All Things CW: Ranking the Top Crimson Tide Players in the NFL By Position

Top 5 Crimson Tide players in the NFL for every position, what oddsmakers say about their upcoming season, and yet another aspect of the NIL

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Jul 16, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

One of the more interesting, and difficult tasks of following the Nick Saban era at the University of Alabama is finding new ways to put its growth into the National Football League into perspective.

There are more Crimson Tide players in the league than the combined total of most conferences.

There are multiple players at every regular position, and that's not just during training camp when rosters can include 90 players. It'll still be true when the final rosters are set, which helps make Alabama truly unique.

Five years ago naming an all-Alabama team at the NFL level was telling. So was subsequently piecing together a complete NFL roster of only Crimson Tide players, along with a theoretical depth chart.

It's grown to the point that Top 5 lists can be named for every position/position group.

Only at quarterback, tight end and specialists do the numbers fall short, albeit barely. There's only four of each in the league year without including any position players doubling as a kick/punt returner.

Maybe Henry Ruggs III or Jerry Jeudy could count toward that because neither made the cut at wide receiver despite obviously being good enough.

Check out The Ultimate Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL Database for a full breakdown by team and position, along with jersey numbers, draft information and contract status, but here's the full list:

Quarterbacks: 1. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins; 2. Jalen Hurts, Eagles; 3. Mac Jones, Patriots; 4. AJ McCarron, Falcons

Running backs: 1. Derrick Henry, Titans; 2. Josh Jacobs, Raiders; 3. Najee Harris, Steelers; 4. Kenyan Drake, Raiders; 5. Damien Harris, Patriots and Mark Ingram II, Texans (tie)

Wide receivers: 1. Julio Jones, Titans; 2. Amari Cooper, Cowboys; 3. Calvin Ridley, Falcons; 4. DeVonta Smith, Eagles; 5. Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins.

Tight ends: 1. O.J. Howard, Buccaneers; 2. Irv Smith Jr., Vikings.; 3. Miller Forristall, Titans; 4. Carl Tucker, Dolphins

Centers: 1. Ryan Kelly, Colts; 2. Bradley Bozeman, Ravens; 3. Landon Dickerson, Eagles; 4. Ross Pierschbacher, Eagles; 5. J.C. Hassenauer, Steelers

Tackles/Guards: 1. Cam Robinson, Jaguars; 2. Jedrick Wills, Jr., Browns, 3. Jonah Williams, Bengals; 4. Alex Leatherwood, Raiders; 5. D.J. Fluker, Dolphins

Defensive tackles: 1. Jonathan Allen, Washington; 2. Da’Ron Payne, Washington; 3. Raekwon Davis, Dolphins, 4. Jarran Reed, Chiefs; 5. A’Shawn Robinson, Rams

Defensive ends/linemen: 1. Quinnen Williams, Jets; 2. Dalvin Tomlinson, Vikings; 3. Christian Barmore, Patriots; 4. Da’Shawn Hand, Lions; 5. Isaiah Buggs, Steelers

Interior linebackers: 1. C.J. Mosley, Jets; 2. Dont’a Hightower, Patriots; 3. Rashaan Evans, Titans; 4. Reggie Ragland, Giants; 5. Mack Wilson, Browns

Outside linebackers (five-way tie): Ryan Anderson, Giants; Shaun Dion Hamilton, Lions; Anfernee Jennings, Patriots; Terrell Lewis, Rams; Christian Miller, Panthers

Cornerback: 1. Marlon Humphrey, Ravens; 2. Pat Surtain II, Broncos; 3. Trevon Diggs, Cowboys; 4. Levi Wallace, Bills; 5. Tony Brown, Bengals

Safety: 1. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers; 2. Eddie Jackson, Bears; 3. Kareem Jackson, Broncos; 4. Landon Collins, Washington; 5. Xavier McKinney, Giants

Specialists: 1. JK Scott, Packers; 2. Cole Mazza, Chargers; 3. Thomas Fletcher, Panthers; 4. Carson Tinker, Giants

Pass, Rushing and Receiving Leaders

Last year, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (brother of former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs) was a 50/1 long-shot to lead the NFL in receiving yards. He finished with 1,535, more than 100 yards from runner-up, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

With that in mind, SportsBetting.ag released its odds for league leaders in passing, rushing and receiving yards, and naturally it includes a lot Crimson Tide players.

Passing: Patrick Mahomes is the understandable frontrunner at 6/1. Tua Tagovailoa is listed at 50/1, while Jalen Hurts is 80/1. Mac Jones is 100/1.

Receiving: Diggs is barely ahead of the Falcons' Calvin Ridley, 8/1 to 9/1, respectively. Julio Jones is 14/1 with his new team, the Titans. DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Jerry Jeudy are all at 66/1.

Rushing: Two-time rushing champion Derrick Henry is the frontrunner (pun intended) ay 3/1. Rookie Najee Harris is next up among Crimson Tide running backs at 12/1, while Josh Jacobs is 25/1 after the Raiders also acquired Kenyan Drake.

Incidentally, Alvin Kamara is at 50/1.

Will NIL Divide Teams?

I recently heard an interesting take about NIL (I was flipping through radio stations so I'm not sure whom to credit, but it was an active athlete), and after mulling it over I think it may be correct — although not the way the person intended.

His point was those believing that players getting extra money for name, image and likeness will lead to widespread problems in locker rooms have it wrong. Instead, he said the opposite will happen.

This is when I pulled up for my food order, temporarily cutting out the station. My initial reaction was that would make sense if the players getting the most money shared it with teammates, which is a good idea anyway — especially when talking about the dynamic between ball carries and blockers, etc.

But then it hit me the real reason why. Teams that have the most overall success will attract the most/biggest deals. The more they win, the more everyone gets, and consequently, it'll make the team-first attitude even stronger.

You know that's the pitch coaches are giving players, and sure enough when Big 12 media days kicked off Wednesday that was the message: Buying in will lead to you buying more in the end.

However, it also means that the rich will get richer in terms of acquiring talent, wins and losses, and national championships. Even with the expected playoff expansion NIL will only separate the teams at the top even more.

Did You Know?

As NFL training camps start to open next week (Pittsburgh and Dallas are slated to start Wednesday, followed by Tampa Bay on July 25), every NFL team will have at least one Crimson Tide player on the roster.

However, that statistic needs an asterisk. The only former Alabama player with the New Orleans Saints is Kamara, who left and went to a junior college before transferring to Tennessee.