The final NFL Draft class for departed Alabama head coach Nick Saban yielded ten picks, bringing his total number of players taken in 17 seasons in command of the Crimson Tide to 133, the most of any college football school at the time. The Alabama dynasty under Saban is well-known for producing NFL-caliber talent, but Georgia head coach Kirby Smart continues to outperform his mentor in the NFL Draft.
Eight Bulldogs were chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft, giving Smart a total of 63 players picked over his first eight seasons at Georgia. In comparison, Saban had 48 players drafted during his first eight years at Alabama.
No college football coach has generated more first-round picks in the NFL Draft than Saban, who has 52 when combined his prior stints at LSU (2000-04) and Michigan State (1995-99). Saban finished with 47 first-round picks at Alabama, including three in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Smart has a long way to go to match Saban’s record, but he is right on track, with 17 first-round picks produced at Georgia. Saban had the same number for his first eight years as Alabama’s head coach.
Last Thursday, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and offensive tackle Amarius Mims were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide had three first-round picks in Saban’s final draft class: offensive tackle JC Latham (No. 7 overall to the Tennessee Titans), edge rusher Dallas Turner (No. 17 overall to the Minnesota Vikings), and cornerback Terrion Arnold (No. 24 overall to the Detroit Lions).
Alabama had at least ten players drafted for the fifth time in eight years. Saban surpassed former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne for the third-most players picked by a college football head coach, after only Joe Paterno (Penn State) and Bobby Bowden (Florida State). However, all three of those coaches benefited from an NFL Draft that had more than seven rounds until 1997, when the present format was implemented.
Longevity will be critical if Smart is to emulate Saban’s success in the NFL Draft during his renowned 28-year stint as a college football head coach. With Saban being retiring, Smart is regarded as the top coach in the SEC and nationwide.
“First and foremost, I don’t want to be seen as the face of college football, because I don’t think that’s the case,” Smart said on Late Kick with Josh Pate in March. “I believe Nick was and will continue to be a voice that people should listen to.” First and foremost, he is incredibly brilliant. He’s intelligent. He knows all of the issues we face as head coaches, and he wants the best for the players.
“I mean, I worked for the guy and know that that’s what he really wants for the players,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a spot that can be inherited or given to anyone. You earned it. He gained it over time. I’m not where he was, but I believe I accept the idea that I want to improve the game.”
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