Five Alabama Players Selected to All-Rookie team

The Crimson Tide continues to produce great talent in the NFL, and 2020's national champions did not disappoint in their rookie seasons. Patrick Surtain (Broncos) Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins), Mac Jones (Patriots), Najee Harris (Steelers), and Christian Barmore (Patriots) all made the All-Rookie team this year.

Patrick Surtain was a 1st round pick for the Broncos and quickly earned himself a starting cornerback position on the team. Being in the AFC West Surtain had to face explosive offenses such as the Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders but fellow Alabama stand out held his own through the season. Surtain finished with 45 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and four interceptions.

Jaylen Waddle, a first-round pick for the Dolphins showed that his injury was to be left in the past as he quickly got back to his old self. Paring him up with former teammate Tua Tagovailoa helped his success as Jaylen went on to earn him a spot on the dynamic offense. With 102 receptions on the season, Waddle broke the NFL rookie reception record as he finished with 1,015 yards and six touchdowns.

Mac Jones was a secret weapon that most people didn’t expect him to end up on the Patriots, let alone be the starter before the season started but he did it. With all the Cam Newton controversy going on Mac came in and proved he was the better quarterback and started week 1 as a rookie quarterback. Taking the Patriots to the playoffs was not easy as Mac finished with a record of 10-7 as they took a tough loss to the Bills in the wildcard round. Mac finished with 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and had a 92.5 QBR rating.

Najee Harris was a first-round pick selected by the Steelers and he was destined to be the starting running back for the franchise. Najee was known as a Mr. do-it-all back as he can be effective in the run and pass game at a very high level. Najee will soon be a premiere back in the league as he will only get better with time and hopefully a better offensive line. He finished the season with 1,200 yards, 74 receptions, and seven touchdowns.

Christian Barmore, a second-round pick for the Patriots fit right in with Belichick’s system on the defensive side. Barmore made an impact when he was in the game as he was one of the most dominant defensive rookies in the league. Barmore finished the season with 46 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2 pass deflections.

These five players will continue to dominate in the league as this is just the beginning of a great career for each of these players. Nick Saban NFL resume will continue to grow better with the talent he continues to put in the league and his next group of rookies will have to live up to the standard that was set.