Unconventional Yet Unforgettable: Wrapping Up Alabama Football and the 2020 NFL Draft
And just like that, the sun set on what could be the only live sports event we have for some time.
When the 2020 NFL draft began on Thursday, sports fans everywhere rushed to their television sets, craving live sports after a hiatus that seemed like forever. Despite it being the first virtual draft in league history, Round 1 smashed the viewer record with 15.6 million people tuning in.
The previous record was set in 2014, with 12.4 million fans watching.
That was just the beginning.
In lieu of a physical draft in Las Vegas, players and their families as well as coaches and team personnel all huddled around television sets themselves, with live video streams putting the viewers into the homes of the players as they found out their NFL destinations.
Courtesy of the NFL
The technology worked nearly flawlessly, as player reactions and their families were broadcast to the world. While the method had been used in drafts prior, doing so on such a large scale had never been imagined. While not the high-res video we were used to seeing on networks like ESPN (as evidenced in the still of Tua Tagovailoa), the technology did what was needed: it simply worked.
While the broadcast success of this year’s virtual draft was overwhelming, it meant much more to nine former Alabama players. While unconventional, to them the draft was simply unforgettable.
Four Crimson Tide offensive players were selected on the first night, with five defenders joining them in rounds 2-3 on Friday evening.
Of course, one name among them was mentioned more than any other: Tua Tagovailoa. Despite many speculating the quarterback and his durability issues would be especially costly, all naysayers were silenced when the Miami Dolphins drafted him as the fifth-overall pick.
Tagovailoa is now the face of the Dolphins franchise, and a new buzz has already invigorated the Miami fanbase. The highest-rated passer in the 150-year history of college football will have an immediate impact, but may still have a season of rest, recuperation and tutelage under current starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"A dream come true," Tagovailoa said of his selection. "A special day for both me and my family."
Following Tagovailoa, former Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. was the next to go at No. 10 overall, by the Cleveland Browns.
“Tonight, best player available on our board happened to be a position of a real need on our team," Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta said. “[Wills] was actually the top tackle on our board from the beginning."
Wills, like Tagovailoa, figures to have an immediate impact on the Browns, protecting 2019 No. 1-overall pick quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Wills was widely considered as the best tackle in the 2020 draft class and will bring both quick feet and incredible athleticism to Cleveland. One can expect to see him playing on Sundays this fall if the season continues as scheduled.
The final two Crimson Tide picks in the first round were wide receivers Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy.
Coming off of a 4.27 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, Ruggs was the first wide receiver off the board, selected by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12.
"Jon [Griden] and I could not be more pleased," Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said. "The coaches are fired up, the scouts are fired up and, trust me, [owner Mark Davis], when we took the fastest wideout in the draft, Mr. Davis said that his father was looking down and smiling."
Combined with his speed, Ruggs possesses great hands and the ability to break away from defenders. A year ago, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr averaged an NFL-low 6.2 air yards per attempt.
He didn't have a deep threat like Ruggs, though.
Ruggs joins former Crimson Tide running back Josh Jacobs, who was drafted by the Raiders last year, in Las Vegas.
Three picks later, Jeudy was off the board, heading to the Denver Broncos as the 15th overall pick.
Jeudy’s pick was the fifth time in franchise history the Broncos selected a wide receiver in the first round. He was widely recognized as the best route-runner in this year’s draft class. Combine that with his size and ability to create separation off the line of scrimmage, he figures to emerge as a day-one favorite target for young quarterback Drew Lock.
"I feel like I'm the best wide receiver because I've got the ability to separate," Jeudy said in an interview with NFL.com. “You need to find a way to get open and I feel like that's what I can do. I feel like if I'm getting open and creating five, six yards of separation every time, that means more yards and yards after catch. I feel like once I've created that separation, I get 10, 12 more yards. It's just good to be able to be one of the top route-runners."
Between Alabama and LSU, with nine combined first-round picks including quarterback Joe Burrow at No. 1, the Southeastern Conference dominated the draft and finished with 41 selections overall.
On Day 2, a total of five former Alabama defenders were selected beginning with safety Xavier McKinney by the New York Giants at No. 36.
While admitting that he was disappointed and surprised that he fell out of the first round, McKinney said that he was excited to join the football Giants.
"I like doing it all. I like playing as many positions as I can on the field," McKinney said in an interview with SportsNet New York. "I just like making plays for my teammates and helping my team be successful. So for me, that's pretty much my main goal. As far as what I can provide for the team, it really is whatever coach wants me to do."
For the Giants, McKinney brings flexibility at the position. His game runs similar to that of a quarterback on defense, running his secondary and making checks and calls. Combined with fourth-year safety Jabrill Peppers, the duo can be used in a variety of ways thanks to the McKinney's mobility and versatility.
Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs was drafted subsequently draft into the same division by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 51 overall.
Drafting from his mega-yacht off the Florida coast, owner Jerry Jones was unsure if Diggs would still be available by the time the Cowboys' pick came around. At one point he considered trading up in order to secure the All-SEC defender, but the team's patience was eventually rewarded.
"We have well-done, in-depth studies and charts that we all were reviewing [Friday] morning before the draft," Jones said. "All of our studies showed that he was in the one percentile. Diggs was in the one-percent chance of falling to us there. One."
The Cowboys feel they were able to snag one of the better corners in the draft.
While Diggs isn’t a guaranteed week-one starter for the Cowboys, he shows tremendous upside. If he doesn’t earn the number-one spot by the season debut, he could still be seen utilized in nickel and dime packages on Sundays this fall.
Miami turned to Alabama again at No. 56, selecting defensive tackle Raekwon Davis.
Much like McKinney, Davis brings versatility to his position group. With the Crimson Tide, Davis lined up in multiple positions, both at end and in the interior, during his tenure. He fits well within Miami's 3-4 hybrid scheme, a formation that utilizes multiple fronts and what a player like Davis can do.
The Dolphins also hope to develop a leader at the position. According to the man himself, leadership was the primary reasons Davis returned for his senior season in 2019.
"That's the whole reason I came back," Davis said. "To teach the younger guys and help the team as much as I can to the best of my ability."
The final two former Crimson Tide players drafted were linebackers Terrell Lewis and Anfernee Jennings. As the third round began, both were prepared to hear their names called.
Lewis was taken off the board first, going 84th overall to the L.A. Rams.
Lewis shows great burst off the line of scrimmage, which will prove valuable to the Rams once given his chance. Like Tagovailoa, concerns surrounding his durability were a key factor. However, while Tagovailoa's draft stock remained largely unaffected, Lewis dropped to the third round.
That being said, Rams coach Sean McVay was extremely happy to snag him.
“To be able to get Terrell Lewis, a guy that we had really had a lot of appreciation for his skillset,” McVay said. “He’s had some injuries, but I think they’ve been some freak instances. You look at when this guy is able to play, he’s healthy, he’s ready to go.”
Finally, with the 87th pick, the New England Patriots took Jennings.
Like Davis and McKinney, Jennings should also be utilized for his versatility at his position. At Alabama, while primarily serving as an edge-rusher, he was also used on the interior defensive line as well as an off-ball linebacker.
According to Jennings, Patriots coach Bill Belichick plans to use that versatility to his advantage.
“I talked to Coach Belichick last night,” Jennings said in an interview with NESN. “He plans on using me kind of the same way that I was used at Alabama — using my versatility, being able to stack it back off the ball and line up on the edge and move around, making the most of wherever he puts me.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Alabama didn't have any selections on Saturday, leaving offensive lineman Matt Womack and defensive backs Jared Mayden and Shyheim Carter to try and land spots as free agents.
As for what happens next, no one knows. While having a live sporting event, albeit not an actual game, meant so much to so many people during this current time of struggle, the future of football in 2020 is still a concern.
While no schedules for summer practices or the preseason have been announced as cancelled yet, the same approach is being taken which we have all become so accustomed to: watching and waiting.
For three days, though, the draft served some hope and optimism during a time when everyone could use some of both. Hopefully this unconventional, yet unforgettable, draft was a step toward the world slowly returning to normal.
