After having five receivers selected in the first round of the NFL Draft between 2020 and 2022, Alabama has now gone two years without a first round receiver.
Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy were drafted 12th and 15th, respectively, in 2020, followed by teammates Jaylen Waddle (6th) and DeVonta Smith (10th) in 2021. After transferring from Ohio State and spending a year in Tuscaloosa, Jameson Williams was selected 12th overall in the 2022 draft.
Under Coach Nick Saban, Alabama had three other first-round wide receivers: Julio Jones (6th in 2011), Amari Cooper (4th in 2015), and Calvin Ridley (26th in 2018).
Alabama had no receivers drafted in 2023 and traded Jermaine Burton to the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2024 Draft. Crimson Tide fans may not have to wait long to see another wide receiver picked in the first round.
Heading into the 2024 season, a trio of juniors in Kobe Prentice, Kendrick Law, and Washington transfer Germie Bernard figure to be the top pass-catchers. All three are talented, but would have to take their games to new heights to become first-rounders. Beyond them, however, is a young core with a near limitless ceiling.
Jalen Hale was on track for a breakout sophomore season until suffering a knee injury in the spring. Hale will very certainly miss the whole of this season, but he should return as a redshirt sophomore in 2025. Hale’s injury will allow other players to gain more reps. Redshirt freshman Cole Adams and junior Emmanuel Henderson may be the first to benefit, but Alabama also has two true freshmen with first-round talent who might see action right away.
Caleb Odom is a converted tight end who is a very fluid athlete at 6’5” and has some similarities to former Alabama tight end OJ Howard, who was taken in the first round in 2017. Odom brings a different skill set than any other receiver on the roster and could be in the rotation in 2024.
Additionally, summer enrollee Ryan Williams may prove to be the most dynamic player in the receiver room. Having reclassified, Williams will be young even for a true freshman, so the learning curve may be steep early on. Still, he has immense playmaking potential and could be a factor this fall.
Alabama’s wide receiver room is too talented to not produce a first-round pick in the coming years. Coach Kalen DeBoer’s track record of developing receivers only serves to speed this inevitable outcome. This year, DeBoer sent Rome Odunze to the NFL as a top-10 choice and the third wide receiver off the board. He also has second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk and third-round pick Jalen McMillan.
Under Coach DeBoer, Alabama is expected to rapidly return to being a receiver factory.
