Alabama Looks to Be Well-Represented in 2012 NFL Draft
Coming off of a national championship, the Alabama Crimson Tide also were crowned with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by Rivals.com. Under three-time BCS title winner Nick Saban, ‘Bama has made a habit of stocking their depth-chart with future NFL stars, and 2011 was no different. Specifically on defense, Alabama’s talent level was unmatched and will be immediately noticeable in April’s NFL Draft, where as many as 11 members of the 2011 team stand to be drafted.
Here is an early look at draft projections and scouting reports for the draft eligible members of the defending national champs.
(Rankings courtesy of CBS Sports)
Trent Richardson- #5 Overall Prospect, #1 RB
Richardson is a powerful runner who will wear defenses out between the tackles. At 5-11 and 224 lbs, Trent can take punishment, but also has the lateral agility to cut back against the flow of the defense and the speed to outrun opponents to the edge.
Grade: Top 10 Pick
Dre Kirkpatrick- #10 Overall Prospect, #2 CB
A large-bodied CB with long arms who looks like he was built to play press coverage at 6-2 194 lbs. Dre has solid ball skills and routinely comes away with 50-50 balls, but he does have a tendency to over-pursue. He’ll need to get stronger, and many organizations will have questions in regards to his character, but this is a top-level prospect.
Grade: Top 20 Pick
Mark Barron- #18 Overall Prospect, #1 S
Big, physical, aggressive ball-hawking safety who also attacks the line of scrimmage in run defense. He has solid instincts and ample speed to make him menacing in zone-coverage, but he hasn’t been asked to work in man-coverage matched up against the slot often and he only shows average change-of-direction.
Grade: First Round
Courtney Upshaw- #20 Overall Prospect, #2 OLB
Talented edge rusher who uses his physical abilities to overcome the fact that he’s difficult to project at the next level. He’s never been asked to do much other than pin his ears back, which may project him as a weakside defensive end.
Grade: Top 15 Pick
Dont’a Hightower- #30 Overall Prospect, #2 ILB
Hightower is a physical run-plugging LB who uses his size and strength to shed blocks and fill. He can also come hard downhill from his ILB position and pursue the quarterback. However, he can be rather stiff in coverage.
Grade: Late-First Round/Early-Second Round
DeQuan Menzie- #108 Overall Prospect, #14 CB
A solidly put together cornerback who plays extremely physically. He loves to hit and plays well in press coverage despite short arms, which makes him project well as a nickel corner. Menzie’s stock stands to improve dramatically with a solid effort at the NFL Combine.
Grade: Third-Fifth Round
Josh Chapman- #178 Overall Prospect, #16 DT
Josh Chapman is a powerful and short 300-lber who is designed to line up over the center and eat double-teams. He could probably shade the center in a 4-3 as a nose guard, but he’s best suited to play the nose tackle in a 3-4.
Grade: Fifth-Sixth Round
Marquis Maze- #200 Overall Prospect, #27 WR
Short and quick slot receiver/return specialist who makes things happen in the open-field. He’s critically limited as a wide receiver by his 5-8 184 lb frame, but he will be hard to keep off the field as a return man.
Grade: Fifth-Sixth Round
Brad Smelley- #216 Overall Prospect, #3 H-Back
Smelley is an ordinary athlete at an ordinary position who continues to find ways to be useful despite his physical limitations. He has solid hands and has the size to get a hat on a linebacker, but it’s his willingness to play on special-teams units that makes him valuable.
Grade: Sixth-Seventh Round
William Vlachos- #290 Overall Prospect, #10 C
Vlachos is an under-sized, overachiever who gets to the second level and delivers a punch when he gets there. He only possesses average strength and often gets stood up, but in a scheme that uses his lateral quickness he could have value on the interior.
Grade: Seventh Round-UFA
Jerrell Harris- #307 Overall Prospect, #27 OLB
Harris wasn’t well-suited to Alabama’s 3-4 scheme and saw limited action because of that (and a stacked depth-chart), but he does have the traits to play the “Will” linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. He’d be a project, but he might be worth a late-round flyer.
Grade: Seventh Round-UFA
