It's been a trying two years for the Crimson Tide since Nick Saban retired, but is it all as bad as the national narrative suggests?
Could 2026 be the first time in 17 years that an Alabama player isn’t selected in the first round of the NFL Draft?
Former scout and NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah seems to think so.
In Jeremiah’s recent mock draft where he only covered the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, he neglected to include any Alabama players in it.
Quarterback Ty Simpson, left tackle Kadyn Proctor, wide receiver Germie Bernard, and defensive end LT Overton were all at one point projected to go in the first round.
But with a week before the NFL Combine, Jeremiah omitted them from the first round.
As Alabama’s season came to an ugly conclusion in the Rose Bowl against the eventual National Champions Indiana Hoosiers, their NFL value had clearly declined in the mocks.
Before he suffered his multiple injuries after the game against South Carolina, Simpson was in the running for the Heisman Trophy, which in turn had him projected to go in the top-10.
Jeremiah seems to think that Simpson will be the second quarterback taken off the board in the Draft, and even though he doesn't have him in the first round of his NFL.com mock, he wouldn't be surprised if Simpson gets selected on Day 1.
While playing through his multiple injuries, Simpson had willed the Tide to wins against LSU, Auburn, and a playoff win at Oklahoma.
And before that, he had helped a 73% completion rate, while throwing for 20 touchdowns and only one interception.
Arguing whether Simpson should’ve played through his injuries is just hearsay. But the fact is, NFL teams and scouts love when you can play through injuries.
Simpson is the poster boy for that narrative.
Despite Jeremiah’s expertise, his analysis screams recency bias after the Indiana loss, where the Hoosiers forced him to leave the game in the middle of the second quarter.
Quarterback-needy teams aren’t hard to find in this league, and there are plenty of teams in the top-15 that can use a player like Simpson to either start immediately, or develop by watching from the sidelines.
There was a lot to be said about Simpson waiting his turn to start at Alabama, and giving him the backup spot to learn under a veteran won’t seem out of the question.
Elsewhere, Proctor’s omission from Jeremiah’s mock draft was a stunner, as he’s consistently been mocked to be selected from the 10-20 range for most of the season.
He predicts that five offensive tackles will be taken in the first round, with three of them getting selected from picks 23-32.
Proctor is by no means a finished product, but given his status and experience, it’s difficult to find a tackle with more upside. The only exception would probably be Miami OT Francis Mauigoa, who Jeremiah has going third overall.
Every season in college, Proctor has improved. From starting as a freshman under Nick Saban, Proctor turned into a stalwart in the trenches, only allowing two sacks all season long in 2025.
In 2025, out of a minimum of 800 snaps played, Proctor ranked second best out of all SEC tackles in pass blocking and run blocking, only behind Keagan Trost of Missouri.
Not only that, Proctor held a better offensive ranking than any of the linemen that Jeremiah had predicted to go before him.
Writing off two of the NFL’s best prospects is blatantly ignoring what the data says.
Do teams want to get better? Or do they want to be safe? Because when was the last time being careful helped you win a Super Bowl?
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