Alabama football: All-Drafted Team from Saban era (Defense)
Alabama football has seen a lot of success in the NFL draft since Nick Saban took over the program back in 2007. In the last 15 drafts, 39 Crimson Tide players have been Day 1 draft picks with 68 others going on either Day 1 or 2. That’s an eye-popping average of 2.6 first-round picks per season.
We decided to put together offensive and defensive lineups of Saban’s All-Drafted Team. This isn’t made up of players who had the most success in the NFL or college. These are strictly lineups made up of guys who were drafted the highest at each individual position.
On defense, we went with three defensive linemen, two edge players, two off-ball linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties. Check it out below.
DL Marcell Dareus
Pick: First-round, No. 3 overall (2011)
Team: Buffalo Bills
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 427 overall / No. 43 DL
Dareus is tied for being the highest-drafted Alabama player — at least so far — during the Saban era. After a successful career in Tuscaloosa, the former Birmingham (Ala.) Huffman standout went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, including 6.5 with the team that drafted him and 2.5 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He last played in 2019, and his career stats currently sit at 365 tackles, 50.0 tackles for loss and 37.5 sacks.
DL Quinnen Williams
Pick: First-round, No. 3 overall (2019)
Team: New York Jets
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 127 overall / No. 19 DL
Williams is the one who’s tied with Dareus for being Alabama’s high-drafted player. That said, his introduction into the league came a lot more recently to another franchise in the AFC East. Yes, his career in the Big Apple got off to a slow start, but over the last two seasons, his dominance has taken hold with 13.0 combined sacks.
Oddly enough, Dareus and Williams were the two lowest-rated high school recruits to make this list, and yet, they’re the two highest-drafted players. That should prove that Saban and his coaching staff know how to develop talent, too.
DL Da’Ron Payne
Pick: First-round, No. 13 overall (2018)
Team: Washington Commanders
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 36 overall / No. 9 DL
Payne was a borderline five-star prospect coming out of Birmingham (Ala.) Shades Valley back in 2015. He played three seasons at Alabama with only 3 career sacks, but he still managed to get drafted in the top half of the first round because NFL teams understood what he could be.
Now, he’s four seasons into his NFL career and so far, he’s racked up 227 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Payne and his former Alabama teammate Jonathan Allen give Washington a fearsome interior duo.
EDGE Courtney Upshaw
Pick: Second-round, No. 35 overall (2012)
Team: Baltimore Ravens
On Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 78 overall / No. 8 EDGE
Back in 2012, some felt Upshaw could be a first-round draft pick. He fell to the Ravens at the top of the second, but he still made an impact. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound edge player wasn’t ever known for his pass-rushing chops. He only had 7.0 career sacks in six seasons, after all.
But he could set the edge against the run at an elite level.
Upshaw won a Super Bowl in his rookie season after chipping in 60 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He spent the next three seasons in Baltimore before finishing his career in a two-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons.
EDGE Ryan Anderson
Pick: Second-round, No. 49 overall (2017)
Team: Washington Commanders
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 66 overall / No. 8 EDGE
Similar to Upshaw, Anderson was never considered an elite pass-rushing prospect coming out of Alabama. Upshaw had 17.5 sacks in his four-year career in Tuscaloosa while Anderson had 19. Those numbers aren’t bad, but the skill set wasn’t ever going to allow for high sack numbers on the next level.
After being the second of two Alabama players drafted by Washington with its first two draft picks in 2017, Anderson went on to spend four seasons with the team. He played sparingly initially with limited success, but his best season came in 2019 when he had 44 tackles and 4.0 sacks.
If you noticed, edge is the only position where Alabama hasn’t had a first-round pick during the Saban era. That should change with Will Anderson and Dallas Turner over the next couple of years.
LB Rolando McClain
Pick: First-round, No. 8 overall (2010)
Team: Oakland Raiders
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 67 overall / No. 2 LB
McClain had some off-the-field issues on the NFL level, but at Alabama, he was a fan favorite. The Decatur (Ala.) native played like a true off-ball linebacker with good instincts, leadership and coverage ability despite possessing the size of a defensive end (6-foot-4, 255 pounds).
That rare combination led the Raiders to take him in 2010.
After a couple of successful years in Oakland, things started to go sideways for McClain. He stepped away from the game after the 2012 season, then briefly unretired to sign with the Ravens before ultimately deciding against a return. He eventually made his way back to the field, playing for the Cowboys in 2014-15.
Alabama fans won’t forget the contributions he made in Tuscaloosa though. He was one of the key factors in helping to change the culture of the program under Saban.
LB C.J. Mosley
Pick: First-round, No. 17 overall (2014)
Team: Baltimore Ravens
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 60 overall / No. 7 LB
Mosley is one of the best linebackers to come through Alabama during the Saban era. After being a part-time player in his first two seasons, he spent his last two posting back-to-back 100-tackle campaigns to go along with 17.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and a couple of interceptions.
His success on the college level translated to the NFL.
His first five seasons were spent in Baltimore where he averaged 115.8 tackles per season. Then, he signed with the Jets in 2019 but spent his first two seasons in New York working his way back from injury and sitting out due to COVID. He was back in 2021, however, posting a career-high in tackles (168).
CB Dee Milliner
Pick: First-round, No. 9 overall (2013)
Team: New York Jets
On Consensus ranking: 5-star / No. 15 overall / No. 2 CB
Milliner was an interesting cornerback. As a five-star prospect coming out of Millbrook (Ala.) in 2010, he got to Tuscaloosa and almost immediately assumed a role in the defense. After three years that included 136 tackles and 6 interceptions, he went in the top-10 to the Jets.
His first year in the league was a success. He had 56 tackles and 3 interceptions in 13 games (12 starts). Unfortunately, he was unable to stay healthy from there, and that ultimately cost him his career. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015.
CB Patrick Surtain II
Pick: First-round, No. 9 overall (2021)
Team: Denver Broncos
On3 Consensus ranking: 5-star / No. 6 overall / No. 1 CB
Surtain looks to have a promising future at football’s highest level. His rookie season in the Mile High saw him rack up 58 tackles and 4 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. We should probably note that the son of a former cornerback legend, Patrick Sr., only had 4 interceptions in his three seasons at Alabama.
Now, he’s considered one of the fastest-rising players at his position heading into Year 2.
S Mark Barron
Pick: First-round, No. 7 overall (2012)
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On3 Consensus ranking: 4-star / No. 70 / No. 4 S
Out of all the players on this list, Barron’s career path at the NFL level may be the strangest. He’s one of the three highest-drafted defensive players of the Saban era, but I’m not sure he ever quite lived up to that status. He was a good player, but I’m not sure he was a great player.
After just 2.5 seasons playing safety for the Bucs, Barron was traded to the Rams and converted to an off-ball linebacker role. There, he thrived for three years (320 tackles, 30.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and 5 interceptions) before things trailed off in his fourth and final season with the team. From there, he spent time Steelers and Broncos.
Barron is currently a free agent.
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Pick: First-round, No. 11 overall (2018)
Team: Miami Dolphins
On3 Consensus ranking: 5-star / No. 28 overall / No. 2 S
Fitzpatrick was a Swiss Army knife during his career at Alabama. After becoming a rare freshman starter, the New Jersey native mostly manned the Star position, but he also proved that he could play safety and some perimeter cornerback. He finished his career with 171 tackles, 5.0 sacks and 9 interceptions.
He originally began his NFL career with the Dolphins, but after not seeing eye-to-eye with the coaching staff, he requested a trade in Year 2. Since then, he’s been a staple on the back half of Pittsburgh’s defense. In his 46 games with the franchise, he’s hauled in 11 interceptions with two returned for a touchdown.
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