Hello and Roll Tide!

Last week the spring transfer portal closed and remarkably the Tide did not have anyone enter the portal. Before the portal opened, Kalen DeBoer publicly stated “Be careful what you ask for. The grass is definitely not greener on the other side” and clearly the team responded. The Tide faithful saw a clear example of this Saturday as former Alabama Wide Receiver Isaiah Bond went undrafted in the NFL draft after transferring to Texas for one season. Alabama, on the other hand, had seven players from the 2024 roster selected in the NFL draft. Remarkably, for the 17th year in a row, Alabama has had a player drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. Below I will list each pick, discuss their Alabama legacy, and assess their landing spot. Let’s go!

Round 1 pick 12 (12th overall): Tyler Booker, Dallas Cowboys

Tyler Booker was the first Alabama player off the board in the 2025 draft. Booker started two seasons at Left Guard and was a captain during his Junior year. Tyler allowed just half of a sack in his final season with the Tide. Booker was a vocal leader and led by example. Booker always gave high effort in the run game whether he pulled outside or pushed with power. He landed in a great spot, the Cowboys usually nail 1st round lineman. Tyler will be filling the shoes of Zach Martin who retired during the offseason. Following in the footsteps of a sure-fire Hall of Famer will be difficult, but Tyler Booker will be up for the challenge.

Round 1 pick 31 (31st overall): Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles

Jihaad was the top recruit in Alabama’s 2022 class and he entered as an EDGE rusher. Jihaad was quickly buried behind Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, and Chris Braswell so he moved to the off-ball linebacker group. Jihaad broke out during his sophomore year finishing the season with 66 total tackles. In 2024 Campbell flourished as the full-time starter. He finished the season with 119 tackles and 5 sacks, leading the team in both categories. Jihaad’s speed as a former EDGE showed as he constantly stopped outside runs and was a very disruptive blitzer. Jihaad is in great shape as he somehow fell all the way down to pick 31, joining the reigning Super Bowl Champions. The Eagles lost EDGE Josh Sweat and LB Oren Burks to free agency, which gives Jihaad a chance to compete for playing time right away. He joins other Alabama alumni Landon Dickerson, Cameron Latu, Eli Ricks, DeVonta Smith, Tyler Steen, Byron Young, and Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.

Round 3 pick 28 (92nd overall): Jalen Milroe, Seattle Seahawks

Jalen Milroe served as team captain and was the leader of Alabama’s offense the last two seasons. While the Tide underachieved in 2024, Milroe was a key part of the 2023 SEC Championship team who advanced to the 4-team playoff. Jalen finished his Alabama career top-10 in many Alabama statistical categories: 7th in passing yards (6,016); 7th in passing touchdowns (45); 8th in rushing touchdowns (33). Milroe has plenty of room to grow as a passer, but his ability to run the ball could afford him early playing time in specific packages. In the offseason the Seahawks hired Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak from New Orleans. Kubiak may be able to use Jalen similarly to Taysom Hill. We could see Jalen play a few snaps each game in RPO packages. Regardless, Jalen landed where he has time to develop and isn’t being thrown into a starting role prematurely. Sam Darnold will start for the Seahawks after signing a 3-year $100 million contract in the offseason.

Round 4 pick 28 (130th overall): Malachi Moore, New York Jets

As a true freshman, Malachi Moore started in the star position for the 2020 National Championship team. During his sophomore season he lost his starting role to eventual 2nd round pick Brian Branch, but through hard work he was selected as team captain in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Moore spent a prolific 5 years with the Tide playing in 64 games (started 46) and is the only Alabama player to go 5-0 against Auburn. The Jets are getting a versatile defensive weapon with Moore. Moore has played free safety, strong safety, nickel, and star. Moore should get on the field right away in New York, at minimum on Special Teams.

Round 4 pick 32 (133rd overall): Que Robinson, Denver Broncos

Que spent 5 years at Alabama, redshirting during the 2020 season. Que was buried in the EDGE room and spent most of his first 3 seasons on special teams. In 2024, Que finally earned the starting role at WOLF in his fifth and final season. Que led the Crimson Tide in sacks before suffering a season ending injury against LSU. The Broncos will immediately use Que on Special Teams as they continue to develop him on the EDGE. The Broncos have a strong history of developing EDGE players making this a great landing spot for Que Robinson.

Round 5 pick 39 (175th overall): Robbie Ouzts, Seattle Seahawks

Robbie will be joining his long-time teammate Jalen Milroe in Seattle. Both were in Alabama’s 2021 signing class and have been on the same side of the ball the entire time. Ouzts was listed as a Tight End in college but operated more as a blocking full-back. He would often line-up in the backfield and be the lead blocker for runs. Ouzts did catch 16 passes and 3 touchdowns while in college, but I’d expect the Seahawks are looking at him primarily as a blocker. At 6-3 274 lbs he has the frame you want as an in-line tight-end for goal line situations. If Kubliak does use Milroe like Taysom Hill, we may see Ouzts in those packages in the full-back position.

Round 6 pick 14 (190th overall): Tim Smith, Indianapolis Colts

Tim Smith was another 2020 recruit who spent 5 years at Alabama. Tim entered Alabama as a top-30 National recruit and carved out playing time right away. His biggest play came in his freshman season, recovering a key fumble against Florida in the SEC Championship game. Smith provided depth on the defensive line and finally earned a starting role in 2024. Tim’s stats don’t jump off the page, but he was very effective in the run game, eating up blocks and plugging gaps. The Colts will likely use him on 3rd downs when they need fresh legs as well as on the goal line. In obvious run situations, Tim will close run-lanes. Similar to Alabama, Tim should do a good job at providing depth to the D-line position during his NFL career.

BONUS: Undrafted Free Agents

· CJ Dippre signed with the New England Patriots. CJ caught 32 passes for 443 yards while at Alabama. At 6-5 262 lbs, Dippre has NFL size at tight end. He will compete for a roster spot during summer camp.

· James Burnip signed with the New Orleans Saints. Burnip will compete with Saints Punter Matthew Hayball who averaged 44 yards per punt a season ago. Burnip averaged 45.4 in 2024, with a long of 64.

· Kneeland Hibbett signed with the Miami Dolphins to compete as their long snapper

It will be exciting to see how these players develop at the next level. Alabama continues to be the standard when it comes to developing and sending players to the NFL.

Next year, Alabama will look to make it 18 years in a row with a 1st round pick. I’d like to hear from you. Who do you think will go in the 1st round of the 2026 draft out of Alabama? Reply to this email if you’d like to join a chain with fellow subscribers discussing Alabama’s 2026 draft outlook.

As always, reach out with any comments or questions. If you know anyone who’d like to join the distribution list, send their email my way!

Roll Tide!

-Jake