Both are locked in as high first-round NFL Draft picks.
The Senior Bowl is normally for potential draft picks that look to increase their stock in the eyes of professional scouts. Coming into the 2016 college football season, Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen and linebacker Reuben Foster were named among the nation’s best at their respective position.
Both players did not disappoint and according to senior NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler, Allen and Foster declined their invitations for the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
As expected, #Alabama DL Jonathan Allen and LB Reuben Foster have declined Senior Bowl invites. Both projected high 1st round picks.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 18, 2017
After dominating in 2015, Allen returned with a jaw-dropping senior season.
The 6-foot-3, 291-pounder led the team in sacks (10.5) and quarterback hurries (15), while recording 69 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries (two touchdowns). Allen’s illustrious trophy case following the season includes Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik, Ted Hendricks and SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year awards. The Leesburg, Va., native was one of three unanimous All-Americans for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster controlling the defense versus Florida in the 2016 SEC Championship Game: Cedric Mason- Touchdown Alabama Magazine
Foster was the next golden boy in a lineage of stellar inside linebackers.
A feared signal caller, he led the team in tackles with 115. The Auburn, Ala., native accounted for 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and eight quarterback hurries. He captained a defense that allowed 13 points, 262 total yards and a completion clip of 54 percent from opposing quarterbacks. Behind Foster, the Tide forced 29 turnovers and created 54 sacks. He won the 2016 Dick Butkus Award and was named a unanimous All-American.
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 @Smsmith_TDALMag.
