Alabama Safety Jared Mayden Signs with San Francisco 49ers
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah left no doubt about what he thought about Alabama safety Jared Mayden.
"I'm a fan of his," he said. "There's a lot to like about him, and I think he's a good player."
One team agreed, as Mayden was signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Although Mayden wasn't the most visible player on the Crimson Tide defense, he ended up leading Alabama with four interceptions this past season. He also tallied 59 tackles and three pass breakups.
Initially a four-star recruit out of Texas, he only saw spot duty for the first three years of his carer.
Mayden played in four games as a true freshman (one tackle, one pass breakup) and seven in 2017 (four tackles, one for loss). As a junior he started playing more regularly and was credited with 18 tackles (including one sack) and two pass breakups.
He finally won a starting jon heading into his senior year and quickly became popular with Crimson Tide media, winning the annual "Good Guy Award" from the beat writers.
Mayden's older brother James was a wide receiver at Rice while his younger brother, Jalen, is a quarterback at Mississippi State.
Because he played in the Senior Bowl, but wasn't invited to the NFL combine, Mayden's draft stock was all over the board with most draft analysts. However, the teams certainly knew who he was.
"He's my 114th player," Jeremiah said. "I thought he was somebody that definitely belonged at the combine. So I think he's going to get picked. I think he's going to go in the fourth or fifth round.
"He can play in the deep half, he can cover in the slot, he can match up with tight ends. He plays very aggressive. You'll see the big hits. Just needs to do a better job of wrapping up and finishing some tackles, but he's got good ball skills and he can run."
