Alabama vs. Clemson: Who Has Position Edge?

What if you combined the best players on both College Football Playoff National Championship teams to make one Super Team? More importantly, which team has more talent and which has the edge?

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College Football Playoff National Championship Game Roster Mash-Up

What if the rosters of Alabama and Clemson were put in a Vitamix and blended into one amalgamated mixture of really talented personnel? Who’d earn the start and who’d be a rotational guy off the bench? Silly pregame exercise? Nope. It’s another way to determine which team will have the edge at every position Monday night, and what areas are most likely to be exploited by the Tide and the Tigers.

For this roster mash-up, unlike Alabama, we’ve taken the liberty of employing a 4-3 base defense in an attempt to spotlight all of the game’s talent up front.

2016 College Football Playoff All-Alabama/Clemson Offense

First Team

QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Jake Coker has done an underrated job lately of running the Bama offense. But the Tigers will have a sizable edge at quarterback with Watson, the kind of dual-threat who’ll create headaches for Kirby Smart and the Tide defense.

RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
There aren’t too many backs in the country better than Clemson’s Wayne Gallman. Fortunately for Bama, Henry is one of them. And he’ll command the complete attention of the Tiger D.

WR Charone Peake, Clemson
The 6-3 senior brings good size and experience to the position. As the Tigers No. 2 guy in the passing game, he’s caught 44 balls for 617 yards and five touchdowns.

WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
Ridley has surpassed expectations as the heir to Amari Cooper in Tuscaloosa. He leads the Tide with 83 receptions for 1,031 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s heating up as his rookie season winds down.

WR Artavis Scott, Clemson
Scott hasn’t been quite as explosive as his rookie year, scoring five times and averaging less than 10 yards a reception. Still, he’s a dangerous receiver, especially after the catch.

TE Jordan Leggett, Clemson
Tough call. However, Clemson has used its tight ends better than Alabama has in 2015. Leggett leads the Tigers with seven touchdown catches, exploiting seams like a well-sized wide receiver.

LT Cam Robinson, Alabama
Robinson beats out Mitch Hyatt at the all-important left tackle spot. He’s a year older than the Tiger starter, with the agility at 6-6 and 326 pounds to neutralize Clemson’s talented edge rushers.

LG Eric Mac Lain, Clemson
The Tigers’ best blocker is a blue-collar mauler who brings consistency and leadership to the front wall. While not as naturally gifted as some of the Bama linemen, he earned All-ACC First Team as a senior.

C Ryan Kelly, Alabama
Kelly isn’t just the best center in this game, though Tiger Jay Guillermo is no slouch. He’s one of the best centers in America and an underrated cog in the Tide’s success on the ground.

RG Alphonse Taylor, Alabama
Taylor can be a little vulnerable in pass protection. As a pure road grader, though, he does enough as a physical run blocker to beat out Clemson sophomore Tyrone Crowder.

RT Dominick Jackson, Alabama
While Jackson gets overshadowed by Robinson, he too will be playing on Sundays. He’s consistently graded out well in his only year as a starter, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.

2016 College Football Playoff All-Alabama/Clemson Defense

DL Jonathan Allen, Alabama
Used situationally, Allen has evolved into Bama’s most effective pure pass rusher. Shockingly quick for a 6-3, 283-pound end, he leads the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and a dozen sacks.

DL Shaq Lawson, Clemson
Fingers are crossed that Lawson’s knee injury won’t limit his play on Monday. When healthy, he was one of the nation’s premier ends, notching 23.5 stops for loss and 10.5 sacks in his debut as a full-timer.

DL Jarran Reed, Alabama
Reed has parlayed a terrific senior year into a fat payday following the NFL Draft. He’s an immovable object at 6-4 and 313 pounds, yet is also quick enough to bust the gap.

DL A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama
Smart, powerful and ideal at occupying blockers and disrupting opposing ground games. Robinson is everything a coaching staff is looking for in a 312-pound run-stuffer.

LB Ben Boulware, Clemson
Boulware is an ultra-productive bolt of energy for the Tiger defense. Playing with ample passion from weakside, he has 132 tackles and a team-high 23 quarterback pressures.

LB B.J. Goodson, Clemson
While it didn’t get a ton of attention outside the ACC, Goodson delivered a breakout senior year. He’s posted huge numbers, and at 250 pounds has the muscle to slow down Henry.

LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama
By a healthy margin, the most talented linebacker in this title game. Ragland is sharp in all phases, including pass defense, with the instincts to routinely be in the right place at the right time.

CB Mackensie Alexander, Clemson
Among this game’s corners, no one is tougher to beat than Alexander, a next-level pass defender. He’s yet to allow a touchdown pass, often deterring quarterbacks from even looking at his sector of the field.

S Eddie Jackson, Alabama
Jackson’s switch from corner to safety couldn’t have gone much better this season. While not a thumper, his coverage skills and instincts in pass defense have been instrumental for the Bama secondary.

S Jayron Kearse, Clemson
At 6-5 and 220 pounds, Kearse is an imposing figure who matches up well in coverage with longer receivers. Not shy about supporting the run, he’s fourth on the team with 84 tackles.

CB Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson
It’s a close call with Bama’s Marlon Humphrey and Cyrus Jones. However, Tankersley has shown very well this year considering he was targeted often as the guy on the opposite side of Alexander.

2016 College Football Playoff All-Alabama/Clemson Special Teams

PK Greg Huegel, Clemson
Huegel really bailed out the special teams unit in 2015 after Ammon Lakip was suspended. The unassuming walk-on has hit 25-of-29 field goal attempts, though he lacks the range of Bama’s Adam Griffith.

P JK Scott, Alabama
Scott wasn’t nearly as effective as his freshman year, struggling early on in 2015. But he’s rebounded, and he has the booming leg to bury the Clemson offense and support his own defensive teammates on D.

RS Cyrus Jones, Alabama
Jones is a game-changer for the Crimson Tide special teams. He’s taken back four punts for touchdowns, which is two more than any other player in the FBS.

2016 College Football Playoff All-Alabama/Clemson Second Team

Offense

QB Jacob Coker, Alabama

RB Wayne Gallman, Clemson

WR Richard Mullaney, Alabama

WR Hunter Renfrow, Clemson
WR ArDarius Stewart, Alabama

TE O.J. Howard, Alabama

LT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson

LG Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
C Jay Guillermo, Clemson
RG Tyrone Crowder, Clemson
RT Joe Gore, Clemson

Defense

DL Kevin Dodd, Clemson
DL D.J. Reader, Clemson
DL Carlos Watkins, Clemson
DL Christian Wilkins, Clemson

LB Ryan Anderson, Alabama

LB Reuben Foster, Alabama

LB Tim Williams, Alabama

CB Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
S T.J. Green, Clemson
S Geno Matias-Smith , Alabama
CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama

Special Teams

PK Adam Griffith, Alabama
P Andy Teasdall, Clemson

RS Artavis Scott, Clemson