5 Things we Learned About Alabama Through the NFL Draft: All Things CW

Whether they meant to or not, NFL teams and officials both confirmed and rejected various things about the 2022 Crimson Tide football team.

We've all had a few days to digest everything from the 2023 NFL Draft, when Alabama football had both an historic start with quarterback Bryce Young being the first-overall selection, to the Crimson Tide seeing a couple of key contributors not hearing their names called at all. 

NFL scouts and officials may not have been meaning to send any signals, good or bad, but indirectly they helped confirm and shed light on some of what happened in 2002, and answer a few lingering questions. 

Here are five that got our attention: 

Last year's defensive core was lacking

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There were three players in the draft who lined up in the middle of the defensive front seven last season, and only one was selected: interior linebacker Henry To'oTo'o, in the fifth round (more on him in a bit). The last time the Crimson Tide didn't have a true defensive tackle or interior linebacker selected in the first two rounds was 2015.

Alabama didn't have an interior offensive lineman taken in the draft either, but we'll touch on that in a moment. 

Former Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans, now the head coach of the Houston Texans, had an interesting comment after drafting outside linebacker Ryan Anderson Jr., "I've watched him for a long time now. When Alabama needed a play on defense, it was 31 [Anderson] stepping up and making the play."

While that's high praise of Anderson, who was an edge rusher every opposing offense tried to minimize, it also spoke volumes about the rest of the defense. Remember, the Crimson Tide's leading tacker was DeMarcco Hellams, a safety who didn't get drafted until the seventh round (pick No. 224).

Meanwhile, for those who were listening carefully before the draft, Anderson practically tipped them off that the Texans were strongly considering trading up for him in the draft.

"The way they want to use me is special," he said on Kay Adams on 'Up & Adams.'

That's not the kind of thing Ryans would tell a Crimson Tide player unless he meant it, and is only fueling the speculation Houston might have taken the linebacker at No. 2 had it not been able to move up. Instead, the Texans took quarterback CJ Stroud and acquired the No. 3 pick trough a trade with the Cardinals, sending their No. 12 pick, No. 33, plus a first-rounder and a third-rounder in 2024.

"Once we were able to seal the deal and get Will, I was over the moon," Ryans said. "I could not have been happier."

Alabama players keyed Eagles' turnaround

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Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is getting a reputation for latching on to various college programs and selecting multiple players for his teams, but he seems of have gone all-in on the SEC.

“In 2021, we knew that we had to make sure our process was really tight as Coach [Nick Sirianni] came on board, and we started with two Alabama guys,” Roseman said. “The way those guys worked, the kind of players they are, certainly the kind of people they are, it just reminded us that it's no different than when you're trying to hire someone for a position — obviously you want guys to be really talented at what they do and whatever role they're in, but the other stuff matters, as well.”

In football talk, they call that changing the culture. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was obviously a big part of that in Philadelphia, but the two players the Eagles selected in the first two rounds in 2021 were wide receiver DeVonta Smith and offensive lineman Landon Dickerson. They're considered key parts of the offense, and Roseman is now doing something similar on the defensive side with players from Georgia.

“You see those guys play in the biggest games, on the biggest stage against the best competition, and so it's an easier ... it's hard enough when you have all the factors going into a draft pick,” he said. “We talked about it a lot. You've got guys coming from a college town to the NFL for the first time, don't have classes, they're on their own, all the things that we've talked about before. But it takes the part out of the big jump in competition because the guys that they're playing against are the guys that are playing on Sundays.”

Standout running backs popular again

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One of biggest "What are they thinking?" moments in recent NFL history has to be when when Derrick Henry fell out of the first round in 2016. Since then, each draft has seen only one running back selected in the first round, a list that includes Josh Jacobs (2019) and Najee Harris (2021), until this year. Bijan Robinson of Texas went eighth overall to the Falcons, followed by Jahmyr Gibbs 12th by the Lions.

This ties in with a theme you'll see throughout this story, about teams going all out for playmakers. In this case, Detroit hopes it may have found the next Alvin Kamara (who was just a third-round selection in 2017).

The FanNation site All Lions asked if I was surprised that two runnings backs were selected so high and I said no because Gibbs is a potential matchup nightmare. But it's also because "players are moving around more than ever before, so that whole thing about running backs no longer being in their prime at 30 really isn't unique to the position any more. Very few players are still with their same teams at that age. Also, teams are feeling the pressure more than ever to win now, and if they believe a running back is going to make the difference — especially when it's the top position for plugging in players immediately — they're going to grab them."

That could really work to Alabama's advantage, as it's the only school in roughly 20 years to have Heisman Trophy winners at the position (Henry in 2015, and Mark Ingram II in 2009). 

The Senior Bowl was big for Tyler Steen

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You may remember our story in February that Tyler Steen's draft stock was rising following the Senior Bowl. It was only confirmed by the man who picked Steen with the 65th-overall selection for the Eagles.

“Playing left tackle for the University of Alabama, obviously that's a high-profile position,” Roseman said. “There have been a lot of NFL players play that position, and you watch him play tackle and he's had success there.

“Then he moved at the Senior Bowl, he played guard. You could see him moving people off the ball, you could see his athleticism in space.”

Although tackles generally have a high draft value, teams that considered him primarily a guard who could fill in at tackle if necessary almost certainly had Steen rated higher due to his athleticism. However, it also meant that two of the last three starting left tackles at Alabama were drafted to play guard at the next level.

It helps explain why Alabama went away from the power game some under former offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, because he didn't have the kind of line Alabama fans have been used to under Nick Saban.

The game continues to change

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Former Crimson Tide standout Rashaan Evans was among the league leaders in tackles last season and yet remains a free agent roughly five months after his 2022-23 season ended. That may be more of a reflection of his position, interior linebacker, than his ability to help a team, and it's definitely indicative of the market. 

Remember the talk about former Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders possibly being a first-round pick? He lasted until the third round before the Broncos snatched up the transfer to Arkansas. To'oTo'o fell all the way to the fifth round, not because of anything like toughness or football IQ, both of which are real strengths for him, but simply because he didn't stand out more as a playmaker. 

Edge rushers are in vogue. Interior linebacker? Not so much. 

Which brings us back to Evans. The way the NFL is structured teams have to make tough decisions earlier than ever, and essentially build around a handful of players. The rest of the depth chart is subsequently filled out by supportive cast members on short-term contracts. So yes, the former Crimson Tide linebacker may have been a first-round selection, posted impressive numbers and been the signal caller for the Falcons defense last season, he's now a contract-by-contract player.  

"Sometimes players won't end up back here - it kind of depends on what the market dictates," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said back in January. "But there were a lot of guys that came here and did some really good things. We're going to always start here and start with our team. And you really want to bring back as many guys as you can if it works out. When guys are outside the building ... it's more risky and crazy."

Perhaps Evans could still return to Atlanta, where he notched 159 tackles, good for seventh-most in the NFL, along with six tackles for loss, four passes defended, two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries. Other options appear to include the Eagles, Commanders and Rams. He's too good not to be in a training camp, but we'll all have to wait and see which one along with the likes of Julio Jones, Kareem Jackson and maybe even Ingram. 

Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW regularly appears on BamaCentral.com. 

See Also: 

Players Cashed in, but it Wasn't Alabama's Most Profitable Draft

Is There More Pressure To Succeed in the NFL on Bryce Young or Will Anderson?

Who will be Alabama's Top Prospect in 2024 NFL Draft? 

The Phone Call Greg Byrne Needs to Make to Save Alabama Baseball