Senior Bowl Announces Alabama Participants

The Senior Bowl has been announcing accepted invites to the 2022 edition of the showcase over the past few weeks. Alabama had seven players on the preseason watchlist and so far two Crimson Tide seniors have accepted their invites: defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis and running back Brian Robinson.

Phidarian Mathis

Phidarian Mathis headlines the defensive line group in Mobile this Winter. He currently ranks fourth on Mel Kiper's defensive line rankings behind one other Senior Bowl prospect, Logan Hall of Houston.

At 6-foot-4, 312lbs, Mathis has an interesting size-to-speed ratio that could make him scheme versatile to NFL teams. He's not the lumbering 5-technique 3-4 schemes look for, but he's also not the athletic specimen 4-3 teams look for in 3-techniques. He does present similar traits to be useful in either role though. He'll be able to display all of those traits in Mobile.

So far through the 2021 season, Mathis leads the defensive line with 46 tackles, 8.5 for loss and eight sacks. In his Crimson Tide career, the Louisiana-native has 122 tackles, 14 for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Brian Robinson

The hometown kid, Brian Robinson, Jr., will wear the Crimson helmet one final time in Mobile. Robinson doesn't have a ton of draft hype around him right now, but he's a respected prospect that could hear his name called on day two of the 2022 NFL Draft.

It's hard to beat Robinson's size and power. Teams that run power schemes but lack a thumping runner will keep a close eye on him. With five years of playing experience, Robinson knows the intricacies of the game and is a potent pass blocker. Though he lacks breakaway speed, he's reliable in the passing game to run an efficient route, haul in the pass and make the first guy miss in the open field for extra yardage.

Through the 2021 season so far, he leads the Crimson Tide in rushing with 1,064 yards and 14 touchdowns on 222 carries and added 268 yards and two touchdowns on 32 receptions. In his Crimson Tide career, Robinson accumulated 2,425 yards and 29 touchdowns on 496 carries with 418 yards and two touchdowns on 49 receptions.

The Senior Bowl will take place Saturday, February 5, 2022, at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. The game will air on NFL Network at 1:30 p.m.

This article will update with each accepted invite from the Alabama Crimson Tide.