One former Alabama football standout could be in line for a big moment.
On Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers decided to elevate Jared Mayden from its practice squad to its active roster for Sunday’s meeting against the New Orleans Saints. The matchup is scheduled to air on FOX at 3:25 p.m., as the 49ers will battle New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Mayden, who was not selected through seven rounds of this year’s NFL Draft, was signed to San Francisco as a free agent and has done well enough on the practice squad for this chance.
A native of Sachse, Texas, he signed in Alabama’s 2016 freshmen class. He came as a cornerback, but Mayden became well-verse at nickel (Star) and safety too in Nick Saban’s defense.
The 6-foot, 205-pounder prides himself on being a versatile player in the secondary. Not only does he want to be marketable, but Mayden also looks to prove why he is a huge asset.
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He played in 36 career games, including 19 starts at safety in 2019.
Mayden collected 82 total tackles, five pass breakups and four interceptions during his tenure. In his senior season, he posted 59 tackles, three breakups, two quarterback hurries and four interceptions. His output in takeaways not only led the Tide’s defense, but it also tied Mayden for second in the Southeastern Conference.
He was awarded Defensive Player of the Week from Alabama’s coaching staff for his efforts against LSU. Mayden had a career-high 11 tackles, despite a 41-46 loss to the Tigers.
During an interview with yours truly of Touchdown Alabama Magazine via In My Own Words on March 14, Mayden said it was his versatility that separated him from everyone else in his draft class.
*Mayden speaks on his versatility at 4:07 mark
“I give a lot of credit to Coach Saban and his scheme,” Mayden said. “Even when it was tough at times in trying to learn different positions, he kept pushing me. He would tell me all the time ‘with you being versatile, you add a lot of value to our secondary.’ So, I just try to push that toward coaches when I meet with them. I let them know I have been trained and prepared for all spots. What ever hole you need fixed in your defense, I can do it and then some. I just want to bring more to a defense.”
He was on two SEC Championship teams (2016, 2018) and a national championship roster (2017) at Alabama.
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Tide fans are looking forward to see the versatility of Mayden have fun and enjoy this opportunity with the 49ers.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
