Alabama football and the NFL draft go hand in hand, though many will claim that the Tide’s magical run of sending players to the league will end with head coach Nick Saban choosing to retire. For now, the league still seems to like the players in Tuscaloosa.
With draft season upon us and the actual event not taking place for a few more months, it’s time to put all of our attention into mock drafts.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper has revealed his debut 2024 mock draft (subscription required) and included three Crimson Tide standout players. However, he left one out that many believe has the potential to be a top-10 selection.
First off the board out of Alabama is outside linebacker Dallas Turner at No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.
“The Falcons ranked 32nd in pass rush win rate (30.9%) and 29th in takeaways (16),” writes Kiper. “Veterans Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree led the team with 6.5 sacks apiece. This is a front seven that needs an injection of youth. With Turner, they’d get the best edge defender in this class, a 242-pound outside linebacker who had 22.5 sacks over three college seasons. He ranked eighth in the FBS with a 16.7% pressure rate in 2023.”
The Falcons have needs on both sides of the ball, but considering the limited number of start-worthy quarterbacks in the 2024 class, it’s not likely that Atlanta will be able to land one of them with the eighth pick. Turner is a quality pick and should be an instant difference-maker for the team.
Next up is cornerback Terrion Arnold, who Kiper projects to be selected at No. 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Ultimately, this might be Las Vegas’ best chance to get a true No. 1 cover corner, though, as Arnold took his game to another level in 2023,” writes Kiper. “He picked off five passes and had 12 total breakups as quarterbacks completed just 37.9% of their passes when he was the nearest defender in coverage. He can shut down one side of the field for a defense that improved down the…
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