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Jadeveon Clowney headlines 11 SEC players taken first round NFL draft - ESPN
It was another successful first round of the NFL draft for the SEC, even if one star had to wait a lot longer than he expected.
By the time the night was over, Jadeveon Clowney was the first overall pick, Johnny Manziel was in Cleveland, and the SEC led all conferences with 11 picks in the first round.
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Wrapping up Alabama's Day 1 at NFL Draft: Tide defenders back in the spotlight | AL.com
Even as C.J. Mosley and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix went off the board midway through Thursday's first round, Mel Kiper Jr. didn't relent.
The ESPN NFL Draft analyst hammered away at a talking point he first used in a teleconference with reporters last month. Alabama's defensive players, as a whole, have underperformed based on where they were selected in recent years, and Kiper Jr. said it could impact the draft prospects of the Crimson Tide defenders of the future.
This guy. Two former Bama defenders (Courtney Upshaw, Terrence Cody) took home Super Bowl rings this year. Another (Dont'a Hightower) played with the Patriots in the AFC championship game. This bloviating buffoon sees what he wants to see. Nothing more.
C.J. Mosley continues the Alabama-to-Baltimore tradition as No. 17 pick | AL.com
He joins the Tuscaloosa-to-Baltimore pipeline as the No. 17 pick in the NFL draft.
Mosley was the first Alabama player taken after seeing the streak of top-10 picks end at five years. He joins former teammate Courtney Upshaw and Terrance Cody with the Ravens.
The Ravens have another alum in Ozzie Newsome as the general manager.
Great landing spot for Mosley. Our friends up in Baltimore seem to be generally happy with the pick, seeing that they probably landed a top-10 talent while picking 17th. Apparently, C.J. was a childhood Ravens fan that idolized Ray Lewis, so he's pretty happy with the situation.
Green Bay Packers select Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with 21st pick in NFL Draft | AL.com
The Green Bay Packers selected Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the 21st pick in Thursday's first round.
The second safety selected in this year's NFL Draft, Clinton-Dix is the fifth Crimson Tide defensive back to be selected in the first round since 2010.
The folks over in Green Bay seem to be pretty pleased with their draft pick as well. I can't overstate how big it is that both of these guys managed to land on competent teams. Sometimes, that can make all the difference in the world, and we couldn't be happier for them.
Alabama Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up
I would say Alabama still has to be worried about their corners, who weren’t seriously tested in the Spring game. Saban said he expects Eddie Jackson back "early in the season" meaning they will be once again starting young and unproven corners in the opener. That alone should be enough to give anyone pause.
If, and that’s a big if, Jacob Coker lives up to the hype, Alabama will be fine at the QB position, which is good news for the wide receivers. I believe the offensive line will eventually be better than last year, even if they did lose two veterans in Kouandjio and Steen.
Bammer helped out Saturday Edge with their Alabama Spring Wrap up. Go check it out.
College football's next great money race -- food -- is here - CBSSports.com
Translation: It's not really defined at all, other than, starting Aug. 1, schools can provide meals and snacks based around team-related activities, which is also broadly defined. What is a team activity? Players meet with coaches or student-advisors or with each other all the time.
The safe bet is dining halls won't be open at 2 a.m.
Another safe bet: Costs will be significant, which means another inherent arms race could be on the way.
Kansas State's John Currie outlined his enhanced meal plan that will likely cost between $600,000 and $1 million annually.
And it doesn't even sound that extreme – snacks in the training room, post-workout shakes, 3-to-4-hour dining availability six days a week, access to food service after workouts, in addition to meal stipends or nightly dining hall already available.
There's no fixed cost with this, so in theory Texas or Alabama or Oregon can spend $5 million if they choose.
A couple of things here:
1) it's kind of shoddy reporting to me to throw out what the "enhanced" meal plan will cost, without giving the context of what the previous cost was.
2) DOLLA DOLLA BILLS Y'ALL. Who's ready for truffle shake Tuesdays, and Ruth's Chris on demand every day? What's that? There isn't a Ruth's Chris in Tuscaloosa? THEN WE'LL BUILD ONE. We'll serve protein bars in edible gold leaf. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO UNWRAP IT!