Alex Leatherwood Discusses Whether He Will Play Guard or Tackle at the NFL Level

The senior offensive lineman played both the positions during his four years with the Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When it comes to versatility at the offensive line, Alabama left tackle Alex Leatherwood has seen it all.

Leatherwood is currently slated to display his talents at the Alabama Pro Days this week and next, where he will showcase his abilities for NFL scouts after four solid seasons playing for the Crimson Tide.

Leatherwood played both right guard and left tackle for Alabama, finishing his career with the Crimson Tide at the tackle position. With so much versatility, NFL scouts have been debating what position he would fit in best at the pro level.

While speaking with the media on Monday morning, Leatherwood revealed that in his conversations with NFL programs, both guard and tackle have been mentioned as potential spots for him to play in the pros.

“Some teams like me at tackle, some at guard,” Leatherwood said. “It just all depends on what team you’re talking about and their team needs but I feel like most of them think that I can play anywhere on the offensive line.”

Leatherwood was part of the 2021 national championship line that also brought home the Joe Moore Award — the award bestowed upon the best offensive line unit in the nation. Throughout his time with the Crimson Tide, Leatherwood has proven time and time again that he is one of the best offensive linemen in the country, protecting quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones along with creating holes for running backs like Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris.

When it comes to developing his game, Leatherwood said that he doesn’t model himself after any particular NFL offensive lineman. Instead, he learns from all of them and takes what he thinks will improve his skillset and applies it to himself.

“I watch essentially all players in the league,” Leatherwood said. “What I try to take from them — just watch what they do well and the things that help them succeed and try to apply it to my game because you can’t have your whole game after one person because everybody’s different. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses — links in those skillsets — so I just try to take from all of them and apply it to my game as best as I can.”

Leatherwood is currently projected to be a second-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. After four years in the trenches at Alabama, Leatherwood has certainly established himself as one of the top players in the country at the position.

In those four years, Leatherwood said that he learned a lot from Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban. In both life on and off the football field, the Outland Trophy winner credited Saban for teaching him some valuable life lessons.

“The biggest thing is just being where your feet are,” Leatherwood said. “I feel like that can apply in both football and in life. Just controlling what you can control and doing it to the best of your ability. As far as football, there’s one thing that he used to say all the time: ‘Control what you can control, dominate your box one play at a time for 60 minutes in the game.’ I feel like that’s one thing that will stick with me forever because it just makes sense.

“Don’t worry about what happened the play before if you got beat like anything like that and don’t be anxious about what’s going to happen next. Just be where your feet are and focus on now and focus on the things that you need to do to be successful.”