One day, Alabama football’s Nick Saban era will come to an end. Totally and fully. Both unofficially and officially. That day has passed.
The NFL Draft begins today in Detroit, and Saban will be wearing two hats. He will assess the proceedings in his first formal appearance as a member of ESPN’s College GameDay crew, and he will be a proud papa as more of his Alabama players hear their names called in the first round by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Alabama will have as many as four first-round picks tonight and more to come in rounds 2-3 Friday and 4-7 Saturday. They will add to the program’s already ridiculous total of 123 draftees, 44 of them in the first round, since tackle Andre Smith, running back Glen Coffee, center Antoine Caldwell and safety Rashad Johnson became the first Alabama players under Saban to be drafted in 2009.
The final tally won’t be complete until last season’s freshman class departs, but Saban’s draft dominance is as solid as Denny Chimes concrete. Since 2009, Alabama has had 18 more overall picks than LSU, the SEC runner-up in that time, and 22 more first-rounders than second-place Georgia.
Alabama and Auburn have a significant disparity on both fronts. The Crimson Tide has selected 65 more players than the Tigers in the last 15 drafts, including 38 more in the first round alone. Since 2009, just three SEC programs have generated fewer first-round picks than Auburn: Kentucky (three), Arkansas (two), and Vanderbilt (0).
