Alabama has produced a lot of quality NFL talent over the last decade. After seeing another nine players drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft — four of which were first-round picks — the pipeline of former Tide players has only gotten stronger.
There was an ongoing debate on whether or not last year’s Alabama team could have beaten the Cleveland Browns. While that was fun to argue, there would be little chance for a college team — no matter how good — to beat an NFL team — no matter how bad. That debate did peak my interest, however.
If you could take all of Alabama’s former players who are currently in the NFL and put them on the same roster, what would it look like? How would it hold up against the rest of the NFL? Could it be a playoff-caliber team? Could it win the Super Bowl?
Well, I decided to dive in and take a look. This is the second of a two-part series looking to see how an all-Alabama roster would look in the NFL. Today’s focus: the defense.
Defensive Line
Analysis: This unit is absolutely stacked. Two former first-round picks and three picks that came in the second. On top of that, both Quinton Dial and Damion Square have far exceeded their draft position since entering the NFL.
As of right now, Marcell Dareus leads this group. The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft has been an absolute monster on the field. He’s produced 34 sacks in 86 career games, and he’s been almost impossible to move in the run game. Dareus played mostly as a 3-4 defensive end during his time at Alabama, but he would be the starter at nose tackle in this defense.
Between Reed, Robinson, Tomlinson and Allen, there are no guarantees on the type of impact each of them could make. Reed and Robinson struggled as rookies in 2016, but growth is expected from both players. Tomlinson and Allen are rookies who are both expected to start for their respective teams from day one.
It would be extremely difficult to move the ball on the ground against this defensive line — especially when you consider that most of the players included are highly effective run defenders. The pass rush would also be in good hands with Dareus’ ability to provide pressure from the nose tackle position along with Allen applying pressure from the 5-technique.
Grade: A-
Edge Rushers
Analysis: There is potential with this group, but there is also some unknowns. Upshaw has been a solid contributor as an edge-setting outside linebacker for both the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons since being drafted in the second-round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
In this defense, Upshaw would continue that role. He would be an early-down defender who would be expected to continue his ability as an elite edge-setting outside linebacker — in order to effect the opposing offense’s run game. On passing downs, rookie Tim Williams — a third-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens this past April — would rotate in to provide a pass rush.
Ryan Anderson — another rookie who was drafted in the second-round by the Redskins — would man the other outside linebacker position. He doesn’t possess the elite burst that Williams has shown, but he’s a steady contributor who does everything well — just nothing great. When I look at the type of player that he can be in the NFL, I think of current 49ers edge rusher Ahmad Brooks — an 11-year veteran who has averaged between 6-8 sacks per season for most of his NFL career.
Gilberry is a much better fit as a 4-3 defensive end, so I would expect him to be used in limited situations where he could put his hand in the dirt. At 32 years old, he wouldn’t be expected to have a major impact — unless some sort of injury occurred.
The fact that Upshaw is so limited as a pass-rusher — in addition to the idea that two of the expected contributors are rookies — limits the grade that I could justifiably give this unit.
Grade: B-
Inside Linebackers
Analysis: This roster is deep at running back, safety and along the defensive line, but the inside linebackers would be the strength of this all-Alabama team. All four players would be expected to contribute in some way or another — whether it be on special teams, base packages or sub packages.
Hightower is one of the most versatile defensive players in the NFL. At 6’3 265 pounds, he can be an effective run-stopper as a 3-4 inside linebacker, or he can bump out to the edge and get after the quarterback on passing downs. With this team’s limited options at outside linebacker, Hightower would almost certainly see snaps on the outside as well. He’s also been an effective blitzer from his inside linebacker position.
Mosley has been one of the best inside linebackers since being drafted No. 17 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. In three seasons, he has 342 total tackles, 7 sacks, 6 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. With an overall grade of 85.8, Mosley was Pro Football Focus‘s 11th ranked linebacker for 2016. Since entering the league, he shown that he can be a consistent, three-down linebacker.
Ragland and Foster are more than talented enough to start, but with the kind of talent in front of them, neither of them would get that chance on this team. Both of these guys have shown the ability to wreck havoc on special teams, so that is where you would likely feel their presence the most. With Hightower bumping to outside linebacker in certain situations, these two would also still see limited snaps on defense — just not as many as one would think.
Grade: A+
Cornerbacks
Analysis: The cornerbacks are solid, but this would still be considered one of the weaker units on the team. Kirkpatrick had a rough start to his NFL career, but he has recently turned into a steady player for the Bengals. Despite being a solid run defending cornerback at Alabama, Kirkpatrick has struggled there since entering the league — this could potentially cause problems.
At only 5’10 185 pounds, Jackson is considered undersized. He would be best utilized in the slot, but that is where Cyrus Jones would be in this scenario. Still, Jackson has been effective as an outside corner as well, so don’t expect him to be the weak-link of the secondary.
Speaking of Jones, he really struggled as a rookie for the New England Patriots after being taken No. 60 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. There is hope that he can show some development from year one to year two, but he might end up having to make a bigger impact as a return specialist — much in the same way that Javier Arenas did during his tenure in the NFL.
The hope with this unit would be that Humphrey could emerge as a rookie to start at the left cornerback spot — thus allowing Kirkpatrick to slide to right cornerback and Jackson to the slot. With him being an unknown as a rookie, that can’t be assumed, however. Humphrey is an elite talent, but he struggles contesting the ball at the catch-point.
Milliner is on this team for depth purposes — he’s currently a free agent after being cut by the New York Jets before the 2016 season. He has talent, but injuries have taken their toll. He couldn’t be relied on as a full-time player at this point. Sylve was recently signed to his first contract with the Buffalo Bills, so he was added to the list to give the unit more depth.
Grade: B-
Safeties
Analysis: This unit might not be as strong as the inside linebackers from top to bottom, but it’s pretty close. This group really compliments each other, and their presence would help mask any struggles at cornerback.
Landon Collins emerged as one of the top play-making safeties in the league last season. After being the No. 33 overall pick to the New York Giants during the 2015 NFL Draft, Collins went on to start all 16 games as a rookie — recording over 100 tackles in the process. In his second season, he racked up 125 total tackles, 4 sacks and 5 interceptions — finishing as PFF’s No. 2 ranked safety.
Former Alabama free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix wasn’t far behind. He tied Collins for the second most interceptions by a safety with five last season, and he has averaged over 90 tackles per season during his three year career. Both Collins and Clinton-Dix are balanced safeties, but Clinton-Dix fits the mold of a free safety a lot more than Collins.
I decided to add a hybrid role-player into the mix with Mark Barron. He was drafted — as a strong safety — with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but has since moved to linebacker with the Los Angeles Rams. Barron struggled in coverage as a safety, but that weakness has been turned into a strength with his move down into the box.
Eddie Jackson would be an excellent option as a punt returner, and he would provide depth behind Collins. Sunseri was a special teams demon at Alabama, so he would be expected to continue that role on this team as well. At 31 years old, Rashad Johnson has aged — and he is a major liability against the run — but he would still be nice depth while providing a veteran presence.
Grade: A
Clint Lamb is an associate editor for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on Twitter @ClintRLamb or email him at [email protected].
