Jumbo Package: History Made, Again

Happy Monday, everyone. As expected, it was another dud on the diamond as the men were swept and the women salvaged one of three. Unfortunately both teams seem to be headed nowhere, and fast. It was a stellar weekend for Alabama at the NFL Draft, however.

The 12 selections is a record under head coach Nick Saban and the most in school history, surpassing the 10 selected in 2017, as well as in the 32-round draft in 1945. The total is also the most for a Southeastern Conference school in the history of the NFL draft.

Alabama’s 77 draftees over the last 10 years are the most by any program in college football in that span. LSU (72) is second as the only program over 70, followed by USC with 66.

Hear that, ‘croots? Alabama is lapping the field not only in national titles, but also in players who get to hear their names called at the draft. Considering the talent on the current roster, this gap is only going to widen.

“They play at such a high level consistently,” Gruden said. “Their defense is good week in and week out. I mean, in the last three years, they’ve been to three national championships and won two. So that type of consistency against the best competition in college football, their defense stands out. They get the top recruits out of high school. These guys translate to great college players, and then, for the most part, they translate to great pro players.

”You’re going to see that here. Ryan Anderson is just getting ready to make his mark, and, obviously, Jonathan Allen’s going to have a healthy year next year and play extremely well (and) Da’Ron. So we’re excited about these Alabama guys, but we’re also excited about everybody else.”

The Washington Redskins join the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens with five Alabama players on the roster, should you be looking for a NFL team to adopt. The ‘Skins are likely to be starting Payne and Allen next to one another, with Ryan Anderson at OLB. Shaun Dion Hamilton has a tough row to hoe coming back from his second major knee injury, but he has loads of potential. Arie Kouandjio is the fifth.

Minkah Fitzpatrick and Calvin Ridley had some things to say about their new destinations.

These two guys are as mature as any you will find coming out of college. Their professional attitudes and work ethic should serve them well.

Nothing about the draft is cooler than a player getting “the call” who wasn’t sure whether he would be drafted.

From grayshirt offer to NFL draftee. Congratulations, Bradley. You earned it.

Auburn has a lot going for it heading into the 2018 season. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw for 3,158 passing yards, the second most in program history, in his first season after transferring to the Tigers and should be even better this year.

The defensive front seven might be the league’s best — Alabama hopes to have something to say about that — and Auburn convincingly won the 2017 Iron Bowl and represented the division in the SEC Championship Game.

Yet Alabama is being widely hailed as the team to beat in college football in 2018 and will be ranked No. 1 by a lot of those magazines.

On paper, the Crimson Tide have no business holding such a distinction. A prediction of a top ranking for any other team dealing with that kind of turnover would get laughed at.

This is a fair point. Nobody else would be favored to win a division after turning over ³⁄₄ of the assistant staff and losing the whole secondary. Of course, nobody else has this roster.

Last but not least, Dabo Swinney was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame this weekend, and made a funny quip about the Tide.

I mean, he ain’t wrong.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.