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2018 NFL Draft: Alabama vs. Georgia has many top prospects

By Sayre Bedinger

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Minkah Fitzpatrick
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Minkah Fitzpatrick /
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The 2018 NFL Draft is going to have a lot of players called from Georgia and Alabama. Here’s what to watch for in the CFB title game…

NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates a reception for a touchdown with teammates in the first quarter of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates a reception for a touchdown with teammates in the first quarter of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

As one would expect, the 2018 NFL Draft prospect pool coming from the College Football Playoff National Championship between Alabama and Georgia is about as deep as you can get in a single game.

NFL talent evaluators will be eager to watch some of the best players in the country at a variety of positions match up toe-to-toe in this epic showdown featuring two of the country’s (SEC’s) best.

Let’s not waste any time and start by diving right in to what you should be watching for as a fan of the NFL Draft in this game.

Alabama’s Offense

Calvin Ridley, WR (no. 3)

In an offense that uses the pass almost as a mere distraction from the running game, Calvin Ridley has managed to stand out as a potential top 10 NFL prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft.

The junior out of Fort Lauderdale turned 23 in December, so he’s going to be a year — maybe two or three — older than most of his peers in the 2018 NFL Draft class but this is a guy that has been every bit the five-star player he was talked up as coming out of high school.

Ridley has excellent quickness, great feet, and ability to beat man coverage with ease. He has not been highlighted as much over the past two years with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, but Ridley is going to be a very good NFL player.

Damien Harris, RB (no. 34)

Harris is Alabama’s leading rusher and one of the most well-rounded backs eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s 17 yards away from becoming Alabama’s first repeat thousand yard back since T.J. Yeldon in 2013-14, and when you watch him play, it’s easy to see why.

Harris is impossible to bring down on first contact, averaging nearly eight yards per carry this season.

He’s also stellar in pass protection, something that doesn’t usually get highlighted for a prospect unless they are bad at it.

I think this is a top 32 player that will immediately be a starting back at the next level.

Bo Scarbrough, RB (no. 9)

When we’ve seen the best of Bo Scarbrough, we’ve seen a guy that looks like a potential first or second round pick. The full story of Scarbrough, though, is that there’s more there in terms of his great size and athleticism than pure running back ability.

I still think, though, the potential is there for this guy to be a special player at the next level, and we’ve seen him play some of his best games in the CFP stage (though not their most recent vs. Clemson…).

I would like to see Scarbrough take over games with his size/speed combination, but to this point, that happens far less often than it should. Although he doesn’t have a game this year with more than 15 carries, he doesn’t have a 100-yard rushing game since December, 2016 against Washington.

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