Alabama head coach Nick Saban may have more first round draft picks than losses with the Crimson Tide, but there was one item missing from his resume — and the resume of 10 head coaches in Tuscaloosa before him.
The Tide hadn’t produced an NFL No. 1 overall pick since 1948.
That 75 year streak ended on Thursday night in Kansas City as the Carolina Panthers took quarterback Bryce Young with the first pick of the draft. Before Young, Harry Gilmer was the last Alabama player to go No. 1 overall in 1948 (Joe Namath went No. 1 overall in the 1965 AFL Draft).
It’s felt like Young’s draft position was a foregone conclusion for weeks now. He’s been the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 for the majority of the offseason — even if there was a late Reddit-inspired run on Will Levis’ odds.
How the odds shifted throughout the #NFLDraft process for Bryce Young 📈 pic.twitter.com/9l10rg6Lxh
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 28, 2023
Not that Nick Saban needed any more accolades on his resume, but it’s got to feel good to finally add this infinity stone to his overflowing trophy case.