Rising and Falling: NFL Draft Stock of Crimson Tide Players After Senior Bowl

If you include Jalen Hurts, Alabama has had double-digit draft picks every year since 2017. Will that streak continue or is it in jeopardy?

The Senior Bowl wrapped up a week of on-site evaluations on Saturday and all nine NFL teams that had openings for head coaches have filled the positions. 

Next up, the NFL combine, which will be held Feb. 28-March 7, in Indianapolis. 

The league was expected to announce this year's invitation list on Tuesday, which by itself is a major step in the draft process. 

Per the league site: 

"All eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft."

Consequently, that also makes it a barometer for which players might be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.

Overall, we're still relatively early in the evaluation process when it comes to teams putting together their initial draft boards and position rankings. Most don't have their scouts get together and hold collective meetings until right around this time or at the Senior Bowl. 

That translates to a lot of hearsay, even at No. 1. 

For example, one of NFL Draft Bible's latest mock drafts has the New York Giants, who have a new coach and general manager, trading up in order to select a quarterback, and then then Panthers following suit to take an offensive lineman like Crimson Tide tackle Evan Neal.

"Neal has rare athleticism for his size, possessing quick feet and lower body flexibility to get out of his stance and work to the second level," Zack Patraw wrote. "His length is great and once he lands his hands, he is able to latch on, move his feet and control opponents."

Alabama LT Evan Neal, #73. 6-7, 350 pounds, future NFL standout and destroyer of souls. pic.twitter.com/F8LcLyIloV

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 4, 2021

However, the Giants have been pretty outspoken about sticking with quarterback Daniel Jones, who is still only 24 years old. Brian Daboll is already his third NFL coach after being selected No. 6 overall in 2019, and now has former Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka as his offensive coordinator.

"There's a lot of things to like about Daniel, and we'll just take it one day at a time, we'll work with him, we'll help him get better," said Daboll, a former Alabama offensive coordinator, during his introductory press conference. "We'll help him be a better leader, we'll help him be everything. That's our job as a coaching staff and as an organization. It takes everybody. It's not just me. It's the rest of the coaches on our staff, it's the scouts, it's the support staff, it's the ownership group. It takes a lot to raise a quarterback, if you will. 

"He's been around the block these last three years with some different pieces. We're going to try to give him some stability and just take it from there."

SEE ALSO: Where Alabama Players are Projected to Land after Declaring for the NFL Draft

Meanwhile, one has to wonder what new Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has at the top of his wish list. Jacksonville, which holds the first-overall selection, already has its franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. There's a lot of speculation that the offensive-minded coach will try and get him some help by taking Alabama tackle Evan Neal over Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Regardless, here's a quick look at when Alabama players might get selected based mostly on position rankings, last year's draft and some key sources:

Evan Neal, tackle

Alabama Athletics

Neal is a slam dunk to be the first Crimson Tide player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, and there's a chance he could be the only first-round pick. 

If he's a top-five selection, Neal is looking at an initial four-year contract worth $35 million-plus. 

Standout left tackles are becoming pretty rare, so Jacksonville knows there will be plenty of interest should it opt to trade down.  

Jameson Williams, wide receiver

Alabama Athletics

Williams is coming off an ACL injury, so teams will be closely monitoring his rehab progress. 

The good news for him is that this could be a huge draft for wide receivers, so even if he's, say, sixth, on most team draft boards with his position group it still could keep him in the first round. 

NFL Draft Bible has him fourth. Some draft experts are projecting up to eight wide receivers could go in the first round. 

Phidarian Mathis, defensive lineman

Senior Bowl

Good motor. Team leader. Went to Mobile for the Senior Bowl. There's a lot to like about Mathis, but he's likely a second-round pick depending on team needs and how the draft plays out. 

We like him to be the third Crimson Tide player selected because he was more consistent than others and defensive line is always a need position. Of course, it always comes down to specific needs when teams are selecting, so he could also be the fifth or sixth Alabama player taken. 

Christian Harris, linebacker

Alabama Athletics

Harris is the kind of player who will probably get a bump from the combine because he's so impressive athletically, 

Something that will also benefit him is that there are few top interior linebackers in the draft, so he might have a chance to go third behind Nakobe Dean of Georgia and Devin Lloyd of Utah. 

That means second round on paper. 

John Metchie III, wide receiver

Alabama Athletics

Metchie's knee will complicate things, but but just like with Jameson Williams will benefit from playing a need position. Something that teams will like is that he was usually Bryce Young's go-to guy on third downs. 

If the reports on his rehab are good, Metchie could be a solid second-round selection. 

Josh Jobe, cornerback

Alabama Athletics

The evaluation process will be crucial for Jobe. 

He started 11 games over 12 appearances last season. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound cornerback recorded two interceptions and four pass deflections to go with 38 tackles including one for a loss. His season was cut short following the SEC Championship Game last month as he underwent surgery on a lingering toe injury.

So he's not considered to be on that top tier of cornerbacks, which includes Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, Martin Emerson and Coby Bryant (and those are the ones Alabama faced last season). 

NFL Draft Bible has him 16th among cornerbacks. Last year 21 defensive backs went in the first three rounds, the same exact number as the previous year. 

Brian Robinson Jr., running back

Senior Bowl

Robinson is one of those guys we wish we could give a better grade, but even the best running backs in this year's draft know that it's highly unlikely any will be selected in the first round.

The first tier this year features Isaiah Spiller, Kenneth Walker III and Breece Hall. James Cook will probably be the subsequent pick due to his explosive play-making ability, with Robinson in the next group along with former Crimson Tide running back Jerome Ford. 

Bottom line: Robinson's probably looking at fourth round 

Jalyn Armour-Davis, cornerback

Alabama Athletics

Armour-Davis dealt with some injury issues throughout the later parts of the season, but made 11 starts at cornerback for the Crimson Tide and was tied for the team lead with three interceptions in 2021. He also added 32 tackles and earned All-SEC second-team honors.

What works in his favor is NFL teams are always looking for cornerbacks.  

The guess here is that he goes one round after Jobe, who has a lot more experience. 

Chris Allen, linebacker

Alabama Athletics

Allen suffered a foot injury in the season opener against Miami that kept him off the field for the remainder of the season.

That makes him a sleeper for this draft. 

The previous year he was second-team All-SEC, led the league in tackles for loss with 13 (-48 yards) as part of his 41 total tackles on the season. He also registered six sacks (-33 yards) to go with five quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

In 2020, Anfernee Jennings went late third round. Allen looks more like a fifth-round steal.

LaBryan Ray, defensive lineman

TG Paschal/BamaCentral

Ray is the toughest Crimson Tide player to project because of his up-side, but he also has a long list of injury issues including with his foot, lower leg, elbow and groin. 

For him the medical evaluation and workouts will be huge.

Ray announced that he's been invited to the combine, where he needs to impress. If it goes well a team will take a chance on him on Day 3 of the draft. If he struggles or isn't fully prepared for Indianapolis, free agency is in his future. 

Slade Bolden, wide receiver

Alabama Athletics

Bolden is gamer and will draw some attention as also being a special-teams contributor. He'll get a chance to impress scouts with his versatility at the NFL combine. 

A redshirt junior, played in all 15 games this past season while making 10 starts at the slot position. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound receiver recorded 408 yards and three touchdowns on 42 receptions. He also averaged 6.6 yards on 15 punt returns and 13.4 yards on five kickoff returns.

There were 34 wide receivers drafted last year, and 37 the year before. With all the talent at the position this year, he's probably looking at free agency. 

Daniel Wright, safety

Alabama Athletics

Wright is an interesting prospect who definitely got better as last season progressed.

Playing essentially as a third-down specialist he had 29 tackles, including two for loss one sack, with three pass breakups and a quarterback pressure.

In 2020, he picked off two passes with 65 yards and a touchdown on the returns, and also had 60 tackles, including one for loss.

At minimum, that'll get him into a training camp. But Wright was not invited to the NFL combine. 

Chris Owens, offensive lineman

Alabama Athletics

There are two strong factors working in his favor: His versatility, and it isn't the strongest year for offensive linemen. 

What doesn't work in his favor is that Owens will probably be viewed as a center who could help fill in at other positions. Last year only 10 centers were drafted.

Owens is looking at free agency, but with a good chance to end up on a practice squad. However, he was not invited to the NFL combine.

2022 NFL Draft Team Needs

2022 NFL Draft Rankings: Prospect Big Board and Profiles

2022 All-Star Game Measurements

• College Gridiron Showcase
• Hula Bowl
• Tropical Bowl
• NFLPA Bowl
• East/West Shrine Bowl
• Senior Bowl