Nick Saban's last crop of Alabama draft picks completed absurd history

The last Alabama draft class that Nick Saban can claim just came together in Detroit over the weekend. While guys like Dallas Turner and Terrion Arnold stole the show as first-round picks, it was kicker Will Reichard coming off the board that allowed Saban to do something impressive. With Reichard being drafted, Saban had at least one player at every position drafted while at Alabama.

Yes, this includes punters, long snappers and now field-goal kickers. Fate would have it, placekicker would be the last position group Saban needed to see get drafted to pull this off. Reichard went to the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round, joining Turner on one of the better draft classes this year. Kicker had often been a position of weakness at Alabama under Saban, one that was never really recruited.

Well, as it turns out, you can win games if you thrive in the crucial third phase of it. Reichard was nails for the Crimson Tide the last several years, rarely leaving points on the board for the Crimson Tide offense whenever he was tasked to get three, or the occasional PAT. This draft statistic is a testament to Saban's staying power in Tuscaloosa, as well as his ability to procure talent across the country.

Apparently, all it took was a kid from state power Hoover High to help Saban pull off something great.

Essentially, you need to be a coach of Saban's caliber to ever hope of pulling this wild feat off.

Nick Saban's NFL Draft history is even more impressive after this pick

What I think this draft feat signifies more than anything is that in order to have staying power at any traditional power like Alabama, you have to be willing to pivot and adapt. Saban may have cut his teeth as a defensive mind, one who initially played for the iconic Don James at Kent State in his defensive backfield. He could have won more titles just leaning on whatever he did to first win them.

Then in the mid-2010s, he pivoted. Saban opted to bring in savvy offensive minds on his coaching staff, ones who really like the spread the ball around and air it out. Whether it was Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley or Brian Daboll, all of whom are head coaches across college football or pro in Daboll's case. He didn't try to reinvent the wheel, only to fully utilize what the wheel was capable of.

Although he won his last national championship during COVID, seeing Reichard get drafted brings it all back home for Saban. His worst moment as a head coach was Kick Six vs. Auburn. He put his kicker in an impossible spot and paid the ultimate price for it. It took a decade, but Saban finally had a kicker he could trust to elevate the play of his offense in Reichard, a great draft pick of the Vikings.

For as funny as the last box needed to be checked was a drafted kicker, we are so glad it happened.