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Built by Bama: All 11 of Alabama’s 2016 defensive starters have been selected in past 2 NFL Drafts
By Adam Spencer
Published:
When the Alabama defense lined up across from the USC offense to start the 2016 college football season, it was easy to see that there was plenty of NFL talent on the Crimson Tide’s side of the line of scrimmage.
However, when LB Shaun Dion Hamilton was selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft, it marked an incredible achievement even by Alabama standards.
All 11 starters that day have been selected in the last two drafts, and nine of them went in the first three rounds.
Here’s a look at the 11 starters on that side of the ball that day:
With Shaun Dion Hamilton's selection by the Redskins today, all 11 of @alabamafootball's 2016 season-opening defensive starters have been selected in the last two NFL Drafts Nine were chosen in the first three rounds. #NFLDraft #RollTide #BamaDraft pic.twitter.com/wUeecV8tH6
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) April 28, 2018
And here’s where they went in the draft:
- Marlon Humphrey — Round 1, No. 16, 2017 — Baltimore Ravens
- Jonathan Allen — Round 1, No. 17, 2017 — Washington Redskins
- Reuben Foster — Round 1, No. 31, 2017 — San Francisco 49ers
- Ryan Anderson — Round 2, No. 49, 2017 — Washington Redskins
- Dalvin Tomlinson — Round 2, No. 55, 2017 — New York Giants
- Tim Williams — Round 3, No. 78, 2017 — Baltimore Ravens
- Eddie Jackson — Round 4, No. 112, 2017 — Chicago Bears
- Minkah Fitzpatrick — Round 1, No. 11, 2018 — Miami Dolphins
- Da’Ron Payne — Round 1, No. 13, 2018 — Washington Redskins
- Ronnie Harrison — Round 3, No. 93, 2018 — Jacksonville Jaguars
- Shaun Dion Hamilton — Round 6, No. 197 — Washington Redskins
And, of course, this doesn’t even account for the fact that Rashaan Evans went No. 22 overall in this year’s draft, as he didn’t start that game. Anthony Averett also got selected this year, going in the fourth round.
That stat is an incredible recruiting tool for coach Nick Saban and the Tide, and the streak of producing top NFL Draft talent will likely only continue.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
