Cornelius Bennett on the Pro Football Hall of Fame: ‘I’ll never give up hope’

Cornelius Bennett considers his 14 seasons in the NFL to be worthy of a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But the Hall of Fame Selection Committee has not confirmed that yet.

The former Alabama All-American linebacker has been eligible for enshrinement since the Class of 2006, but he has not been selected for enshrinement.

Jon Gruden tells why he pushed to draft Alabama players with Raiders

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden was inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame on Sunday night. The Super Bowl-winning head coach spoke with Al.com about his time with the Las Vegas Raiders and why he drafted multiple Alabama players during his tenure.

We’ve had our share of moments where the timing isn’t right. Sometimes that has a lot to do with it. But I’ll say this, in the last 20 years, Alabama’s been a lot better football team, too. I mean, let’s be honest. When that guy, what do they call him, Saban? When he came rolling through Tuscaloosa, things changed.”

Gruden added another reason why he was drawn toward drafting former members of the Crimson Tide on Sunday.

“And the style of play, the type of offense they ran, the type of defense they ran, the way that they practiced. The ability of these players really, I think, escalated.”

Several of the players that the Raiders drafted during Gruden’s time as head coach are Alex Leatherwood, Henry Ruggs III, and Josh Jacobs.

Gruden certainly seems to have an admiration for the Alabama football program, which is intriguing to see given the fact that he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2003.

Todd McShay has 4 Alabama players going in first-round of early mock draft

On Monday morning, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay released his first mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft. Four of the 32 players that he mocked as first-round picks were from Alabama.

McShay projected wide receiver Germie Bernard (No. 12 to the Seattle Seahawks), linebacker Deontae Lawson (No. 15 to the Arizona Cardinals), cornerback Domani Jackson (No. 16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers), and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (No. 23 overall to the San Francisco 49ers).

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) scores a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn ImagesOn Monday morning, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay released his first mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft. Four of the 32 players that he mocked as first-round picks were from Alabama.

McShay projected wide receiver Germie Bernard (No. 12 to the Seattle Seahawks), linebacker Deontae Lawson (No. 15 to the Arizona Cardinals), cornerback Domani Jackson (No. 16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers), and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (No. 23 overall to the San Francisco 49ers).

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Interestingly enough, three of the four Alabama players that McShay listed will be senior during the 2025 season. Bernard, Lawson, and Jackson each passed up on an opportunity to enter the 2025 NFL Draft with hopes of returning to school and upgrading their draft stock.

Proctor is entering his junior season with the Crimson Tide. The Iowa native is being projected early on to land anywhere from No. 1 overall to No. 23 overall in early mock drafts.

Alabama has had a player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in each of the last 16 drafts. That is quite the feat for one of the more historic programs in college football. It will be interesting to see if that streak continues in 2026.