Alabama vs Clemson: 5 players to watch in National Championship Game
By John Buhler
The Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Clemson Tigers in the 2016 College Football National Championship. Here are five players to watch in this title bout.
When the two best teams in college football in the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (14-0) and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (13-1) meet in the 2016 National Championship on Monday night in Tampa, there will be an absurd amount of high-end NFL talent on display.
There could be as many as eight players in this national title bout that could go in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Not only does America get to see a rematch of last year’s unbelievable national championship, but will get to see another bountiful harvest of elite NFL prospects.
Here are five players to keep a close watch on during the 2016 National Championship Game between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Clemson on Monday night.
Cam Robinson
Offensive Tackle, Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama junior left tackle Cameron Robinson is a great player starring at one of the most important positions in football. Robinson has been a blue-chip prospect since coming out of West Monroe High School in Louisiana in 2014. He has the skill set to be a franchise left tackle in the NFL for the next 10 years.
Robinson is elite in both run blocking and in pass protection. He’s played in a pro-style offense in Alabama, so it would be an easier time for him to get on the field as a rookie in 2017 should he declare for the draft a year early.
Robinson probably will, as this is a very weak offensive tackle draft. He’ll climb up draft boards for that very reason. His NFL prototype might be Tennessee Titans tackle Taylor Lewan. Lewan was a star at the University of Michigan before going to Tennessee in the middle of the 2014 NFL Draft. Like Lewan, Robinson plays with a mean streak and had his off-the-field issues in college.
The 2016 National Championship Game is a final test to validate Robinson’s climbing draft stock. He’ll have to go against an improving Brent Venables Clemson defense. While Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd went pro after last year’s national title bout, Clemson does have another bountiful crop of high-end pass rushers including Carlos Watkins, Austin Bryant, and Clelin Ferrell.
Should Robinson hold his own at left tackle against this next wave of Clemson’s vaunted pass rush, Robinson will be a top-10 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft as the first left tackle off the board.