What happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas, especially when its the site of the 2022 NFL Draft. With the city of Las Vegas hosting, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell received the same amount of booing he always does, Wayne Newton and Donny Osmond announced picks and a marriage happened on the draft stage during the final day.Â
Nick Saban had more recruiting ammo to add to his arsenal, the SEC continued to be the most dominant conference at the draft and hundreds of players had their lives changed forever. Seven Crimson Tide players heard their names called during the three days of the draft and several others signed undrafted free agent deals shortly after the conclusion of the event.Â
Here are five things we learned from the 2022 NFL Draft regarding Alabama football.Â
1. First Round Streak Continues
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2. CFP Translates over to Draft
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3. Fewest Alabama Players Drafted Since 2016
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4. Two Players Slide into UDFA
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5. Points to Potentially Huge 2023 Draft Class for the Crimson Tide
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While this year was a down year (by Alabama standards), next year stands to be massive with the Crimson Tide potentially having the top two overall picks in Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.Â
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This year’s draft was unusual in several ways with one being the lack of quality quarterbacks available and taken. The first quarterback did not come off the board until Kenny Pickett at No. 20 to the Steelers. Another quarterback wasn’t selected until Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder was picked in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons at No. 74 overall. Many teams will be looking to add a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft class, and Young could fit the mold.Â
As a true sophomore, Anderson put up ridiculous numbers with 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss, better numbers than many of the top draft picks in 2022. Anderson has the size, talent, skill, work ethic, intelligence and athleticism to be a top overall selection come April 2023. Add in guys like Jordan Battle and Henry To’oTo’o, and the Crimson Tide could be setting more draft records next year.
