Alabama (6-0) vs. Auburn (5-2)

3:30 PM ET

True story: I’ve never seen Jones play. Not a single snap. So I’ll be interested look at him in this high pressure scenario. At this stage, should he declare for the NFL Draft, he’s profiling at the back end of the first round / top of the second round. In other words, he’s profiling as someone the Bears could be considering.

Highlights.

From Mel Kiper, in a piece over at 247 Sports:

NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. appeared Saturday on SEC Nation and raved over Jones’ ability as a passer. However, the number of overall starts could be a factor within NFL circles, much like former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ one-year wonder of a season two years ago which helped him go in the opening round to Washington.

“He’s spectacular, Laura (Rutledge), you think about 78.5%, 16 touchdowns, two picks. He’s got all of that talent around him, yes he does,” Kiper said. “But Jaylen Waddle is now hurt. He’s without that great receiver opposite DeVonta Smith. I think his deep-ball accuracy is phenomenal, his poise, his confidence right now directing that Alabama offense.

“Now, six-career starts this year, four last year, 10 total. You want that number higher than that. He’s going to end up with 16 after this year is over. Remember Mitchell Trubisky, 13, Mark Sanchez 16? That’s the issue. Career starts only around 16, will he go back to Alabama to try to get more of those, more experience? We’ll see.”

Several quarterbacks are expected to be selected ahead of Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft if he comes out as a junior, according to most mocks. But Jones is gaining ground, Kiper notes.

“Now he’s in that Top 25 in terms of the big board,” Kiper said. “Sixteen career starts is going to be something people will factor in , but if he keeps lighting it up, he’s right around 80% right now.

“If he keeps putting up the numbers he has been putting up, I think he’s in the late-first round discussion. Maybe a little higher than that.”

The Bears don’t pick until the third round. So spending time on the top prospects in next year’s NFL draft is a useless endeavor. Instead, over the next three months of Saturdays, this space will focus on prospects further down the line.

Donovan Wilson, S, Texas A&M

at (1) Alabama

3:30 PM ET, CBS

Video

In the News

You should read the entirety of Brent Zwerneman’s piece on Wilson in the Houston Chronicle. It is the profile of a kid who does and says the right things. Here’s an excerpt: 

Despite the injury, Wilson could have put his name in for the NFL draft as one of the Aggies’ top prospects, but instead he petitioned the NCAA for a medical redshirt, which he received.

“I felt like I had more work to do,” Wilson said. “I wasn’t finished yet. I didn’t get to play my senior year, and I had lot more to prove.”

Wilson already had proven plenty at A&M over his first few seasons, in leading the defense with five interceptions as a sophomore in 2015. He combined for 122 tackles over his sophomore and junior seasons, and now he’ll get another shot at a senior year under a new coaching staff.

“I’m just trusting the plan,” he said of playing a final season for coach Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Mike Elko. “I feel like everything happens for a reason.”

Notes

• The Bears are now unlikely to sign Adrian Amos to a long-term deal due to Mack and Goldman receiving their money. And if Amos’ people insist on his being paid like one of the league’s best safeties, the Bears shouldn’t even consider it. Wilson will be available in the mid-rounds and Pace has had success there.
• This Alabama team has the potential to be one of the best in college football history. Every NFL talent evaluator will put more weight in a prospect’s play against this group because there might be legitimately a dozen NFL starters on Nick Saban’s roster.
• Wilson would have been selected in the 2018 draft if he didn’t suffer an injury in last season’s opener.

Player: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

Game: at Auburn (#6), 2:30 PM CT

Touchdown!

What They’re Saying

Albert Breer talks to a lot of scouts and projects Ridley 16th to the Baltimore Ravens. His explanation:

Baltimore’s still chasing some of its mistakes at receiver, so they take a guy who’s a pretty sure thing from a program they know well.

From Charlie Campbell at Walter Football:

In surveying sources from five teams, the most common name that came up as the top receiver was Ridley. The talented junior gets a lot of praise for his route-running, quickness, and generally having good hands. Ridley has 41 catches for 523 yards with two touchdowns on the season, but his production is held back by Alabama featuring its ground attack while using a running quarterback with passing limitations. Though Ridley is the top consensus wide out, he doesn’t come without some concerns as multiple sources say independently that his thin frame worries them for the NFL. He is listed at 190 pounds, but team sources say that he has weighed-in in the 180s. With that being one factor, some scouts have said they are grading Ridley as a late first-rounder. He could end up going high out of team need at his premium position, however.

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