Even before, the Broncos selected only five Tide, the same number as they have picked from Alcorn State and fewer than the six chosen from Florida A&M and Northwestern.
Although coach Nick Saban has won five national championships, including last season, since taking over in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2009, the Broncos didn’t draft even one player from those title or playoff teams.
So, although the Tide had five players at the Senior Bowl (on the squad the Broncos’ staff didn’t coach), 14 players at the NFL Combine, as many as a dozen players who will be drafted, and possibly five in the first round, it’s highly likely the Broncos won’t draft any Alabama Alum.
It’s beyond bizarre.
Of the 57 draft prospects the Broncos have connected with at the Senior Bowl and the Combine, at Pro Days and in visits to Dove Valley, only one played at Alabama. Anthony Averett, ranked from the seventh-to-10th best cornerback in the draft, made a late visit to Denver recently. He was supposed to play in the Senior Bowl, but backed out because of a sprained ankle.
Yet, the Broncos have not talked with Minkah Fitzpatrick, who will be available at the Broncos’ draft position – No. 5. He is considered among the top 10 in every analysis because of his versatility as a safety, an outside and slot cornerback and even an extra linebacker.
An NFL theorist told me he believes John Elway and the Broncos are not committed to Alabama players because Saban may burn them out during their college careers. That notion seems completely illogical, but the Broncos haven’t acknowledged why they don’t draft Saban-trained players.

Woody Paige: The Broncos' puzzling aversion to Alabama players

I never heard the stuff about them being physically worn out, but at least he has a reason. I dont agree with it and I dont think its valid (but I've also heard "experts" saying the same thing) but its not that hes just against Alabama players in general. I can understand the frustration since you're a Broncos fan. I want the Falcons to take a Bama player every year.

 

[JoshB]

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

There are only two, Philly and denver.

Only two what?

 

[OldPlayer]

Hmmm. Everyone and their sister are saying the Broncos had an excellent draft. It doesn't take a genius to draft an Alabama player. Denver's needs didn't match the best Alabama player available at the time of their selection. Simple as that.

 

[#80]

Five players signed free agent contracts so 17 Tide players will be in NFL camps. Pretty impressive.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

There are only two, Philly and denver.

Only two what?

Teams w/out drafted Bama players.

 

[JoshB]

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

There are only two, Philly and denver.

Only two what?

Teams w/out drafted Bama players.

The Eagles have drafted Bama players, and signed them, and traded for them.

 

[planomateo]

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

There are only two, Philly and denver.

Only two what?

Teams w/out drafted Bama players.

The Eagles have drafted Bama players, and signed them, and traded for them.

Last time was pre Saban iirc.

I saw it on twitter after the draft, didn't validate it.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Not

Another draft, another year Elway refuses to take Alabama guys. Considering he's about the shittiest drafter in the modern era maybe he should give it a shot

Are you a Broncos fan? Im seriously not being a dick here but I hear this complaint about the Steelers (until now) and a cpl of other teams. I mean there's 32 teams, there's just going to be some teams that dont take a Bama player for a few years (for various reasons). I mean Elway literally just signed Cyrus Kouandjio, so I dont think he has some vendetta against Bama players.

There are only two, Philly and denver.

Only two what?

Teams w/out drafted Bama players.

The Eagles have drafted Bama players, and signed them, and traded for them.

Not since Saban arrived, I don't think. Not drafted, anyway..

 

[planomateo]

Ok, it's inaccurate, 3 NFL teams haven't drafted an Alabama player since 2007. Eagles, Broncos, and Panthers.

I created the below in Google Sheets with all the draft picks since 2008.

 

[Rolltide24]

At least my Panthers just signed Kirvin, so they have some Bama representation at the moment.

 

[Matt Zenitz | mzenitz@al.com]

Another Alabama DB will soon get NFL opportunity

As they watched the first round of the NFL draft together, Hootie Jones' mom asked him how he was doing.

She figured it was probably difficult watching considering his situation, so his response surprised her some.

"Man, I'm happy," Jones told his mother, Jessica Carr. "My boys are getting their blessings and mine's coming soon."

It is.

Three Alabama defensive backs were drafted last week. Two more were signed as undrafted free agents. Soon, another member of last year's secondary -- Jones -- will get an NFL opportunity.

At least four NFL teams have told Jones they want to bring him in for a tryout this summer whenever he's back healthy, including one that he talked to as recently as Sunday.

"I was hoping to still get picked up (during the draft), but I kind of had it in the back of my mind that somebody probably isn't going to take a chance on damaged goods," said Jones, who is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury he suffered during last year's Iron Bowl. "They've got to invest money in someone who's already injured, and I knew it was going to be hard for somebody to do that. ... But I can't complain. I'm still here. I'm still rehabbing. I'm back running again. And I'm just excited to be able to do stuff now because at one point I wasn't able to do anything."

In addition to suffering a partial MCL tear, Jones also ended up having a PCL tear.

The PCL injury is why he wasn't able to return to Alabama during the playoffs and why he's still not back to 100 percent five months later, though he does expect to be back to full strength within the next month or so.

"If it was just the MCL, I would have probably played in the last game," Jones said. "The MCL really could have healed on its own (without surgery), but since he was already in there for the PCL, he went in and fixed that, too."

At least one team told Jones, who posted 53 tackles and two interceptions last season, that he could have been drafted as high as the fourth or fifth round if not for the injury.

But Jones is very much upbeat, as his mom realized last Thursday, and he's expecting to be ready for tryouts in either June or July.

"I've got to keep going," Jones said. "I can't just stop because I'm hurt. I'm going to shake back. I've just got to be patient and trust the process."

 

[JoshB]

Another Alabama DB will soon get NFL opportunity

As they watched the first round of the NFL draft together, Hootie Jones' mom asked him how he was doing.

She figured it was probably difficult watching considering his situation, so his response surprised her some.

"Man, I'm happy," Jones told his mother, Jessica Carr. "My boys are getting their blessings and mine's coming soon."

It is.

Three Alabama defensive backs were drafted last week. Two more were signed as undrafted free agents. Soon, another member of last year's secondary -- Jones -- will get an NFL opportunity.

At least four NFL teams have told Jones they want to bring him in for a tryout this summer whenever he's back healthy, including one that he talked to as recently as Sunday.

"I was hoping to still get picked up (during the draft), but I kind of had it in the back of my mind that somebody probably isn't going to take a chance on damaged goods," said Jones, who is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury he suffered during last year's Iron Bowl. "They've got to invest money in someone who's already injured, and I knew it was going to be hard for somebody to do that. ... But I can't complain. I'm still here. I'm still rehabbing. I'm back running again. And I'm just excited to be able to do stuff now because at one point I wasn't able to do anything."

In addition to suffering a partial MCL tear, Jones also ended up having a PCL tear.

The PCL injury is why he wasn't able to return to Alabama during the playoffs and why he's still not back to 100 percent five months later, though he does expect to be back to full strength within the next month or so.

"If it was just the MCL, I would have probably played in the last game," Jones said. "The MCL really could have healed on its own (without surgery), but since he was already in there for the PCL, he went in and fixed that, too."

At least one team told Jones, who posted 53 tackles and two interceptions last season, that he could have been drafted as high as the fourth or fifth round if not for the injury.

But Jones is very much upbeat, as his mom realized last Thursday, and he's expecting to be ready for tryouts in either June or July.

"I've got to keep going," Jones said. "I can't just stop because I'm hurt. I'm going to shake back. I've just got to be patient and trust the process."

And lets all not forget this "legal" hit cost Hootie at the very least a free agent contract.

 

[bamachine]

^If I am reading the new rules correctly, that won't be a legal hit anymore. Maybe his injury was part of helping get that BS out of the game, so that less players have to suffer that kind of injury in the future.

 

[planomateo]

But yeah, uniform uniformity is important...

 

[Tidestalker]

Good for Hootie! Hoping he can do something special with any opportunity he receives. He is extremely physically gifted... If he can prove himself in other areas he could make some dough.