Alabama's 2023 NFL Draft could be something of a milestone for the program and its coach, Nick Saban.
Quarterback and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is widely considered the favorite to be taken No. 1 overall by the Panthers, even despite size concerns. If it happens, Young would be the first Crimson Tide player selected with the top pick since the start of the common draft era, which began in 1967. But that's not all.
For much of the pre-draft process, Houston — the No. 2 overall team in the draft — was largely projected to take whoever was available between Young and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. With Young projected to go to Carolina, draftniks and media members alike assumed the Texans would go with the Buckeyes signal-caller. But first-year coach DeMeco Ryans, himself an Alabama alum, is rumored to favor a defensive player over any quarterback in the draft not named Young.
Enter EDGE defender Will Anderson Jr., a two-time unanimous All-American with 34.5 career sacks who is considered to have the highest floor of any defender in the 2023 draft class. He had been projected as high as No. 3 overall to the Cardinals, but has quickly become the favorite to go No. 2 overall after Young. According to draft-day odds from BetMGM, the Alabama defender has the best odds (-350) to head to Houston, as of 11:15 a.m. ET; Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson has the second-best odds at +500.
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If Young and Anderson were to go first and second overall, it would be one of only a few times in the history of the NFL draft that the same college team produced the top two picks. The last team to do it was Penn State, in 2000.
With that, The Sporting News looks at the teams Alabama could join with a historic 1-2 punch in Thursday's first round, as well as the Crimson Tide's history of No. 1 picks and under Saban:
Colleges that produced top two picks in NFL draft
Only three teams prior to 2023 have produced the top two picks of a given draft, regardless of era: Michigan State in 1967, Nebraska in 1984 and Penn State in 2000.
Michigan State (1967)
| Player | Position | Drafted | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubba Smith | DT | No. 1 | Colts |
| Clint Jones | RB | No. 2 | Vikings |
The Spartans in 1967 became the first team in the history of the draft to produce both of the top two picks in defensive tackle Bubba Smith and running back Clint Jones, respectively.
Bubba Smith
Smith's was a respectable nine-year career, only five of which were spent with the then-Baltimore Colts. He was a Pro Bowler in 1970 and a first-team All-Pro selection the following year. He spent the remainder of his career in Oakland and Houston, finishing his career with 52.5 sacks.
Clint Jones
Teammate Clint Jones immediately followed Smith in the draft order, going second overall to the Vikings. He played seven years in the league, six with the Vikings, but never earned Pro Bowl Status. He also never rushed for 1,000 or more yards, and never produced double-digit touchdowns: His best seasons arguably came in 1971, when he had a career-high 773 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns; or in his final season in 1973, when he rushed for nine touchdowns with the San Diego Chargers.
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Nebraska (1984)
| Player | Position | Drafted | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irving Fryar | WR | No. 1 | Patriots |
| Dean Steinkuhler | OT | No. 2 | Oilers |
Nebraska followed Michigan State as only the second collegiate program to produce the top two picks of the draft when it replicated the feat in 1984 with receiver Irving Fryar and offensive tackle Dean Steinkuhler, respectively.
Irving Fryar
Fryar went to the Patriots with the first pick, and played in New England for nine seasons. He earned his first Pro Bowl as a second-year player in 1985, and was notably the only player to score a touchdown for the Patriots in their infamous 46-10 loss to the Bears in Super Bowl 20. He earned his second Pro Bowl in 1991, a year in which he had his first 1,000-yard receiving season. New England traded him to Miami in 1993, where he earned his second and third Pro Bowls with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in both years.
He had his fourth and fifth Pro Bowl seasons with the Eagles in 1996 and 1997 before finishing his career with the Redskins in 1999 and 2000. He played 255 games over 17 seasons, finishing with 851 career catches for 12,785 yards and 84 touchdowns.
Dean Steinkuhler
In comparison, Steinkuhler — who went second overall to Houston — had a quiet NFL career. He played the entirety of his seven-year stint in Houston, starting 77 of 100 games. He retired following the 1991 season.
Penn State (2000)
| Player | Position | Drafted | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtney Brown | DE | No. 1 | Browns |
| LaVar Arrington | LB | No. 2 | Redskins |
Penn State is the most recent team ahead of the 2023 draft to produce the top two picks, doing so with defensive players Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington, respectively.
Courtney Brown
Brown was selected first overall by Cleveland, where he mostly failed to live up to expectations. He played five seasons for the Browns, racking up 172 tackles and 17 sacks in 47 games. He spent one more season in Denver in 2005, finishing with 24 tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries before retiring.
LaVar Arrington
Arrington had the better of the two NFL careers between him and his Nittany Lions teammate. He had three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons starting in 2001, and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2001 and 2003. He played his first six seasons in Washington, where he had 417 total tackles, three interceptions returned for 120 yards and a score (all in 2001), 22.5 sacks (including a career-high 11 in 2002), six forced fumbles (all in 2003) and seven fumble recoveries. He played one more season for the Giants in 2006, where got the first and only safety of his NFL career.
SCOUTING REPORTS: Bryce Young | Will Anderson Jr.
Has Alabama ever had a No. 1 pick in the NFL draft?
To date, Alabama has only produced one No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Quarterback Harry Gilmer went first overall to Washington in 1948, and was a two-time Pro Bowl player in 1950 and 1952. He spent eight seasons in the league, including two in Detroit to end his career.
That said, Alabama had another first overall pick in Joe Namath: He went No. 1 to the Jets in the 1965 AFL Draft, after the St. Louis Cardinals failed to sign him after picking him 12th overall in the NFL Draft. In New York, Namath became a two-time AFL MVP and led the Jets to an improbable victory over the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl 3; he was a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 1985.
Alabama has yet to have a No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick under Saban. Prior to 2023, his highest-drafted players at Alabama were defensive tackle Marcell Dareus in 2010; running back Trent Richardson in 2011; and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in 2019. Each of those three players went third overall to the Bills, Browns and Jets, respectively.
