The Crimson Tide edged out some stiff competition
One of the stories from the first round of the 2017 Draft: what happened to all the Alabama players? Through the first 15 picks, there were zero Crimson Tide selections, surprising mock drafters across the country. TE O.J. Howard was heavily linked to the Jets at 6 to the Jets, DE Jonathan Allen was viewed as a top 10 pick rumored to go as high as 3rd overall, and LB Reuben Foster and Marlon Humphrey were regularly mocked as top 15 picks.
Well, after the top 15, things went much better for Alabama. Humphrey went 16th to the Ravens, Allen went 17 to the Redskins, and Howard went 19th to the Bucs. By the end of the night, Foster had gone, too, being selected 31st by the 49ers. Three more players from Alabama went in round 2, two more went in round 3, and a 10th Crimson Tide star went in the fifth round.
Only Michigan had more players drafted (11), and no other school had more than eight draftees. But while the Wolverines had more drafted players, only three players from Michigan were drafted in the first 80 picks — compared to nine for Alabama. I calculated the draft value — using my draft value chart — for each college in the 2017 Draft.
| Rk | School | Players | Draft Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 10 | 111.3 |
| 2 | LSU | 8 | 84.8 |
| 3 | Ohio St. | 7 | 78.9 |
| 4 | Michigan | 11 | 65.4 |
| 5 | Florida | 8 | 58.1 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 5 | 57.8 |
| 7 | Washington | 5 | 55.7 |
| 8 | Clemson | 6 | 55.3 |
| 9 | Stanford | 2 | 49 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 6 | 44.6 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 6 | 42.3 |
| 12 | Utah | 8 | 38 |
| 13 | Western Michigan | 3 | 32.4 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 3 | 30.2 |
| 15 | UCLA | 5 | 29.6 |
| 16 | Temple | 3 | 28.9 |
| 17 | USC | 5 | 28.3 |
| 18 | Miami | 8 | 23.5 |
| 19 | Florida St. | 4 | 23.3 |
| 20 | Colorado | 4 | 21 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 4 | 20.1 |
| 22 | Texas Tech | 1 | 19.9 |
| 23 | Western Kentucky | 2 | 18.8 |
| 24 | Mississippi | 4 | 16.2 |
| 25 | Michigan St. | 2 | 16 |
| 26 | Iowa | 4 | 15.3 |
| 27 | Missouri | 1 | 14.9 |
| 28 | Houston | 3 | 14.5 |
| 29 | Pittsburgh | 5 | 12.2 |
| 30 | East Carolina | 1 | 11.6 |
| 31 | Eastern Washington | 2 | 11.5 |
| 32 | Vanderbilt | 2 | 11.3 |
| 33 | Auburn | 4 | 10.6 |
| 34 | South Alabama | 1 | 10.5 |
| 35 | Ashland | 1 | 10.4 |
| 36 | San Diego St. | 3 | 10.2 |
| 37 | Toledo | 3 | 10 |
| 38 | Ohio | 2 | 9.5 |
| 39 | Notre Dame | 2 | 9.4 |
| 40 | California | 3 | 9.3 |
| 41 | Louisiana Tech | 3 | 9.3 |
| 42 | Connecticut | 1 | 9 |
| 43 | Villanova | 2 | 8.6 |
| 44 | Youngstown St. | 2 | 8.5 |
| 45 | N.C. State | 3 | 8.4 |
| 46 | Boston College | 2 | 8.1 |
| 47 | North Carolina Charlotte | 1 | 8 |
| 48 | Illinois | 1 | 7.7 |
| 49 | Indiana | 1 | 7.5 |
| 50.5 | Kansas St. | 2 | 7.3 |
| 50.5 | West Virginia | 2 | 7.3 |
| 52 | Arkansas | 3 | 6.8 |
| 53 | Penn St. | 1 | 6.4 |
| 54 | Troy | 1 | 6.3 |
| 55 | Texas | 1 | 6 |
| 56 | Central Florida | 1 | 5.9 |
| 57 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 5.5 |
| 58.5 | South Florida | 3 | 5.4 |
| 58.5 | Grambling St. | 1 | 5.4 |
| 60 | Florida International | 1 | 5.3 |
| 61 | Lamar | 1 | 5.2 |
| 62 | Oregon St. | 2 | 5.2 |
| 63 | Florida Atlantic | 1 | 5.1 |
| 64 | North Carolina A&T | 1 | 4.2 |
| 65 | Bucknell | 1 | 3.6 |
| 66 | BYU | 1 | 3.4 |
| 67 | Wyoming | 2 | 3.3 |
| 68 | Boise St. | 2 | 3.2 |
| 69 | Albany St. (GA) | 1 | 3 |
| 70.5 | Virginia Tech | 4 | 2.8 |
| 70.5 | Kutztown (PA) | 1 | 2.8 |
| 72.5 | West Georgia | 2 | 2.6 |
| 72.5 | Memphis | 1 | 2.6 |
| 74 | Northwestern | 2 | 2.5 |
| 75 | San Diego | 1 | 2.1 |
| 76 | Wake Forest | 1 | 2 |
| 77 | Georgia | 1 | 1.8 |
| 78.5 | Drake | 1 | 1.7 |
| 78.5 | Purdue | 1 | 1.7 |
| 80 | Texas-El Paso | 1 | 1.5 |
| 81.5 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 1.4 |
| 81.5 | Nebraska | 1 | 1.4 |
| 83.5 | Cincinnati | 1 | 1.3 |
| 83.5 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1 | 1.3 |
| 85 | Tulane | 1 | 1.2 |
| 86 | Oklahoma St. | 2 | 1.1 |
| 87 | Coastal Carolina | 1 | 0.8 |
| 88.5 | Georgia State | 1 | 0.6 |
| 88.5 | Mississippi St. | 1 | 0.6 |
| 90 | Louisville | 2 | 0.5 |
| 91 | Tennessee-Chattanooga | 1 | 0.3 |
| 92.5 | Washington St. | 1 | 0.2 |
| 92.5 | Minnesota | 1 | 0.2 |
| 94 | Arizona State | 1 | 0.1 |
| 99 | East Central (OK) | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | TCU | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Alabama St. | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Georgia Tech | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Utah St. | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Miami (OH) | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Baylor | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Eastern Michigan | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Buffalo | 1 | 0 |
Stanford had either a great draft or a weak draft, depending on your perspective. DE Solomon Thomas and RB Christian McCaffrey were top ten picks, but the only players from the Cardinal that went drafted.
Among non-Power 5 schools, Western Michigan was the big winner. At number 5, wide receiver Corey Davis went to the Titans, while guard Taylor Moton went at the end of the second round and linebacker Pita Taumoepenu went in the sixth.
And 11 Power 5 schools were blanked in the draft. From the Pac 12, both Arizona and Oregon — yes, Oregon — had zero players selected. It’s been a mighty fall for the Ducks, who had five players selected, including two in the first round, just two years ago.
Three years ago, South Carolina had the first pick in the draft. This year? The Gamecocks and Kentucky were the only SEC teams that failed to send a single player to the NFL via the draft. The Big 10 (Maryland and Rutgers), ACC (Duke, Syracuse, Virginia), and Big 12 (Iowa State and Kansas) each had multiple schools get shut out, too. And speaking of the Big 12, for the second year in a row, the Texas Longhorns had just one player drafted (RB D’Onta Foreman went to Houston with the 89th pick). That marks the first time since World War II that the Longhorns sent just two players to the NFL via the draft in a two-year period.