NFL Draft: Five Bowl Games with the most NFL Talent

3. The Peach Bowl: Alabama vs Washington (Dec. 31st)

On Saturday two of the top-four teams in the nation square off in the first round of the college playoff.

The Peach Bowl hosts the returning CFB champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and an emerging Washington Husky team. This should be a great game to watch if you’re a college football fan, but it will have an added layer of interest if you’re a fan of the NFL Draft.

Both teams are stocked with potential NFL talent. There will be 18 potential pro prospects in this game to pay attention to.

Alabama

Every year there’s a handful of early-round draft prospects on the Crimson Tide roster, and this year may be one of the better groups in recent memory.

Versatile defensive playmaker Jonathan Allen is the clear-cut top interior defensive lineman in the upcoming draft class, and his ability to be disruptive at the line of scrimmage will make several teams eager to pull the trigger come draft day. He should go somewhere in the first ten picks of the first round, even as early as third overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, linebackers Reuben Foster, Tim Williams, and Ryan Anderson are also excellent players. Foster is a mid-first rounder and the top inside linebacker of the class. He’s a special player that can do it all at the position.

Williams and Anderson are explosive 3-4 outside linebackers who generate constant pressure off the edge. Williams is an elite athlete and should be off the board in the first 20 picks. Anderson plays hard, but he isn’t quite the athlete as his counterpart. Anderson should go somewhere on Day 2 of the draft and be a solid starter at the next level.

Marlon Humphrey is arguably the most gifted cornerback in a very deep defensive back class, and safety Eddie Jackson is a mid-rounder with some playmaking ability. Defensive tackles D’Shawn Hand and Dalvin Tomlinson are probably Day 3 picks if they declare for the NFL.

Despite all the talent on defense, Alabama’s offense also has their fair share of NFL prospects. Left tackle Cam Robinson could be the first offensive lineman off the board this April. Wide receiver Gehrig Dieter is probably a late-rounder. O.J. Howard is a top-20 prospect and the most complete tight end in the draft. He’s also a rare athlete at the position.

Washington

The Alabama players will get a lot of the attention from the draft community this weekend, but it would be a mistake to overlook the talent on the Huskies roster.

Wide receiver John Ross, cornerback Sidney Jones, and defensive tackle Vita Vea could all go in the first round this spring. Ross is a dynamic receiver with playmaking potential. He’s hands down the most electric player on Washington’s offense. The only other 2017 offensive prospect is tight end Darrell Daniels, who is most likely a late-rounder.

Jones is a talented corner with lockdown ability. He’s also a smooth athlete with good ball skills. Vea is arguably the top nose tackle in the draft class, but he also has some interior pass rush ability.

Vea’s teammate Elijah Qualls is another defensive tackle who could declare early and get selected in the first three rounds. Like Vea, Qualls is a big run stopper with good quickness and disruptive ability at the line of scrimmage.

Inside linebacker Azeem Victor is a fun player to watch, but he’s out the rest of the year with a leg injury. This may cause him to return to school for another year. Outside linebacker and team sack leader Joe Mathis is also sidelined with a foot injury. Despite the injury, the senior linebacker could be a mid-round pick this April.

Jones is a marque defensive back, but he’s far from the only top-end prospect in the Huskies secondary. Free safety Budda Baker is a hard-hitting downhill player, who can also make plays in coverage. He’s a top-five safety prospect with a second-round grade.

Cornerback Kevin King has rare size and athleticism for a defensive back and could go as well on Day 2 of the draft.