I kind of pay attention to the NFL as far as how Bama players do, and I have noticed something in recent years. Alabama offensive linemen (Saban years) generally don't transition to the NFL very well. Alabama has had some elite linemen in college and they have been All Americans, award winners, high draft picks, etc. But they generally don't become elite in the NFL. I can think of 3 who have been mostly successful; Landon Dickerson, Ryan Kelly, and Jedrick Willis. James Carpenter had a pretty good career. But guys like Evan Neal, Jonah Williams, DJ Fluker, Barrett Jones, and others have just not been as successful. I don't really understand why. Is it blocking scheme? Technique? Pure chance? Why is it that Bama has elite players at every position in the NFL (well, not kicker) except the O Line? I just thought that was interesting.
| FTBL Alabama Offensive Linemen in the NFL
- Thread starter Crtuneman
- Start date
Justneedme81
Member
Bradley Bozeman
Deonte Brown
Jonah Williams
Jedrick Wills
Alex Leatherwood
Ryan Kelly
Cam Robinson
Lester Cotton
Evan Neal
JC Hassenaeur
Landon Dickerson
Tyler Steen
Deonte Brown
Jonah Williams
Jedrick Wills
Alex Leatherwood
Ryan Kelly
Cam Robinson
Lester Cotton
Evan Neal
JC Hassenaeur
Landon Dickerson
Tyler Steen
Justneedme81
Member
Out of all positions at Alabama, Kicker isn't on the roster in NFL. Will Rechiard might be the one along with Burnip next year.
'65 Cobra
Member
Don't forget Leatherwood... major bust so far.
TerryP
Staff
In a different light, he played college ball and made it to the league where's he's got 14 million plus guaranteed. That can be generational wealth.
Oh absolutely they are getting paid. But none are standing out. Some are busts like Leatherwood. But it would be nice to see an Alabama OL receive recognition in the NFL as an elite at his position. Maybe make a few Pro Bowls. Most of the reviews I have seen show that only Dickerson and Bozeman are playing well. J Williams was moved to RT and may get cut. Evan Neal is struggling badly. Ryan Kelly is doing okay but he is not considered very good. Even Wills is listed as the 66th best tackle in the league. He's struggling too. I just find it curious.
Justneedme81
Member
Sometime you don't have to stand out in NFL. Just go play the game and just stay in NFL as long you can to earn paycheck. Don't trust the reviews... I don't know where you get the idea of Jonah WIlliams getting cut after getting moved to RT. Burrow is back, and they played well last week.
I believe Evan Neals wants out of NY.... He's not even putting in efforts.
R Kelly- Look at who's the QB behind the center.
Point is, Don't look at stats and assume they're struggling. There's lot that goes into their performance: Who's their OL coach, how it's being taught, how the scheme is ran, who's the QB, etc. It is very hard to stay in NFL. Landon Dickerson didn't have good game last week.
At the end of the day, it is what it is. This goes for WR positions, RB positions, etc.
TerryP
Staff
Analogy:
Look at the guys on the PGA tour who aren't winning majors, but pocketing some big checks every week.
Ya know? I hate the word "bust" about as much as you do the word "thug."
Justneedme81
Member
Clever one.
Well done.
It’s a legitimate question in terms of the recent first round guys. But, I don’t believe there’s an easy answer to it other than that’s just the way it’s gone in some cases. Some of the guys didn’t, or haven’t, played at the level they were expected, but that’s part of it with the NFL.
Leatherwood for example was a huge reach to go as high as he did, but even still, if he’d gone where projected, he wouldn’t have fared any better. But, he had no business going in round 1 (though I was happy to see it). There were concerns going into the draft by some teams that he had pretty much hit his ceiling already. Gruden and Co. didn't see it that way however.
Jonah Williams has been the biggest mystery to me. Injuries have hurt him some, but he’s fallen well short of what everyone thought he would be (to this point). Have a friend in NFL circles who was a former OL, former OL coach, and an extensive background in scouting. He made comparisons of Williams to Joe Thomas, and thought he'd be a stud.
Evan Neal has also been a head scratcher to this point. He was the #1 player on Feldman’s Freaks list coming out of Bama, which is a pretty high testament to his abilities. Like Williams, he was a guy that teams had rated very highly. There was a feeling that he needed to start out a guard for a season by some teams before making the move to tackle. As bad as he’s looked at times though, the good news is, he’s still young and has the talent. Others in similar situations have turned it around and settled in for a nice long career.
Wills has had some of the same issues as Jonah Williams, the injury bug has stayed with him. He’s played through a lot of it, which hasn’t been very pretty at times. But his development has been slow at best and he probably needs a change of scenery.
Dickerson likely would have been a 1st rounder had it not been for his injury, and he's been fine. But he's also playing for arguably the best OL coach in the league, which has to account for something.
Past 1st rounders under Saban... Andre Smith, James Carpenter, Ryan Kelly, Cam Robinson (early 2nd) did (or are doing) fine. Chance Warmack, not so much. Fluker was in between.
Leatherwood for example was a huge reach to go as high as he did, but even still, if he’d gone where projected, he wouldn’t have fared any better. But, he had no business going in round 1 (though I was happy to see it). There were concerns going into the draft by some teams that he had pretty much hit his ceiling already. Gruden and Co. didn't see it that way however.
Jonah Williams has been the biggest mystery to me. Injuries have hurt him some, but he’s fallen well short of what everyone thought he would be (to this point). Have a friend in NFL circles who was a former OL, former OL coach, and an extensive background in scouting. He made comparisons of Williams to Joe Thomas, and thought he'd be a stud.
Evan Neal has also been a head scratcher to this point. He was the #1 player on Feldman’s Freaks list coming out of Bama, which is a pretty high testament to his abilities. Like Williams, he was a guy that teams had rated very highly. There was a feeling that he needed to start out a guard for a season by some teams before making the move to tackle. As bad as he’s looked at times though, the good news is, he’s still young and has the talent. Others in similar situations have turned it around and settled in for a nice long career.
Wills has had some of the same issues as Jonah Williams, the injury bug has stayed with him. He’s played through a lot of it, which hasn’t been very pretty at times. But his development has been slow at best and he probably needs a change of scenery.
Dickerson likely would have been a 1st rounder had it not been for his injury, and he's been fine. But he's also playing for arguably the best OL coach in the league, which has to account for something.
Past 1st rounders under Saban... Andre Smith, James Carpenter, Ryan Kelly, Cam Robinson (early 2nd) did (or are doing) fine. Chance Warmack, not so much. Fluker was in between.
Of all the ones I thought would stand out in the NFL I thought Fluker would be the man. He had a good career. He's attempting a comeback. But he was not a stand out by any means. But think about it from the athlete's perspective. When they go into the league most of them want to be great. They dream of getting pro bowl nods, all pro selections, and eventually the Hall of Fame. On the other hand having a nice long career like Kareem Jackson or Mark Ingram is great also.
BamaFan334
Member
How are you comparing these? PGA players have to earn their spot and maintain their spot on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. NFL players are drafted and under contract for atleast the initial one and can make a living being subpar, golfers can't. So NFL players can make a crap ton of money and still not be good. Golfers not so much.
I wanted to edit this and say if you're speaking of Cam Robinson, DJ Fluker, Jonah Williams and guys like that, then I see the direct correlation, but when looking at guys like Barrett Jones and Alex Leatherwood I do not see the analogy fit.
Last edited:
TerryP
Staff
How long does a PGA tour card last? A year. How long does a spot on a roster on an NFL team last?
BamaFan334
Member
Even as a drafted rookie that signs a contract woth guaranteed money? Golfers consistently have to earn their paychecks each week. A drafted rookie (guys we are talking about) can make generational money before they ever step on an NFL field.
Tidestalker
Member
Blast from the past:
-Cyrus (and Arie) Kouandjiho
I thought I heard somewhere that OL's are the hardest to make long term projections on. Such a grueling and injury prone career.
On that note, are there any highly projected OL's on this roster at this point? Obviously the young guys have time to play into it... The interior seems much more "blue collar" than in previous years. No maulers receiving recognition... yet.
-Cyrus (and Arie) Kouandjiho
I thought I heard somewhere that OL's are the hardest to make long term projections on. Such a grueling and injury prone career.
On that note, are there any highly projected OL's on this roster at this point? Obviously the young guys have time to play into it... The interior seems much more "blue collar" than in previous years. No maulers receiving recognition... yet.
TerryP
Staff
There are first rounders in the starting five with a maulers
TerryP
Staff
T Ferg is another.
