Junior linebacker Mack Wilson announced his intentions to enter the 2019 NFL draft in a post on Twitter on Saturday. He’s the seventh Alabama underclassman to leave school early this offseason.
🙏🏾 #RTR4LIFE pic.twitter.com/PcEaLGpVuy
— Mack Wilson (@iam__mw3o) January 13, 2019
That’s the most underclassmen Alabama has lost in a single draft cycle in the Nick Saban era. The Crimson Tide lost five juniors to the 2018 and 2014 NFL draft.
Wilson finished fourth on the team with 71 tackles while starting at Mike linebacker during the 2018 season. That included five tackles for loss and one sack. He also posted two interceptions and seven quarterback hurries.
The American Football Coaches’ Association named him a second-team All-American, while SEC coaches named him second-team all-conference.
Wilson played mostly on special teams as a freshman in 2016 and worked his way into a bigger role with the defense as a sophomore in 2017. He finished that year with 40 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. The 2018 campaign was his first as a full-time starter.
Wilson is the third Alabama player to make his decision after the school’s press conference on Friday, where four of his teammates announced they were going pro. Cornerback Saivion Smith announced he would leave on Saturday. Safety Deionte Thompson decided on Sunday.
The deadline for underclassmen to file paperwork to enter the draft is Monday, January 14.
