Nick Saban is one of 12 coaches that will attend the 2016 NFL Draft, starting on April 28 at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater.
The Alabama coach will have three of his former players join him as Reggie Ragland, A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed received invitations, per NFL writer Chase Goodbread.
Ragland, an inside linebacker, was a dominating force in college football for two seasons.
He anchored the Tide’s defensive front in 2015, totaling 102 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, six quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Ragland captained a group that finished first against the run (75.7 ypg), while being among the leaders in total defense (276.3 ypg) and scoring defense (15.1). He was a finalist for the Butkus Award and won SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Robinson and Reed were the dangerous duo in the middle of a nasty defensive line.
Robinson ended 2015 with 46 tackles, while Reed put in 57 stops. The two each dropped six pounds, going from 313 to 307 upon participating in the NFL Scouting Combine.
Ragland, Reed and Robinson all stand as top 20 prospects heading into the draft, stacking up at Nos. 15, 17 and 19.
Ragland is listed as the top-ranked inside linebacker. Robinson and Reed fall at Nos. 2 and 3 in their rank at defensive tackle.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
