Alabama never needed Jonathan Taylor. Never needed the PR hit when they signed him. Never needed the nightmare of what followed. But most perplexing of all, it never needed him on defense.
Coaches are never going to turn down talent. In that matter, Nick Saban was no different than a handful of others who pursued Taylor, including a few SEC West rivals. He looked at Taylor’s 6-foot-4, 335-pound frame and saw a capable nose guard, someone who could plug the A-gap and stuff the run. He saw someone he could put to use.
But of all the positions on the field, Alabama needed help on the defensive line the least. It’s, by Saban’s own admission, “The strength of our team.” That was said on Friday, less than 24 hours after word came down that Taylor was officially no longer a student at Alabama and could not apply for re-enrollment.
Even without the divisive junior college transfer, the Crimson Tide boast one of the most promising defensive lines in the country and quite possibly one of the most talented groups amassed during Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa. There are future pros galore, both at end and tackle. And there’s loads of experience, with all but one member of the two-deep depth chart back from last season, when they helped Alabama lead the SEC in rush defense and percent of plays for zero or negative yards.
The star of the group, if you had to choose one, is A'Shawn Robinson, a bearded menace whether he’s lining up inside or out. When news broke on Monday that the 6-foot-4, 312-pound junior sustained an injury during practice, Twitter blew up with apocalyptic cries. It would have been better to cancel the rest of spring practice than lose the sure-fire preseason all-American.
Thankfully for both Robinson and Alabama’s hopes of winning the SEC title again this season, there was no damage done to his knee. It was a minor blow to his ankle that will take a few weeks to heal, according to a source that indicated reports of him being carted off the field were incorrect; he walked off with the help of a trainer.
But even had Robinson gone down for a substantial period of time, Alabama could have made do. We would have stopped projecting their D-line as being one of the best in the country, but it certainly would have remained in the top third of the SEC.
That’s because Robinson’s sidekick in the trenches, Jarran Reed, is just as talented. There were times last season when the former juco transfer played better than Robinson, prompting him to consider an early exit for the NFL. He decided to return after finishing sixth on the team in tackles -- ahead of Robinson.
Beyond Reed and Robinson is a veteran group of pass-rushers that includes Jonathan Allen, D.J. Pettway and Dalvin Tomlinson. Tim Williams, a pass-rush specialist that plays some outside linebacker as well, is said to be capable of leading the country in sacks, according to middle linebacker Reggie Ragland, who explained, “That’s how fast and physical he is.”
And if that’s not enough, don’t forget about former five-star prospect Da'Shawn Hand, who saw the field in nine games as a true freshman last season.
“He’s bigger and stronger than he was a year ago,” Saban said of Hand, who is already 6-foot-4, 273 pounds and runs a sub-5.0 second 40-yard dash. “... He’s a lot more confident in what he's supposed to do. He's playing a lot faster, reacting a lot better, and we have every confidence that he'll be a very good player for us next year.”
If Hand comes into his own as a sophomore, watch out.
Even if Alabama's defensive line is one man down from when they started camp, it's far from out. If anything, it's leading the pack.