The #1 Alabama Crimson Tide and #2 Clemson Tigers are playing for the College Football National Championship at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Monday, January 9th. Kickoff is at 8:00 PM EST on ESPN. Alabama is favored by 7-points.
The Patriots should be interested in the game because this will be the greatest collection of draft prospects all year. Prospect rankings are courtesy of NDS.
Alabama Prospects
1. DL Jonathan Allen (6’3, 291 lbs). Allen is considered the best prospect in the NFL draft due to his special size and production. He is expected to go in the top five.
7. CB Marlon Humphrey (6’1, 196 lbs). Humphrey is a redshirt sophomore, but has been a lockdown player on the Crimson Tide defense. He is the top cornerback prospect.
9. OT Cam Robinson (6’6, 310 lbs). Robinson is the best tackle in the country, although this year has a weak crop of tackle prospects.
14. ED Tim Williams (6’3, 252 lbs). Williams is a dominant pass rusher and could be the second pass rusher off the board after Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett.
16. LB Reuben Foster (6’1, 236 lbs). Foster is a playmaker and the top linebacker in the draft. All five of these players are expected to be gone by the 20th pick of the draft.
33. TE O.J. Howard (6’6, 251 lbs). Howard is the best tight end prospect in the draft and is a physical blocker and an underutilized receiver. He is projected to go to the Patriots in multiple mock drafts.
62. ED Ryan Anderson (6’2, 253 lbs). Anderson is less acclaimed than Williams, but he’s another great player that should go on to a good NFL career.
Clemson Prospects
11. WR Mike Williams (6’3, 225 lbs). Williams is the top wide receiver prospect in the draft and reminds me a bit of Cowboys WR Dez Bryant in his style of play.
17. QB Deshaun Watson (6’2, 215 lbs). Watson is probably the best quarterback prospect in the draft and finished 3rd in the 2015 Heisman voting and 2nd in the 2016 voting.
27. CB Cordrea Tankersley (6’0, 200 lbs). Tankersley has been an extremely productive cornerback for the Tigers and is actually a top 5 prospect in Pro Football Focus rankings.
35. DT Carlos Watkins (6’3, 305 lbs). Watkins is a disruptive player up the middle and one of the top defensive tackle prospects. He’s still raw.
56. OG Tyron Crowder (6’2, 340 lbs). Crowder is a ginormous guard prospect and one of the top interior line prospects, but the Patriots probably aren’t looking for guards.
103. TE Jordan Leggett (6’5, 258 lbs). Leggett is a top tight end prospect, but he’s more polished as a receiver than as a blocker.
113. RB Wayne Gallman (6’0, 215 lbs). Gallman is a physical runner that saw fewer opportunities in the offense due to an increased reliance on Watson. He’s a capable runner and receiver.
Use this as the open thread for discussion.