Tua Tagovailoa will never forget Thursday night after he was selected fifth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 NFL Draft, but his former head coach also made some history because of Tua’s stature as a first-round pick.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban became the first man to have coached first-round selections at every non-special position after Tagovailoa was taken by the Dolphins.
So what would an All-Saban-coached first-round draft pick team look like? Pretty scary.
OFFENSE:
QB: Tua Tagovailoa
RB: Mark Ingram
WRs: Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Plaxico Burress
TE: O.J. Howard
Ts: Andre Smith, D.J. Fluker
Gs: James Carpenter, Chance Warmack
C: Ryan Kelly
Offensively, Tua gets three elite receivers in Jones and Cooper, who combine for 11 Pro Bowls, and Burress, who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. Having a former Heisman Trophy winner in Ingram doesn’t hurt either.
DEFENSE:
DLs: Quinnen Williams, Marcell Dareus, Jonathan Allen, Marcus Spears
LBs: Julian Peterson, C.J. Mosley, Dont’a Hightower
CBs: Marlon Humphrey, Kareem Jackson
S: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Minkah Fitzpatrick
The defensive line is highlighted by a two-time Pro Bowler in Dareus. Three-time Super Bowl champion Hightower stands out among the linebackers and Clinton-Dix and Fitzpatrick provide a steady presence in the secondary.