Position-By-Position Breakdown Heading into Alabama's Second Spring Scrimmage

All Things CW looks the Crimson Tide's most unsettled positions this spring, which NFL prospect is the toughest to get an accurate read on, and what the oddsmakers are saying about the draft

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Updated:
Apr 8, 2021 11:41 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 8, 2021

Trying to get a gauge on the University of Alabama football team during the spring is always a little tricky because most of practices are closed and reporters aren't allowed to watch the scrimmages until A-Day.

This year it's doubly so, as there's are no viewing periods and fewer people than usual have been allowed to observe.

But that doesn't mean there hasn't been chatter or behind-the-scenes talk, especially by those who saw last week's first scrimmage.

Here's a position-by-position look at some of what we're hearing about the reigning national champions heading into their second spring scrimmage on Saturday:

Quarterbacks

There haven't been any surprises as Bryce Young has been leading the first-team offense ahead of Paul Tyson, newcomer Jalen Milroe and Braxton Barker. That's probably not going to change, especially since Young didn't get a lot of playing time last year and the coaches want him to get as many reps as possible.

"Bryce has made a lot of improvement," Nick Saban said. "I think he’s a lot more confident."

Saban added after the first scrimmage: "I thought Bryce did a pretty good job of managing the game and was accurate with the ball and did a nice job, made a few explosive plays, but I thought really did a good job of managing the whole situation on offense when he was in there. I think we got a lot of improvement to do, especially with twos on offense."

Running backs

Brian Robinson Jr. is being given every chance to nail down the starting job, and so far he's looked the part. Jase McClellan is aiming to be the primary backup, followed by Keilan Robinson, but it'll be interesting to see where Trey Sanders will be the mix in the fall coming off his car accident.

“I feel like our offense is stacked with talent," Robinson said. "Obviously we’ll have to have some guys step up in some big major roles this year. I’m excited for our unit and what our unit can grow into this spring. This is the first step for all of us, to come together as a unit. I’m excited to see who can step up in those major roles we may be missing right now.”

Wide receivers

Without John Metchie III, who has been sidelined this spring, Javon Baker has taken advantage of the extra reps and made the most strides toward becoming a starter along with Slade Bolden.

Xavier Williams, who thanks to Bolden we now know is called "Ziggy" by his teammates, is also in the mix.

“I’ve seen improvement in both guys," Saban said. "Javon Baker plays with a lot of [toughness] — he’s a very physical guy. I think he has a much better grasp of the offense this year so his mental errors are way down. His production is up, which I think is a good thing. Ziggy is kind of a jack-of-all-trades. He can play about all the positions and he’s pretty good doing them all. He’s got some ability to return punts so he’s made really nice progress. He has experience, he knows what to do. I think he can always go in the game and help out whenever he’s called on.”

Wide receiver is one of the most unsettled position groups on the roster, but in this case it may be a good thing as there's a lot of competition in the young, talented group behind the top four. Look for at least a couple to emerge by the fall.

Tight ends

There was a lot of talk last season about how converted linebacker Cameron Latu was practicing well and it was probably only a matter of time before it started translating to games. Combined with Jahleel Billingsley, early indications are that Alabama will be looking more to its tight ends in the passing game.

That may be an oversimplification with Metchie out and the rest of the receiving corps unsettled, but don't be surprised if it's the biggest difference with Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator.

Also of note, Kendall Randolph is still being used as a lineman and blocking tight end.

Offensive line

Don't expect Alabama to wrap up the spring with the offensive line completely set. New line coach Doug Marrone is doing a lot of experimenting while getting familiar with everyone and seeing what each player can do.

"One of the things I try to do is tell everyone to be patient," senior Chris Owens said. "We’re not gonna be where we’re supposed to be right now."

As expected, Evan Neal has switched from right tackle to left tackle. With Emil Ekiyor Jr. out this spring, Tommy Brown and Javion Cohen have been get long looks at the guard spots. The player to watch so far has been Damieon George at right tackle. The sophomore is listed as 6-6, 345 pounds.

With Pierce Quick out, among those getting looks with the second team include, from left to right, Amari Kight, Tanner Bowles, Darren Dalcourt, Seth McLaughlin, and JC Latham. Freshmen Terrence Ferguson and Tommy Brockermeyer are in the mix, but more as fall possibilities when they have a little more time to adjust to the collegiate level.

“Well, I think we got a long way to go," Saban said. "We got a lot of young guys. I think they’ve got a lot of ability. I think their heads [are] swimming probably a little bit right now with all the different things that they have to learn on offense but you’re also seeing probably a lot more things than you’re used to seeing out of the defense so that creates a lot of multiples for a young guy."

Defensive line

So far the unit has been as good as advertised, and creating a lot of problems for the retooled offensive line.

Even with Phidarian Mathis out there was a very strong rotation during the first scrimmage led by LaBryan Ray, DJ Dale, Justin Eboigne and Byron Young. Also in the mix were Tim Smith, Jah-Marien Latham, Stephon Wynn Jr. and Jamil Burroughs.

Alabama's going to be playing a lot of defensive linemen this season.

Linebackers

The starting four appear to be set with Will Anderson Jr. and Christopher Allen on the outside, plus Christian Harris in the interior. Stepping into the role formerly held by Dylan Moses has been Jaylen Moody, who was the first off the bench when Harris was sidelined during the Arkansas game late last season.

“I would say Christian and I are very close," Moody said. "He’s like my little brother out there. We hang a lot off the field as well as on the field. We talk about plays all the time, about how we could have done this better, how we did that better. I think the chemistry between two guys playing side-by-side is very important, being able to know what I’m going to think on the field or know what he’s going to do. How we play and react off each other is a good process of being a good player and having a good defense; everybody knowing how to play off each other and make plays off each other.”

Among those getting second-team looks include Drew Sanders, King Mwikuta and Shane Lee. Freshman Deontae Lawson appears to be off to a good start.

Secondary

Depth is the key among the defensive backs as Alabama returns a lot of key contributors from last season. DeMarcco Hellams has been working his way into more playing time alongside Jordan Battle and Brian Branch at safety. Jayln Armour-Davis has been getting first-team reps at cornerback with Josh Jobe. Daniel Wright also has a lot of experience.

Early enrollee Ga'Quincy McKinstry has been thrown into the mix on the second-team defense, alongside Marcus Banks and Kristian Story.

Are you buying into Barmore?

Former Alabama defensive tackle Christian Barmore may be the toughest among the Crimson Tide players in the 2021 NFL Draft to get an accurate read on regarding when he may be selected due to the different evaluations on him.

It's not that Barmore isn't talented, that part of his evaluations is solid, especially after his strong finish to the 2020 season. His pro day numbers were also good, with Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com calling his speed "outstanding" for his size.

Inconsistency and the limited film to study is more of an issue, and why you'll see him rated as being everything from a mid-round pick in the first round to a second-round selection.

"He’s a tough evaluation to me, he’s kind of like the classic boom/bust guy, which usually put him early in the second round, which is when those guys usually come off the board," Jeremiah said. "I know he battled through some injuries. You watched him early in the year and he didn’t always play hard, there wasn’t a lot of production, there wasn’t a lot of difference making.

"You come down the stretch and he was hell on wheel those last couple of games. You can see where it’s trending, what’s in his body, what he’s capable of, but there’s not that long track record. Even with Quinnen [Williams], you know Quinnen was that one year, but it was from day one to the end of the season dominance. You don’t have that with Barmore. He’s a tricky one."

What could greatly work in his favor is that it's not considered to be good year for defensive tackles, while being a position where teams can't have enough quality players.

So boom or bust?

"Probably," said Sports Illustrated analyst Jim Mora Jr., "but people are willing to take chances on guys like these."

He added: "You're getting someone who's ready for the NFL."

Consequently, Barmore was one of the first players the NFL invited to attend the first round of the draft in Cleveland, and he quickly accepted.

What the Oddsmakers say about the draft

Follow the money is always good advice for finding out the reality of a situation in sports, and the 2021 NFL Draft is no exception. Per BetOnline, the odds of Trevor Lawrence being the first selection are 1/100, while Zach Wilson's are 12/1. For the second pick, Wilson is listed as 1/20, while Justin Fields is second at 17/2.

With that in mind, here are some of the latest odds regarding Alabama players:

• Third pick overall: Mac Jones 1/2; Fields 5/1; Trey Lance 13/4

• First defensive player selected: Patrick Surtain II 5/6; Micah Parsons 7/4; Jaycee Horn 7/2

• First running back picked: Najee Harris 5/6; Travis Etienne 13/10; Javonte Williams 13/4

• First wide receiver taken: Ja'Marr Chase 1/4; DeVonta Smith 5/1; Jaylen Waddle 11/2

• Over/under when Smith gets selected: 11 1/2

• Over/under when Harris is taken: 32 1/2