Building a 53-man NFL roster in 2024 using only former Alabama players (Offense)

Alright, it’s time for our annual all-Alabama NFL roster. If you’re not familiar with this exercise, we’re building an NFL team using exclusively former UA players. It’s important to note that you have to approach it like an NFL general manager though. This is a 53-man roster, so tough decisions will have to be made in order to build a complete team capable of competing for a Super Bowl.

So, who’s eligible for this roster? Well, any former Alabama player who is either 1) currently on an NFL roster or 2) spent at least a portion of last season on an active roster or practice squad. This doesn’t include the undrafted free agents last year who didn’t make an active roster or practice squad once the season got underway. An example of that would be players such as DJ Dale, Jaylen Moody or Emil Ekiyor Jr. On the other hand, a more established player such as O.J. Howard does qualify because he has proven it more on the NFL level.

Even though we’re building a fictitious roster, I tried to make this as realistic as possible. Age is taken into consideration, as is potential role (whether it be a specialized role or something that’s needed on special teams). This is not an all-time Alabama team. Once again, this is strictly current players in the NFL or guys who were in the league as recently as last season. And if a guy made a decision in real life such as retirement (Damien Harris, for example), then decision that is taken into consideration despite them technically still being eligible.

Also keep in mind that there is an all-Alabama practice squad available too. It can be up to 16 players, but not just anyone can go on it. It has to be a guy who — at least to some degree — makes sense. I’ll give you an example. If a starting offensive tackle were to get cut in this exercise because there isn’t room for him, then I can’t just stick him on the practice squad. Why? Because another NFL team would almost certainly snag him up.

OK, let’s begin.

[COMING SOON] Building a 53-man NFL roster using former Alabama players (Defense)

Quarterback (2)

53-man roster: Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young

Practice squad: AJ McCarron

Cut: Mac Jones

*Note: I decided not to include Jalen Hurts as an option, as there were plenty to choose from.

Thoughts: Alright, so apparently I didn’t understand the new “third quarterback rule” as well as I thought. For some reason, I thought those guys didn’t count towards the 53-man roster, but they’re only exempt from the 48-man active roster on game days. My original plan was to use that third QB option for Jones to make the numbers work elsewhere, but that’s not possible because he will have to count against the 53. There’s no room for him though. I tried to go back through and find a spot for him, but I couldn’t make it work.

There’s no way Jones would make it onto the practice squad either. He’s been a starter — and even a Pro Bowl selection — so plenty of teams would be clamoring for him to be their backup if cut. That’s really unfortunate, but this team still has two starting-caliber options in Tagovailoa and Young. They’re former top-5 picks who are also 26 and 22 years old, respectively. Tagovailoa has really started to emerge as one of the league’s better quarterbacks after starting every regular season game for the first time in his career. Not only that, but he led the NFL in passing yards (4,624) while tying for fifth in passing touchdowns (29). That success landed him Pro Bowl honors.

Young started 16 of a possible 17 games for the Carolina Panthers as a rookie, but he still has some growing to do (and no, I don’t mean physically). I believe in his ability to do that, and if Tagovailoa were to miss any games, I think he’d be ready to make an impact after sitting and learning for a while. Sitting for a year at Alabama helped him tremendously, after all. I don’t know if McCarron would be willing to accept a spot on the practice squad at this point in his career, but he at least wouldn’t have the same number of suitors as Jones. His presence sure would help in the event of an injury though. He continues to do great things for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL.

I like the setup of this QB room. Tagovailoa and Young aren’t the same players, but both have height deficiencies that need to be built around. Plus, they share similarities as far as accuracy and football IQ. In other words, the offense wouldn’t have to be drastically changed if Young was forced into the starting lineup. That’s a good situation to be in. I wish I could’ve made things work with Jones too, but you’ll see later on (mostly on defense) why I couldn’t. The numbers just didn’t allow for it, unfortunately.

Running Backs (4)

53-man roster: Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris, Jahmyr Gibbs

Practice squad: Jase McClellan

Cut: Brian Robinson, Damien Harris, Kenyan Drake

Thoughts: There were some tough cuts in here, but it didn’t even come close to comparing to some of the decisions that had to be made at other positions. Henry isn’t known for being a pass-catcher (155 receptions in eight seasons), but he’s combined for 61 catches over the last two years after averaging just 15.7 over his first six years in the league. His receiving ability doesn’t really matter though, as the 6-foot-2, 247-pound runner has topped 280 or more carries in four of his last five seasons with the other being 219 attempts in just eight games (injury) in 2021.

Henry is 30 years old now though, which means it’s time to cut back on his workload and share with the other talented backs in this room. Less than two years ago, he finished the 2022 season second in the league in rushing yards with 1,538. But who finished ahead of him? Well, Jacobs did with 1,653. Somehow, Jacobs is only one month older than Najee despite being in the league two more seasons. They all three finished in the top-5 in carries that same year though with Henry getting 349 (No. 1), Jacobs getting 340 (No. 2) and Najee getting 272 (No. 5).

The fact that they’ll all be able to share touches — along with an electric, 22-year-old Gibbs — should prolong their careers and allow them to remain effective. Damien Harris retired this offseason and Drake’s career could be coming to an end, so neither of those were tough cuts. Robinson was though, as he’s been a borderline starting-caliber running back in the NFL with three-down ability and plenty of tread on the tires (only 928 carries in seven combined years of college and the NFL). Unfortunately, I couldn’t justify putting him on the practice squad because he’s an established player who would instantly get snatched up on the open market.

McClellan is young enough (rookie) and was drafted late enough (sixth round) where I can at least justify getting him onto this all-Alabama practice squad though.

Wide Receivers (7)

53-man roster: Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Jameson Williams, Jermaine Burton

Practice squad: Cam Sims

Cut: John Metchie III, Julio Jones

Thoughts: I’ll start by saying that I’m not happy about having to cut Metchie. Like, at all. I still believe in his ability to be a quality receiver in the NFL, whether that be as a starter or at the very least, a depth option. But despite Julio being 35 years old and on a downward slope, there simply wasn’t any room to include Metchie on the 53-man roster. A lot of teams carry seven receivers, and that feels like a good number with other needs. Yes, I had a long, internal discussion about keeping him or Burton, but I ultimately went with the rookie. Neither guy is an option for the practice squad due to their draft position, youth and talent.

With all that being said, this position would be far and away the best in the NFL. I mean, it’s not even close. Six former Day 1 draft picks (with most of them emerging as top options in their own respective offenses) and a Day 2 rookie in Burton. Getting a majority of these Ryde Outs back together — along with players like Cooper, Ridley and Jamo — would be epic. All of the guys who made this 53-man roster are capable of playing inside or out, so the versatility is fantastic. There probably isn’t much of a point in labeling them as X, Z and H receivers, but I’ll go ahead and throw my envisioned depth chart for this group out there anyway.

The YAC (yards after the catch) ability within this group is special. Plus, you’ve got skill sets that can consistently win at all three levels of the field. And considering how well Tagovailoa has done with these types of receivers (the Ryde Outs at Alabama or Waddle and Tyreek Hill in Miami), this all-Alabama passing game would probably crush. Cooper and Ridley are getting up there in age (both are 29 years old), but everyone else is 25 years or younger, so this group is going to be elite for a really, really long time. And as far as the egos, we’ve already seen a lot of these guys work well together. I’m still bummed that Metchie can’t be a part of it though.

Tight Ends (3)

53-man roster: Irv Smith Jr., Cameron Latu, Miller Forristall

Practice squad: O.J. Howard

Cut: None

Thoughts: This room isn’t great, if I’m speaking candidly. If you were to just look at the draft position, then it’d look like the best tight end group in the league. Howard is a former first-round pick while Smith (Round 2) and Latu (Round 3) were both Day 2 selections. Unfortunately, injuries have impacted all three, so it’s tough to know what you’d get on Sundays.

At one time, Howard looked like he would be a quality option with tremendous upside in the long term. Over his first three years (2017-19) in the NFL, he averaged 31.3 catches for 485 yards (a 15.5-yard average) and four touchdowns. But after finishing on the injured reserve in each of those seasons, he then tore his Achilles in 2020 and was never the same. From 2020-22, he averaged just 11.7 catches for 142 yards and 1.7 touchdowns. He did spent some of last year on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be eligible for this list.

I have him on this all-Alabama practice squad though due to numbers and injury concerns with some of the others.

Irv Smith has found himself in a similar situation as Howard. Since being taken No. 50 overall by the Minnesota Vikings back in 2019, he has struggled to stay healthy. In fact, he hasn’t played a full regular season since his rookie year, and he’s had trouble finding consistency due to spending so much time off the field. He was good enough to be begin last season as the starter for the Cincinnati Bengals though, so he earns the top spot on this depth chart. Will he be able to hang onto the job after playing just 12 games (six starts) and only posting 115 yards and one score on 18 catches?

Latu is the most intriguing of this bunch right now.

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers thought enough of the once converted outside linebacker to draft him No. 101 overall (third round) in last year’s draft, but he tore his meniscus in Week 3 of the preseason and was forced to miss his entire rookie season. I’d feel a lot better about Smith being a No. 2, which would allow him to limit the injury risk with fewer snaps, but we can’t bank on that until we see Latu in action. It’s too premature right now. Forristall has done well for himself after going undrafted in 2021, but simply sticking around on a roster or practice squad doesn’t mean he’s good enough to see action on Sundays.

This is the weakest position on the roster, but the talent at the other skill positions can make up for it.

Offensive Linemen (9)

53-man roster: Cam Robinson, Evan Neal, Jedrick Wills Jr., Jonah Williams, JC Latham, Landon Dickerson, Ryan Kelly, Bradley Bozeman, Tyler Steen

Practice squad: Lester Cotton, JC Hassenauer

Cut: Alex Leatherwood, Darrian Dalcourt

Thoughts: Out of the nine offensive linemen to make this all-Alabama 53-man roster, five of them are former first-round picks with four of those being selected in the top 11. Not only that, but Dickerson was a Day 1 talent who fell to early Day 2 after tearing his ACL late in the 2020 season. Combine all those guys with two more Day 2 players (Robinson and Steen) and a sixth-rounder (Bozeman) who has played in 96 games with 77 of those being starts, and this is an intriguing group capable of being one of the better lines in the league.

With all that being said, some of these guys have fallen short of expectations in the NFL. Robinson has been a steady left tackle, Kelly has been a frequent Pro Bowl selection at center and Dickerson has emerged as one of the top young guards in the league. Neal, Wills and Williams have been consistent starters too, but their performances have been up and down. They’re only 23, 24 and 26 years old respectively though, so there’s still time for each of them to nail down the consistency aspect of the game. Here’s how I’d have the depth chart going in (keep in mind that this is very fluid).

Really, any of the tackles could move inside to guard.

I originally slotted Latham in at right guard because of his history playing the position in 2021, but his elite length (6-6 with 35 1/8-inch arms) was too intriguing to move inside right now. Neal is still young and has quality length too, but man, he’s really had trouble playing tackle in the NFL. He was an effective left guard for Alabama during his freshman season, so I’ve got him going back there and playing between the two most seasoned offensive linemen on this roster. Dickerson has been a star at left guard for the Philadelphia Eagles, but he was originally the right guard after arriving in Tuscaloosa back in 2019. Hopefully, he can be just as effective there.

For the most part, Robinson has been a steady blindside starter for the Jaguars since being drafted in 2017, but I don’t think he’s a lock to continue in that role. One of the only things he’s got going for him is that all of the other established tackles (Wills, Neal, and Williams) have all struggled too. The Tennessee Titans are moving Latham over the left tackle after spending his entire college career on the right side, so we’ll see how that transition goes. If he performs well there, then that’s your answer on the blindside with the Williams and Wills battling it out at right tackle. Wills spent his entire college career there before switching to the opposite side in the NFL while Williams has started games at right tackle, whether that be at Alabama or in the NFL.

The Eagles have reportedly been pleased with Steen’s development so far this offseason, so if he can emerge as a quality starter at right guard, maybe you’ll see Dickerson kick back over to the left side with Neal bumping back out to tackle. A lot of possibilities here with all of the versatility. Bozeman is a strong depth option at both center and guard, and Dickerson is capable of moving to center if need be. With all of the talent and youth in this group, surely they can piece together one of the better starting offensive lines in the NFL. I’m more than hopeful.

I’m probably stretching it a bit with Cotton and Hassenauer on the practice squad. Since 2018-19, they’ve been consistent 53-man options despite both of them being former undrafted free agents. If getting them onto the practice squad proves to be too much of a stretch, I’m sure I can safely replace them with Leatherwood and Dalcourt. It’s a downgrade though.

Total: 25 Players

We’ve still got the defensive side of the ball to cover, but this offensive unit has a lot of potential. A Pro Bowl quarterback with an elite backup, a stable of three-down options at running back and a versatile, deep wide receiver room can make up for any deficiencies at tight end. And the offensive line is littered with NFL starters too, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned with how that group plays out. We’ll just throw a ton of fictitious money at former Alabama OL coach Jeff Stoutland to make sure we get proper development there.

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