We may not see the Alabama Crimson Tide in this year's edition of the College Football Playoff, but we most certainly will see plenty of Nick Saban's players during the 2020 NFL Draft in April.
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A year after Saban set the NCAA record for most first-round picks for a coach in college football history — an astonishing 34 — the Tide now look poised to break another record when this upcoming draft rolls around.
ESPN's Todd McShay features seven Crimson Tide players in the first round of his 2020 NFL Mock Draft 1.0, which would be one more than Miami's record six first-round selections in 2004.
Leading the way are Alabama's two star playmakers on offense: wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. McShay projects both of them not to fall past the first five picks, even after Tagovailoa's hip injury that ended his season.
Left off the list are standout defensive back Trevon Diggs and linebacker Dylan Moses, who tore his ACL and missed the entire 2019 season.
You can find the complete list of McShay's first-round mock draft at the bottom of the page. Here's where he has each Tide player being drafted at:
3. Washington Redskins: WR Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy is different 🥶 pic.twitter.com/ACKYKergeT
— Receiver Life (@ReceiverLife_) December 13, 2019
McShay told Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter following the New Orleans Saints' Monday night win over the Indianapolis Colts that Jeudy was the best route runner he'd ever evaluated. That's saying something, because McShay has been evaluating draft prospects for some 20 years.
The 6-foot-1 wide receiver has a chance to be the highest wide receiver ever selected out of Tuscaloosa. Amari Cooper, taken fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2015, currently holds that distinction.
4. Miami Dolphins: QB Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa was locked in as the No. 1 overall pick for so long that #TankForTua became popular across multiple team fanbases.
Even after the hip surgery, the left-handed signal caller is expected to be a top-five pick and cash in on a historic career with the Tide. He passed for more than 7,000 yards in three seasons and currently ranks first in franchise history in touchdown passes (87) and completion percentage (69.3).
18. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Henry Ruggs III
Henry Ruggs III said he ran 24.3 MPH on this touchdown at South Carolina. https://t.co/1yjEkg9TG7
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 17, 2019
Remember when Kansas City Chiefs' Tyreek Hill caught up to his running back in a blazing 22-mph sprint this year? Yeah, well Ruggs was clocked at 24.3 mph this season.
Ruggs is no doubt the fastest receiver in this draft class and likely all of college football. If Hill's career is any indication, Ruggs is a no-brainer for an NFL team in need of some series speed.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Raekwon Davis
Raekwon Davis was a MONSTER for the Tide and found himself on the PFF College Top 50! pic.twitter.com/HA3o8iZa2o
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 11, 2019
The 6-foot-7 Davis suffered a gunshot wound prior to the 2017 season then promptly went out and earned All-SEC honors for posting 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. He hasn't played like that since, but his ceiling is still too high to pass on for the Jaguars at No. 19.
22. Dallas Cowboys: S Xavier McKinney
Xavier McKinney 81 yards TO. THE. 🏠 pic.twitter.com/n91fztB0de
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 23, 2019
An All-SEC first team selection this season, McKinney led the team in tackles (85) and racked up two sacks, three interceptions and four forced fumbles. McKinney is versatile enough to play safety or cornerback, which is why he's often compared to former Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
24. Miami Dolphins: OL Alex Leatherwood
Bama's OL is nasty.
Great blocks by RG Alex Leatherwood and TE Irvin Smith Jr. to spring RB Joshua Jacobs on the inside counter play pic.twitter.com/jAISLMlXX0
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) December 3, 2018
A 6-foot-6, 310-pound lineman, Leatherwood spent the 2018 season at right guard before shifting back to left tackle along the offensive line in '19. Here, the Dolphins get an All-SEC first-team player that has started all 12 games and allowed just two sacks and three quarterback hurries all season.
26. Green Bay Packers: WR DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith’s stutter release at the LOS is nasty. A Day 2 pick who will be an instant starter for some NFL team. pic.twitter.com/HcAqfu4HTp
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) December 12, 2019
It's wild to think that three Alabama receivers could go in the first round, but that's how talented this receiving corps is.
Jeudy gets all the hype, and rightly so, but Smith led the Tide in receiving yards (1,200) and receiving touchdowns (13). If Smith doesn't return for his senior year, one NFL team is going to nab a top-flight pass-catcher in the bottom of the first round.
Todd McShay's 2020 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 First-Round Projections
- Cincinnati Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, LSU
- New York Giants: DE Chase Young, Ohio State
- Washington Redskins: WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
- Miami Dolphins: QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
- Detroit Lions: CB Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
- Arizona Cardinals: WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
- New York Jets: OT Andrew Thomas, Georgia
- Jacksonville Jaguars: OLB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
- Carolina Panthers: DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
- Los Angeles Chargers: QB Justin Herbert, Oregon
- Las Vegas Raiders: CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
- Denver Broncos: S Grant Delpit, LSU
- Atlanta Falcons: CB CJ Henderson, Florida
- Cleveland Browns: WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
- Indianapolis Colts: WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
- Las Vegas Raiders: WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
- Philadelphia Eagles: WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
- Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Raekwon Davis, Alabama
- Miami Dolphins: DE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
- Tennessee Titans: RB D'Andre Swift, Georgia
- Dallas Cowboys: S Xavier McKinney, Alabama
- Buffalo Bills: WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
- Miami Dolphins: OL Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
- Minnesota Vikings: CB Bryce Hall, Virginia
- Green Bay Packers: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- Seattle Seahawks: DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
- Kansas City Chiefs: CB Kristian Fulton, LSU
- New Orleans Saints: DE AJ Epenesa, Iowa
- New England Patriots: OT Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
- San Francisco 49ers: RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State
- Baltimore Ravens: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
