The 2017 NFL Draft is months away, but while the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares for its showdown with the Washington Huskies on New Year’s Eve, many NFL teams are preparing their scouting reports looking for college football’s elite players. Alabama senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen will see his name penciled at the top of nearly every team’s draft board, and for good reason. With a rare skill set of size, speed, power, and quickness from the defensive line, Allen gives teams an immediate boost to one of the most important positions on any team. The question is whether his dominance is worthy of the top spot in the 2017 draft.
It has been 30 years since an Alabama player has been selected within the top two spots of an NFL draft. In 1987, Alabama star linebacker, Cornelius Bennett, was selected right behind Vinny Testeverde to the Indianapolis Colts with the number two pick. Before then, Joe Namath received the coveted top selection when the New York Jets took him number one overall in the 1965 draft. However, it was Harry Gilmer who became the Tide’s very first number one overall draft pick when the Washington Redskins selected him first in 1948.
With the pool of quarterbacks this year looking mediocre overall, one can surmise that it is plausible a position other than quarterback will receive the top pick. With Jonathan Allen winning the Bronco Nagurski award for the nation’s top defensive player, teams at the top of the draft will take notice of Allen and look to snatch him up very quickly.
As it stands now, the Cleveland Browns are a sure thing to finish last and obtain the rights to the number one pick in the draft. While quarterback is surely high on their priority list, this year’s slim pickings may afford them the opportunity to look for a gem in the second or third round while using their top pick on defense for someone of Allen’s prowess.
Last year, Jonathan Allen (93) was a force for the Tide, but made a wise decision to return. He may very well be the top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Photo by Cedric Mason – Touchdown Alabama Magazine
However, Allen will certainly have some competition as Hugh Jackson and company will have to decide whether Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett is more valuable. Certainly one cannot go wrong with either pick, and I’m sure it will come down to the final days for this decision to be made. With the Browns also having the 9th pick in the draft (from the Philadelphia Eagles), things can get interesting with the ability to use that as leverage for either a trade or move up or down in the draft.
Either way, Allen’s time in the green room will be short-lived. How short? We will all have to wait and see. For now, it is not out of the question for Allen to hear his name called first in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Brandon Williams is an Editor and Columnist for Touchdown Alabama. You can follow him on Twitter, @BWilliamsTDAL, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
