Alabama football: 5 most overrated players in program history

Saban specializes in coaching up defensive backs. He was one as a player in the early 1970s on the Kent State Golden Flashes. This is his area of expertise. Frankly, many of his best defensive-minded proteges (Kirby Smart, Jeremy Pruitt) specialize in coaching up this sector as well. No player benefited more by playing in a Saban defensive backfield than cornerback Dee Milliner.

While there have been players like Landon Collins and Minkah Fitzpatrick who were going to get their own no matter what secondary they played in, defensive backs like Milliner and Dre Kirkpatrick needed to scheme into success. As with Milliner, Kirkpatrick was a first-round pick by an AFC team. The biggest difference between the two was Milliner had no staying power.

The New York Jets used the No. 9 overall pick on Milliner in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played four years for Gang Green but hasn’t been in the league since 2016. They thought they were getting the heir apparent to Revis Island in the Big Apple. Instead, they got one of the biggest busts of the Saban era in Tuscaloosa.

Admittedly, the Jets have been pretty dysfunctional throughout their history. Then again, the greatest Jet of all time is a former Alabama quarterback by the name of Joe Namath. Let’s also not look past Milliner going to a franchise led by an excellent defensive mind in Rex Ryan. To average less than one interception per season over four NFL seasons absolutely didn’t cut it.

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