A fter vying in January's memorable overtime game that decided the national champion of the 2017 college football season, Alabama and Georgia are expected to go back and forth this week when it comes to producing first-round selections and total picks in the NFL draft.
The draft, which is being held for the first time in an NFL team's stadium, starts Thursday night in Arlington, Texas.
Former Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick played six different positions in the secondary for three Crimson Tide teams that went 41-3 and won two national championships.Alabama and Georgia combined for 24 invitations to February's NFL combine in Indianapolis, with the Crimson Tide accounting for 14 of those. Alabama had 10 players selected in last year's draft, which set a record for the program in the draft's seven-round era that began in 1994.
Georgia could break its record of eight selections in a single draft, and the Bulldogs also could produce three first-round picks for the first time. In the latest ESPN Scouts Inc. rankings, inside linebacker Roquan Smith is the No. 5 overall prospect regardless of position, with running back Sony Michel No. 29 and guard Isaiah Wynn No. 30.
Smith won the Butkus Award last year as college football's top linebacker, compiling 137 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, and longtime ESPN analyst Mel Kiper projects the 6-foot-1, 236-pounder 10th overall to the Oakland Raiders.
"Smith just makes sense as the new face of Jon Gruden's defense, with Khalil Mack of course," Kiper recently wrote. "Oakland's linebacker play was abysmal in 2017, and Smith is the type of sideline-to-sideline player that every defensive coordinator covets."
The first Southeastern Conference player taken Thursday will most likely be Smith or former Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. The 6-foot, 204-pound Fitzpatrick played all six secondary positions in Alabama's various defensive packages, and Kiper has him going to the San Francisco 49ers as the ninth overall selection.
"He can play anywhere, but will he be great at one spot?" Kiper said last week on a teleconference. "He's so smart and did such a great job under Nick Saban, being a difference-maker and a key playmaker in the secondary. He's done everything, and all he's done is continuously make plays. You have the true safety in Derwin James from Florida State and a true cover corner in (Ohio State's) Denzel Ward, and you know what they are.
"With Minkah, you ask, 'Can he define a role and be great at that one spot?' He'll probably be there for the 49ers at No. 9, and I think that would be a great spot for him."
San Francisco could make Smith its pick given the ongoing off-the-field troubles of former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, but it does not appear the SEC will have a top-five pick for a second time in three years. Former Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett was the top overall pick in last year's draft, but the first league player taken in 2016 was former Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who went No. 9 to Chicago.
The SEC has produced 90 first-round selections the past 10 drafts, easily outdistancing the Atlantic Coast Conference (52), the Pac-12 (46), the Big Ten (43) and the Big 12 (40). The ACC became the first league to account for 12 first-round picks in 2006, with the SEC matching that feat in 2013 and again last year.
There was never a more dominant draft for the SEC than in 2013, when the SEC East produced 32 picks, the SEC West 31 and the ACC 31.
The SEC is not expected to reach 12 first-round picks Thursday but does have 10 of the top 32 players according to ESPN Scouts Inc. - Smith (No. 5), Fitzpatrick (No. 8), Alabama defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne (No. 13), Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley (No. 16), Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan (No. 18), South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst (No. 26), Alabama inside linebacker Rashaan Evans (No. 27), Michel (No. 29), Wynn (No. 30) and LSU running back Derrius Guice (No. 31).
Evans tallied 74 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and six sacks last season for the Crimson Tide despite missing two September games with a groin injury.
"He has the versatility to play inside or outside," Kiper said. "I think he would be good for Dallas with Sean Lee's history of injuries. Pittsburgh would be a good fit at No. 28, because they need an inside 'backer with Ryan Shazier's injury status. If he can stay healthy for the Steelers, he would be a great addition.
"They lack pass rush, and he can rush from the outside and inside. If you remember, in that playoff game against Jacksonville, they got no pass rush on (Blake) Bortles. Evans could wear a couple of hats there."
Kiper believes Guice could be headed to Super Bowl champion Philadelphia now that the Eagles no longer have LeGarrette Blount. Guice began his career at LSU as Leonard Fournette's backup but amassed 2,638 yards on 420 carries, an average of 6.3, his sophomore and junior seasons.
"He had to deal with a lot of stacked boxes in terms of defensive alignments," Kiper said, "because they obviously didn't have a great passing game during his career there."
One of Guice's former teammates, outside linebacker Arden Key, is among the bigger enigmas of this year's draft. Key was once a top-10 prospect after racking up 55 tackles and 11 sacks as a sophomore in 2016, but he took a leave of absence last spring for personal reasons and had a lousy pro day last month.
Another enigma is former Florida receiver Antonio Callaway, who had 1,399 yards his first two seasons with the Gators but was was suspended for sexual assault. Callaway was eventually cleared of that incident, but he was also involved in a credit card scandal that wiped out his 2017 season.
"Antonio Callaway on talent is a first-round draft choice," Kiper said, "and the off-the-field concerns are what are going to impact him. You've seen this happen with players over the years, and they get pushed down, but once the light goes on and they mature, they move on and evolve and develop.
"He has first-round talent, and I've seen him in the second or third rounds this last month or two, but teams will have to make that call. The second round is a little high for me. When you get in the fourth or fifth round, that's when you start thinking about Antonio Callaway."
NFL.com reported Tuesday night that Callaway failed a drug test at the combine.
Kiper also expressed intrigue with former Auburn running backs Kamryn Pettway (late-round or free agent) and Kerryon Johnson (third or fourth round), but he believes cornerback Carlton Davis or guard Braden Smith will be the first player taken from the reigning SEC West champ. He expects Davis and Smith to go in Friday's third round.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.