Jumbo Package: Alabama, SEC dominate another NFL Draft

Happy Monday, everyone. It was a tough weekend for the baseball team. They fought valiantly at top ranked LSU but ended up losing all three games. Meanwhile, the softball team took two of three from the Bayou Bengals behind the stellar pitching of Montana Fouts.

Wrapping up the NFL Draft, Alabama set all kinds of records.

Alabama now has the longest streak of first-round draft picks in NFL draft history.

The Carolina Panthers’ selection of Bryce Young at No. 1 overall extended Alabama’s streak with at least one first-round pick to 15 years. That’s the longest run any school has had of first-round picks and breaks a tie with Miami at 14 years in a row. The Hurricanes had at least one player picked in the first round of every draft from 1995-2008.

Alabama also became the first school to have an offensive player chosen in the first round of five consecutive drafts, and the first school to have the first offensive and defensive player off the board in the same draft.

Check out this cool video of Bryce Young and CJ Stroud back when they were top recruits.

Alabama and Georgia led the way as the SEC steamrolled everyone yet again.

When breaking down the 2023 NFL Draft by conference, you probably could have guess the the league with the most draft picks before the No. 1 overall pick was even announced. Because after Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and 61 other players from the SEC were selected by NFL franchises in the three-day event, the conference claimed the honor of having the most players selected in the NFL Draft for the 17th consecutive season.

The SEC’s 62 picks are a slight step down from consecutive record-setting years when it had 65 players selected in the NFL Draft across both 2021 and 2022. Still, the league maintained the overwhelming edge against the rest of the county that it has established in recent years.

The most NFL talent for 17 consecutive years, yet this fall there will be people claiming Alabama didn’t play nobody.

Alabama’s players are about to get paid handsomely, and we know about how much thanks to the rookie wage scale.

1 Bryce Young, QB, Panthers, $37,955,071 ($24,603,688)

3 Will Anderson Jr., LB, Texans, $35,212,827 ($22,609,329)

12 Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions, $17,845,131 ($9,978,277)

45 Brian Branch, S, Lions, $8,021,730 ($2,833,985)

65 Tyler Steen, T, Eagles, $5,750,442 ($1,182,139)

70 Byron Young, DT, Raiders $5,668,710 ($1,122,698)

95 Jordan Battle, S, Bengals $5,325,016 ($872,739)

101 Cameron Latu, TE, 49ers $5,304,082 ($857,514)

167 Henry To’oTo’o, LB, Texans $4,084,977 ($244,977)

224 DeMarcco Hellams, S, Falcons $3,946,301 ($106,301)

Total value: $129,114,287

Total signing bonuses: $64,411,647

That, folks, is some serious cheddar.

If you like, check out this summary from Nick Kelly of how experts graded the selections of each Tide draftee.

Kelly also wrote a bit about Tyler Buchner.

However, unlike Milroe and Simpson, Buchner has a bit more experience at the collegiate level. He had three starts this past season, including the Gator Bowl, after missing 10 games with a shoulder injury. He also played in 10 games his freshman year. Meanwhile, Milroe and Simpson have one combined start.

Experience alone won’t win Buchner the competition, though. He will have to call on his athleticism and high football IQ, among other qualities, as he looks to make a strong impression quickly.

Last, this is a nice breakdown of basketball transfer Latrell Wrightsell’s game.

As seen in this compilation, Wrightsell is a defensive playmaker, evident by his 2.6% steal rate last season. He is adept at defending with verticality and has discipline at the point of attack while also showing lateral quickness to alter driving angles.

Wrightsell can handle point-of-attack responsibilities in lineups with Quinerly but also displays enough verticality to anticipate off-ball utility in lineups with Sears or Estrada.

Wrightsell is likely best suited for a fourth-guard role, averaging somewhere between 12 to 15 minutes in his first season at Alabama.

It’ll be vital for him to show progression in terms of his processing as a finisher to counter hard closeouts and not be too reliant on floaters.

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

Roll Tide.