The 2020 NFL Draft was huge for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the state of Alabama as a whole as the Yellowhammer State was among the states with the most players drafted.
A total of 11 players, who were drafted played their senior season of high school football in Alabama. Texas led the way with 33 former high school players drafted, followed by California and Florida. Alabama finished in the No. 6 spot among the states with the most players drafted.
The Tide put two Alabama natives in the draft with Henry Ruggs joining the Las Vegas Raiders as the No. 12 overall pick and with Anfernee Jennings joining the New England Patriots as the No. 87 overall pick.
Although this is a solid number for a state the size of Alabama, this number has a chance to be higher in the future and this is why Nick Saban and company have made recruiting the state a priority.
Alabama has signed 14 in-state prospects over the last two recruiting cycles and currently has two verbal commitments from in-state recruits. A plethora of talented in-state targets remain on Alabama’s 2021 board, including multiple 5-Star recruits.
WATCH BREAKDOWN OF ALABAMA’S 2021 IN-STATE TARGETS BELOW:
The Tide are also keeping their eyes open for in-state prospects in future classes. Their lone 2022 verbal commit, Jeremiah Alexander, is a product of Thompson High school in Alabaster, Alabama. Multiple 2022 in-state recruits also hold offers from Alabama.
As Alabama continues to push for in-state recruits, Auburn and several other power 5 schools have the state circled on their recruiting boards. It looks as if it is only a matter of time before the state has numbers in the ballpark of some states with bigger populations within a single draft class.
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
