Draft Scout Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20 Player News, College Football: Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20

Henry Ruggs is headed to an organization with a long history of loving wide receivers with big-time speed. The Las Vegas Raiders selected the Alabama wide receiver with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. Ruggs, who posted the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine since 2017, ranks third in Crimson Tide history with 24 career touchdown catches. The Montgomery native had 40 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior for Alabama last season. "I like him a lot," an SEC personnel figure recently told AL.com of Ruggs. "Speed makes him hard to cover. If used right, he can be a lot like Tyreek Hill." It's the second year in a row the Raiders have selected a Crimson Tide player in the first round after taking former Alabama star running back Josh Jacobs in the first round of last year's NFL draft. - Birmingham News

(DS#3 WR) Jr/2020

WR *Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/24/20 - *Jerry Jeudy, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-1, 193 (DS#2 WR) + More +

Alabama's first-round receiver pipeline from South Florida got a new member Thursday night. From Amari Cooper to Calvin Ridley, now Jerry Jeudy joined the club as the 15th pick in the NFL Draft. The 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner is now a Denver Bronco as the fourth Alabama player selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. Jeudy is the first Alabama player drafted by Denver since 2004 when Triandos Luke was a sixth-round pick. A sure-fire first rounder from the moment he announced his early departure, Jeudy was the second receiver picked Thursday night after Henry Ruggs went 12th. It was a top-heavy class at his position with Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and fellow Alabama product Ruggs among the top prospects vying for first-round money. Jeudy becomes the seventh Alabama receiver drafted in the Nick Saban era and the fifth first rounder. Julio Jones went No. 6 overall in 2011 followed by Cooper (No. 4 in 2015) and Ridley (No. 26 in 2018). - Birmingham News

(DS#2 WR) Jr/2020

WR *Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/24/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

Miami coach Brian Flores' family is ready for Tua Tagovailoa to step in as the Dolphins' starting quarterback, but Flores said there's a long way to go before that happens. "I'll say my kids are expecting him (to start)," Flores said during an online press conference after the Dolphins selected the Alabama quarterback with the fifth pick in the 85th NFL Draft on Thursday night. "They're big fans. They were excited to get on the phone call with him. But, look, we haven't even seen him, obviously, with the pandemic and all that's going on. Our doctors haven't seen him, so we've a long way to go before we can say who's doing what. We'd like to just get him and have a meeting first.

"I think it's way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go. You guys know we like to take a one-day-at-a-time approach anyway. That's going to be the approach I'm going to have him take as well." The Dolphins have two quarterbacks with experience as NFL starters on their roster. Fifteen-year veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick started 13 games for Miami last season. As the Dolphins' leading passer and rusher in 2019, he led Miami to victory in five of their final nine games after the team started 0-7 - a level of play seemingly at odds with the "Tanking for Tua" tag hung on the team as it traded regulars out of its lineup for draft picks. Josh Rosen started at quarterback in the other three 2019 games for Miami. Rosen was the 10th player picked in the 2018 NFL Draft and started 13 games for Arizona as a rookie. The Cardinals replaced him with Kyler Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. - Birmingham News

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/23/20 - *Jerry Jeudy, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-1, 193 (DS#2 WR) + More +

Mock draft after mock draft projected the Broncos would take a wide receiver with the 15th-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Turns out, it wasn't a smokescreen. The Broncos selected former Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with the 15th-overall pick in the first round of Thursday's NFL Draft. In the process, the Broncos added arguably the best wide receiver in a historically talented draft class. Jeudy, a 6-foot-1, 193-pound player, is widely believed to be the best route-runner in this year's draft, and he should provide an instant jolt to the Broncos' offense. He was the second receiver drafted, behind only his college teammate Henry Ruggs III. Jeudy caught 144 passes for 2,478 yards and 24 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Alabama. In 2018, after catching 68 passes for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns, Jeudy won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver. He joins Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton in Denver and should become a dangerous weapon for second-year quarterback Drew Lock. - DenverBroncos.com

(DS#2 WR) Jr/2020

WR *Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
News Source: DenverBroncos.com
Share/Comment: Here

04/23/20 - *Henry Ruggs III, Jr/2020, Alabama, 5-11, 188 (DS#3 WR) + More +

There are very few times in my life I've been overly certain of something, and this is one of those moments. Nothing felt like a sure-fire bet more than the Las Vegas Raiders selecting a wide receiver with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and General Manager Mike Mayock and Head Coach Jon Gruden didn't disappoint. The newest member of the Silver and Black is the talented playmaker out of the University of Alabama, Henry Ruggs III.

For months now, Ruggs and several other wide receivers were linked to the Raiders given the team's need for a WR1. The 2017 College Football Champion brings an impressive skill set to Gruden's offense, where he'll be asked to learn every route tree, take ownership of the wide receiver room, and help make an immediate impact in Las Vegas. During the Combine, Mayock addressed what's imperative to him when he's evaluating wide receivers entering the league, and it's essential that they have a vast knowledge of the route tree, which Ruggs has. - Raiders.com

(DS#3 WR) Jr/2020

WR *Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
News Source: Raiders.com
Share/Comment: Here

04/23/20 - *Jedrick Wills Jr., Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-4, 312 (DS#3 OT) + More +

The transformation of the Browns' offensive line continued Thursday with the team's first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Browns on Thursday selected Alabama OT Jedrick Wills Jr. with the No. 10 overall pick, adding one of the top offensive tackles in this year's class to an offensive line that promises to have a different look on the edges in 2020. Wills, a 6-foot-4, 312-pound Lexington, Kentucky, native, started the past two seasons at right tackle for the Crimson Tide. He took over the starting role in 2018 and emerged as one of the best tackles in college football this past season, earning second-team All-American honors while manning the blind side for left-handed QB Tua Tagovailoa. - ClevelandBrowns.com

(DS#3 OT) Jr/2020

OT *Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
News Source: ClevelandBrowns.com
Share/Comment: Here

04/23/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

College football's all-time passing efficiency leader is now a Miami Dolphin. The southpaw signal caller from Honolulu's Ewa Beach was the fifth pick of Thursday night's 2020 NFL Draft, and the first selection made by the Miami Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth quarterback in franchise history selected in the first round, brings a decorated resume to South Florida. The 6-foot, 217-pound quarterback won a national championship, played in another, and went 22-2 as a starter for the Crimson Tide. He threw 87 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. He passed for 7,442 yards (10.9 yards-per-pass) with a 69.3 completion percentage. Those totals make up a 199.4 career passer efficiency rating, second to none in NCAA history. - MiamiDolphins.com

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: MiamiDolphins.com
Share/Comment: Here

04/22/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

Lane Kiffin believes if Tua Tagovailoa was healthy last season, Alabama would have beaten Auburn. Granted, it doesn't mean much now. The fact this revelation comes a day after the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel changed a rule in what appears to be a direct response to last season's 48-45 Auburn win in the Iron Bowl is purely coincidental. The Ole Miss coach joined Laura Rutledge for an interview with the SEC Network. He was asked how he would sort out the quarterback pecking order for Thursday night's NFL draft, and the former Alabama offensive coordinator revealed what he believes everybody assumes.

"Because of (Tua's) injury, Joe (Burrow) is gonna go first," Kiffin said Wednesday. "That's a given. "It would be interesting if Tua wasn't still in that game against Mississippi State, so, obviously, he doesn't get hurt. He uses the bye before Auburn, gets healthy and they probably beat Auburn. I think everybody would say that. "They would get themselves in the playoff. Then, I think, they're playing LSU. Who knows what happens in that game? Then, I think we're thinking about who is No. 1 (in the draft)." - Birmingham News

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/22/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

A little more than 24 hours before the biggest day of his life, Tua Tagovailoa has seen and heard a lot of the public aspersions of his game, be it the legitimate durability concerns or the manufactured critique that he's simply a product of Alabama's superior offensive talent. How well-founded those concerns may be and what impact they have on the former Crimson Tide quarterback's draft stock as a potential Top-5 pick Thursday evening is not yet known, but Tagovailoa is doing his best to keep his head held high and focused squarely on what's ahead for him. "I think when you start to pay attention to those things, that's when things start to go in the wrong direction," Tagovailoa told the Montgomery Advertiser during a promotional interview on behalf of Lowe's. "Now at times, I do see them, but it's all about what you do from there. You're either going to react to it or you're going to brush it off and keep doing what you do. I mean, I see it and some of it I hear as well, but it's what you do from there, what you do next (in response that matters)."

A week ago, his intelligence was questioned when a faulty report about Tagovailoa posting a 13 on the infamous Wonderlic test - the score was from a practice Wonderlic taken as a sophomore - when in reality he scored just below the average of 20 when he took the test in February. Former Texas quarterback Chris Simms has been among Tagovailoa's biggest critics, citing his less-than-idyllic height (6-feet), his arm strength and that his stats were the result of the system and talent he was surrounded by at Alabama to suggest he might not be worth a Top-5 pick. Meanwhile, former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi and other NFL insiders reported at least two teams had failed Tagovailoa's medical evaluation based on their own particular aversion to health risks after he was cleared to resume all football activities in early March following his mid-November hip surgery. "For me, it's OK regardless if it's true or if it's not true," Tagovailoa said. "I'm stepping into a new animal, I'm stepping into a new world, and given the circumstances with COVID-19 as well, it's a time where we've got to adapt to change." - Montgomery Advertiser

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Share/Comment: Here

04/21/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

Miami needs a quarterback. In fact, the Dolphins have needed a quarterback since a certain No. 13 decimated opposing secondaries more than 20 years ago. If it is up to ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, the Dolphins will take another No. 13, former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, in this week's NFL draft. Not that he's comparing Tagovailoa to Hall of Famer Dan Marino. Herbstreit, in a teleconference Monday, was asked by the Miami Herald about the idea of the former Crimson Tide star going No. 5 overall. "If he falls in their laps and they pass on him, I don't know how they do that," Herbstreit said.

The "GameDay" analyst, who also said earlier COVID-19 comments were "misrepresented, did say he would be in the quarterback's best interest to sit the upcoming season to make sure Tagovailoa is recovered from his hip injury. "Go back to when he burst on the scene," Herbstreit said of Tagovailoa. "Sat there his entire freshman year behind a very talented QB who won a lot of games, and halftime of the national championship, they put him into the biggest stage that you can be in in the college game, and he's never been in that situation. And to watch him play, and he made a mistake or two along the way, but to watch him play with poise, his decision-making - the game moves pretty quickly when you play in that game - and eventually lead them back and make enough plays to win the national championship in overtime, and to visit with him on the back end of that a few months later, I think it's the culture, the way he was raised. - Birmingham News

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/20/20 - *Jerry Jeudy, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-1, 193 (DS#2 WR) + More +

When the Miami Hurricanes produced six first-round picks in the 2004 NFL draft, many pundits felt it was a record that would never be broken. The Alabama Crimson Tide will threaten to tie or possibly surpass that record on Thursday night. Seven Alabama players - quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs, safety Xavier McKinney, cornerback Trevon Diggs and pass rusher Terrell Lewis - have potential to be drafted in the first round, according to various mock drafts. Of those, the Deerfield Beach High alum Jeudy, Tagovailoa, Wills, Ruggs and McKinney appear most secure to be selected among the first 32 picks. Diggs is a fringe first-second round pick, and Lewis would have to make a draft-day leap to go in the first. The over/under for Alabama first-round picks is set by BetOnline at 5 1/2.

In 2004, Miami had safety Sean Taylor (No. 5 pick, Washington Redskins), tight end Kellen Winslow II (No. 6, Cleveland Browns), linebackers Jonathan Vilma (No. 12, New York Jets) and D.J. Williams (No. 17, Denver Broncos), offensive tackle Vernon Carey (No. 19, Miami Dolphins) and nose tackle Vince Wilfork (No. 21, New England Patriots) were the record six first-round draftees. - Sun Sentinel

(DS#2 WR) Jr/2020

WR *Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
News Source: Sun Sentinel
Share/Comment: Here

04/17/20 - *Jedrick Wills Jr., Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-4, 312 (DS#3 OT) + More +

When the NFL's contact and travel policies for the coronavirus pandemic started on March 13, it left teams scrambling to prepare for the annual draft with no more pro days, in-person visits or on-the-field workouts during the six intervening weeks. New York general manager Dave Gettleman thinks the Giants have an advantage in preparing for the draft under those circumstances, starting with former Alabama running-backs coach Burton Burns, who now holds that position for the NFL team. In assembling his staff after being hired as the Giants head coach, Joe Judge added several assistants from college programs.

"I'll tell you what, it's a big help," Gettleman said during his pre-draft press conference on Friday. "If you think about it, we hired Burton Burns -- Joe hired Burton to coach the running backs -- and he's been at Alabama, so just think about all of the insight we get into the Bama kids. "Obviously, a number of our coaches are coming directly from the Southeastern Conference, so you've got great contacts. It's very helpful. It gives you insight -- all of the information. Our college scouts do a great job of digging out information, so between the information the college scouts have and Burton and fellas like that that we've hired that are coming from college, it sure really gives us a good in." Alabama has had more players selected in each of the past two drafts than any other team, with an SEC-record 12 in 2018 and 10 in 2019. - Birmingham News

(DS#3 OT) Jr/2020

OT *Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/11/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

As a former NFL coach himself, Nick Saban knows his role in the annual buildup to this month's NFL draft is one of advocacy and unflinching support. It's why the longtime Alabama head coach deflected recently when he was asked his assessment of former quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's health status three weeks before the NFL's April 23-25 draft. "I'm not a doctor, and I can't comment on where Tua is and what he's doing, but we've tried to continue to do everything we can from a rehab standpoint," Saban said in an April 2 teleconference with reporters. "We think his rehab has gone extremely well, we think he's able to do things on a schedule relative to the way we all thought he would be able to do them and he's very positive and upbeat with where he is right now. That's really about all there is for me to say about that."

Tagovailoa, who underwent career-saving surgery in mid-November to correct a right posterior hip fracture suffered in a Nov. 16 game at Mississippi State, has become a lightning rod for varying opinions regarding his health and status as a likely top-five pick in this year's NFL draft. Key among those has been former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi, who cited at least one team with a top-10 pick had taken Tagovailoa off their board completely following a failed physical assessment. "What they saw … is they saw that it's more than one (injury)," Lombardi said earlier this week on his GM Shuffle podcast. "It's not just his hip. It's his ankle, it's his wrist. He broke his wrist the first day of spring ball one year. Then they fixed it, he came back and he broke it again. "I mean he's brittle. He is brittle. You can't deny it." - Montgomery Advertiser

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Share/Comment: Here

04/10/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who served as Alabama's co-offensive coordinator in 2017 and offensive coordinator in 2018, hosted an Instagram Live show Friday evening in which Tagovailoa was a guest. Locksley said the questions about Tagovailoa "threw him off" and asked Tagovailoa about those who believe he is injury-prone. "I'm not playing badminton," Tagovailoa said. "I'm not on the swim team. This is a physical sport. You're gonna get hurt. That just comes with it. It's just very unfortunate I got hurt each season. It's a part of the game. It's a contact sport. I can only control what I can control. I can't control that." Tagovailoa did seem to acknowledge there could be a risk for any team drafting him.

"I'll play for whoever takes me," he said when asked if he preferred a particular landing spot in the draft. "I just want to play, man. It doesn't matter what organization I go to, man. I just want to play. I look forward to playing under any organization that is willing to take a chance on me." Tagovailoa also commented on his Thursday pro day hosted by his trainer, former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, in Nashville that was videotaped and sent to NFL teams. ESPN posted footage of the workout Friday morning. "I thought it went pretty good, given the circumstances," Tagovailoa said. "We only had so much of the field to work with. - Birmingham News

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

04/09/20 - *Tua Tagovailoa, Jr/2020, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (DS#2 QB) + More +

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa held a planned pro day in Nashville on Thursday and will send videotaped footage of the workout to all NFL teams, the Washington Post reported. NFL Network reported Tagovailoa threw to former Tide teammate Jerry Jeudy, who shares an agent with Tagovailoa, as well as former Vanderbilt receiver Kalija Lipscomb. The pro day consisted of 55 scripted throws and another 20 "dynamic" passes, the reports said. Tagovailoa has been training in Nashville with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. Last month, Tagovailoa shared his first videos of him dropping back and throwing passes since November hip surgery. Tagovailoa's individual pro day comes on its planned date but was modified because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NFL Network reported there were less than 10 people in attendance. Former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi said this week that two teams have failed Tagovailoa on his pre-draft physical, while another former NFL GM, Mike Tannenbaum, said last week it would be "irresponsible" to draft Tagovailoa in the top 10 because of his perceived medical concerns. Tagovailoa's agent, Leigh Steinberg, pushed back against the concerns during a Thursday interview with a Miami radio station, saying the questions are overblown and doctors have said Tagovailoa is fine. - Birmingham News

(DS#2 QB) Jr/2020

QB *Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
News Source: Birmingham News
Share/Comment: Here

Previous 15 Notes

|Back to Page One|

Next 15 Notes

Warning: Undefined array key "TeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 56

Warning: Undefined array key "DSTeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 57

Alabama Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

** Draft Scout Data **
(Everything Online PLUS)

Support Draft Scout

The Database Engine for NFLDraftScout.com, Draft Scout is being repurposed...Support the Future Development of ScoutNation.com...

Draft Scout Archives

** 2010-2022 Draft Scout Archives **
(Yearly Player Data Exports, Prospect Lists & More)

Draft Scout Future

100% Dedicated and Never Done

80% Innovated

45% Hidden

35% Built

2025 CFB/2025-2029 NFL Draft Scout

2024 CFB/2024-2028 NFL Draft Scout

2023 CFB/2024-2027 NFL Draft Scout

NFL Draft Scout History

2022 Draft Scout

Draft Scout by Conference

2023 Draft Scout Offense

2023 Draft Scout Defense

2022 Draft Scout Offense

2022 Draft Scout Defense

Alabama Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

Support Draft Scout

Draft Scout Archives

Draft Scout Future

Synergization

Did You Know?

Hidden Designs

Future Development