Five bold predictions for Alabama players in the 2022 NFL draft
The first round of the 2022 NFL draft takes places tomorrow evening live from Las Vegas, with the rest of the rounds following on Friday and Saturday. Nearly a dozen former Alabama players are expected to be drafted, which will have Crimson Tide fans glued to the event.
The 2022 draft class has been a unique one. For starters, there does not seem to be an unanimously agreed upon No. 1 overall pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There has also been rumblings of potential trades within the first round, but nothing official with just over 24 hours until the first pick is in.
Nick Saban has seen a total of 39 players drafted on the first night of the draft since he joined Alabama as the program’s head coach. This year, it is expected that he will add two more to the first-round tally.
With a ton of uncertainty, here are five bold predictions for former Alabama stars heading into the 2022 NFL draft.
Evan Neal falls out of top-5
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The former Alabama offensive tackle was connected to the first overall pick for quite some time, but it appears as if Jacksonville may decide to go with a defensive lineman. While that won’t do much to protect their incoming second-year quarterback, it does allow for Neal to slide a bit. The next team that could utilize him immediately would be the New York Giants at No. 5. If they decide to look for a different position or take NC State’s Ickem Ekwonu, the Neal is outside the top-five.
Jameson Williams is WR1 in the draft
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
In 2020, Henry Ruggs was drafted before Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, which came as a shock to many. [autotag]Jameson Williams[/autotag] was the presumed WR1 in the 2022 NFL draft before his ACL injury. However, with a seemingly rapid recovery and a skillset that differentiates him from the rest of the receiver class, a team may decide to take Williams before he slides past them.
John Metchie III falls to third round
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
John Metchie III is an extremely talented wide receiver that shared a WR1 spotlight with Jameson Williams while at Alabama in 2021. Metchie, however, doesn’t appear to be as NFL ready as some of the other top wide receiver prospects. He is currently expected to be selected in the second round; but depending on how teams’ big board fall in the first round, Metchie could be a late Day 2 selection.
Josh Jobe is a late Day 3 selection
(AP Photo/John Amis)
Former Alabama defensive back Josh Jobe has plenty of film from his time at Alabama, where he was a starter for multiple seasons. Given that he was a multi-year starter and is not being regularly mentioned among the top cornerbacks in the class, it’s likely teams are not very high on him. Think back to when Dylan Moses went undrafted, Alabama fans were surprised because of the impact he had while in college, but draft analysts were not shocked.
Brian Robinson jr. is drafted sooner than many expect
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Brian Robinson Jr. waited years for his chance to be the starting running back fro the Crimson Tide. He got the opportunity in 2021 and made the most of it. He may not have been as flashy as the running backs Crimson Tide fans have seen in recent seasons, but he was effective at carrying the ball. A team in need of an immediate starter may overlook Robinson, but his speed and power will be recognized by a team who needs a goal-line back that can power through in short-yardage situations.
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