Junior left tackle Jonah Williams is headed to the NFL draft.
Williams is widely projected as a first-round pick and several mock drafts place him among the top 10 selections. He could be the first offensive tackle drafted.
Other members of the Crimson Tide leaving early are tight end Irv Smith Jr., defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and running back Josh Jacobs.
Jonah Williams is a three-year starter on the offensive line who graduated in December. He started all 44 games over the last three seasons, playing right tackle as a true freshman while Cam Robinson started at the other spot. He shifted to left tackle before the 2017 season and played there for two years.
He’s among the most decorated linemen of the Nick Saban era at Alabama. Williams was a finalist for the Outland Trophy this season, given to the nation’s best lineman. He was a freshman All-American in 2016 and was second-team All-SEC. In 2017, he was named a second-team All-America by the Associated Press and was a third-team pick by the American Football Coaches Association. He didn’t allow a sack in SEC play as a sophomore.
Williams was a unanimous first-team All-American as a junior and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the SEC’s top offensive lineman. Williams hadn’t given up a sack and allowed only one pressure through the first 14 games of the 2018 season.
He could be drafted higher than any other Alabama lineman under Nick Saban. Offensive tackle Andre Smith was chosen sixth overall in the 2009 draft.
Alabama is also losing redshirt senior center Ross Pierschbacher and senior guard Lester Cotton, who have exhausted their eligibility. Right tackle Jedrick Wills and right guard Alex Leatherwood will be the only full-time starters returning to Tuscaloosa in 2019.
