Alabama Football’s Dickerson, Barmore Selected on Day Two of 2021 NFL Draft

1/5/21 MFB Practice Practice
Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore (58)
Photo by Kent Gidley

The Crimson Tide’s eight draft picks through the first two rounds is a new program record

CLEVELAND – Night two of the 2021 NFL Draft saw two former Alabama football players selected in back-to-back picks of the second round.

Offensive lineman Landon Dickerson was the first Crimson Tide player off the board on night two of the draft (No. 37, Philadelphia Eagles), while defensive lineman Christian Barmore was selected with the next pick (No. 38, New England Patriots).

Dickerson and Barmore joined the Tide’s six record-setting first-round picks – Jaylen Waddle (No. 6, Miami Dolphins), Patrick Surtain II (No. 9, Denver Broncos), DeVonta Smith (No. 10, Philadelphia Eagles), Mac Jones (No. 15, New England Patriots), Alex Leatherwood (No. 17, Las Vegas Raiders) and Najee Harris (No. 24, Pittsburgh Steelers) – to make up Alabama’s 2021 NFL Draft class through two nights.

Draft Notes

• A total of 21 percent of the first 38 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft were former Crimson Tide players.
• Alabama head coach Nick Saban has produced 104 draft picks since 2009.
• Alabama’s eight draft picks through the first two rounds is one more than the Tide’s entire 2020 Draft class.
  • The eight selections set the record for the most first- and second-round draft picks in a single draft in program history.
  • The eight selections set the record for the most first- and second-round draft picks in a single draft by any one school in the Common Draft Era (since 1967).
• The Crimson Tide has increased or tied their number of first- and second-round draft picks in a single draft each of the last four years (four in 2018, four in 2019, seven in 2020 and eight in 2021).
• Two franchises selected back-to-back Crimson Tide players as their first- and second-round draft picks.
  • The Philadelphia Eagles selected DeVonta Smith in the first round and Landon Dickerson in the second round, while the New England Patriots selected Mac Jones in the first round and Christian Barmore in the second round.
  • The Eagles didn’t draft a single Alabama player from 2003-20 but have drafted two Alabama players through the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
  • With the Patriots’ selection of Barmore, it became the 12th time Bill Belichick drafted a player that played under Nick Saban in college, extending the record for the most players taken by a pro-college coach combo in the Common Draft Era.
  • The New England Patriots have drafted back-to-back players from the same school six times since 2000 (2002, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021), but the 2021 NFL Draft marked the first time the franchise has selected back-to-back UA players.
• Barmore became the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft from Alabama’s Class of 2018, behind Jaylen Waddle (No. 6, Miami Dolphins) and Patrick Surtain II (No. 9, Denver Broncos).
• Alabama tied Miami for most first-round draft picks in a single year with six selections on Thursday, April 29.

The 2021 NFL Draft will conclude with the final four rounds on Saturday, May 1 at 11 a.m. CT. Fans can tune in on ABC, NFL Network, ESPN and ESPN Deportes or on the NFL Mobile app and the ESPN app.

Alabama Draft Recap

Landon Dickerson, Offensive Lineman (No. 37 | Philadelphia Eagles)

A versatile offensive lineman, Dickerson made 24 starts at Alabama, including 20 at center. He spent his second straight season as the Crimson Tide’s starting center last fall, dominating the interior and leading UA to the best scoring offense (48.5 ppg) and pass efficiency offense (198.9) in the Power 5. He was named one of Alabama’s permanent team captains in 2020 and touted as the nation’s top center after being selected as the winner of the 2020 Rimington Trophy. Dickerson was named a co-recipient for the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy, joining teammate Alex Leatherwood, and was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, which was awarded to Leatherwood. The unanimous first team All-America selection owned the best blocking center grade in the country (92.8) and the second-best overall offensive grade in the nation (91.5), according to Pro Football Focus. He averaged a 91.3 blocking grade from the Alabama coaches and finished at 99.6 on all assignments in his final season. Dickerson’s standout efforts helped UA’s offensive line take home the 2020 Joe Moore Award.

Christian Barmore, Defensive Lineman (No. 38 | New England Patriots)

A two-year standout along the Tide defensive front, Barmore blew up in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Ohio State, earning Defensive Most Valuable Player honors. In that matchup with the Buckeyes, the Philadelphia, Pa., native finished with five tackles, including two for loss (-8 yards) and one sack (-6 yards). Barmore’s performance in the national championship topped off an already impressive season that saw him finish with 37 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss (-44 yards) and a team-high eight sacks (-42 yards), which ranked as the second-most sacks in the league. The then-redshirt sophomore added six quarterback pressures and forced a team-high three fumbles in his final season in Crimson and White. Barmore ended his Tide career with 24 games played and six starts, totaling 63 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss (-70 yards) to go with 10 sacks (-54 yard).