Alabama coach Nick Saban acknowledged the role that college football plays as the NFL’s de facto developmental league Wednesday at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala.
He believes that players receiving better NFL assessments of their draft status helps them make more informed decisions about leaving college early to play pro football.
He’s in favor of the new rule that allows NFL scouts more access to underclassmen in the spring.
“Well, we give the ultimate level of access to the NFL,” Saban said. “My theory on it is, when we have young players who are making a decision about going out for the draft, we want to get the best possible information relative to where they will get picked because where they get picked goes a long way into saying what is the business decision that I should make.”
Saban, who has won five national titles (one at LSU, four at Alabama), was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06. He also coached with the Houston Oilers (1988-89, defensive backs) and Cleveland Browns (1991-94, defensive coordinator) in the NFL.
“I think what people don’t realize is, you know, the NFL and football is the only sport that has no developmental league,” Saban said. “You know, they have a D-League, or whatever they call it, in basketball. The NHL has a minor league. Major League Baseball has a minor league.
“Aaron Judge is a pretty good player, but the way I understand it is he spent a couple years in the minor league, isn’t that right, before he really came up and now he’s a rookie that is pretty much a dominant player.”
He noted that if a 22-year-old player is not ready to play in the NFL, he’ll be cut if he can’t make the 53-man roster. College players making the decision to enter the draft must realize it’s an “all or nothing” proposition because there’s no “second developmental chance.”
Saban understands that the NFL wants to get the speed, height and weight measurables on players and try to get an understanding of the player’s character as soon as possible.
A lot of college players are entering the draft, when they likely would be better served — for football, academic and life reasons — by staying in college. Last season, 95 players were granted special eligibility for the 2017 NFL draft. There were 96 players in 2016 and 74 in 2015. There was a record-high 98 in the 2015 draft.
Most have never played a down in the NFL.
After the 2017 draft, 27 of the 95 underclassmen were not drafted (28.4 percent). The group included Florida State wide receiver Travis Rudolph, Texas A&M wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones and Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans.
Rudolph signed a free-agent contract with the New York Giants, Seals-Jones with the Arizona Cardinals and Evans with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“So we want to get the best information to them so they can give us the best information about where a player’s going to get picked so our players can make a good decision whether they go or stay,” Saban said. “We’ve had a significant number of players who have benefited from staying in school. They’ve graduated. All right? But they’ve also moved up significantly in the draft.”
Saban knows that high draft picks will get a shot with their teams and are not likely to be cut early in their careers.
“Your security as an NFL player comes in terms of how much guaranteed money you have,” Saban said. “So obviously, if you’re a first-round pick, they’re not going to cut you. You’re going to make the team. You’re going to have a chance to develop.
“If you’re a second-round pick, probably the same thing, to a lesser degree, but probably the same thing. Past that, you’re at tremendous risk whether you’re even going to make the team or not. And it is an all-or-nothing thing.”
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