Alabama’s roster will have plenty of talent for the 2025 season with a handful of players possessing the potential to be a first-round draft pick in 2026. Which players have the best chance to attain first-round status?
The easiest place to look when it comes to identifying players that have the potential to be a first-round pick is players that were ineligible for the draft in 2024. The first player that comes to mind is rising junior Kadyn Proctor. The two-year starter at left tackle has shown vast improvement since arriving in Tuscaloosa as a true freshman. The Iowa native will be tasked with protecting a new quarterback’s blind side in 2025. If he is able to do so at an efficient rate, it will attract the eyes of countless NFL scouts. Not to mention, Proctor is listed at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds. His performance during the season and at the NFL combine could be the determining factors for where Proctor is drafted.
The other players that will have a prime chance of becoming a first-round pick are Deontae Lawson and Domani Jackson. Lawson has spent four seasons at Alabama and will return for one final season in 2025. The Alabama native has displayed his potential to be a first-round pick. The biggest thing surrounding Lawson is his level of consistency. If he can play on a consistent level and remain healthy, he could be viewed as a Day 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With Jackson, he will need to prove that his level of play in 2024 was not a fluke. He will need to stack a promising junior campaign with an even better senior season in Tuscaloosa. The former USC Trojan was projected by several draft experts to be a top-5 cornerback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, he will return to Tuscaloosa with hopes of becoming a top-3 cornerback or better during the 2025 season. The California native has the skillset and athleticism to be a valuable asset for any NFL organization. Much like Lawson, he needs to prove that he can be consistent in his final season.
There are several others that have the potential to be fringe first-round picks. However, these three stand out among the rest of the pack at this point in time.
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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
