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Nick Saban’s NFL Draft Advice: It’s ‘All About Value’
Nick Saban has a straightforward outlook on the NFL Draft. Players thinking about going early, need to understand their value.
April 7, 2016
Nick Saban has a straightforward outlook on the NFL Draft. Players thinking about going early, need to understand their value.
When Alabama head coach Nick Saban sits down with one of his players thinking of entering the NFL Draft early, he has them consider one thing: their value.
Since arriving at Alabama in 2007, Saban has had 48 Crimson Tide players drafted, 20 of whom were early entrants.
“We’ve only had two guys here that went out for the draft early out of 20 that I disagreed with their decision based on their value,” Saban said.
Of the players who decided to stay and improve their draft status, Saban spoke proudly.
“We’ve had six or seven guys that had second or third round grades that became first round draft picks, in some cases top 15 picks, and made a significant amount more money because they created a lot more value for themselves by coming back to school,” Saban said.
One of those players is defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who came back for his senior season in 2015 after considering entering the draft.
“He (Reed) had a third or fourth round grade a year ago,” Saban said. “Now they are talking about him having the potential to be a first round pick. You know how much value that is? You know what I mean by value? It’s a lot.”
On the decision of some players to leave early in order to support their family, Saban remained firm that they would be better off coming back if their draft grade could be improved with an extra year of experience.
“If you are going to get draft in a position where you don’t have a very good chance to make the team and you could have created more value by staying in school, you should stay in school,” Saban said. “You’ve got a better chance to support your family next year when you become a third round pick rather than be a fifth or sixth or seventh round guy that has very little chance to make the team.”
