Since Nick Saban’s arrival at Alabama, the Tide has put generational wide receiver after generational wide receiver into the NFL, even with the run-heavy offense of the first half of his tenure. Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, and Calvin Ridley had multi-year careers that spanned the entirety of 2008-2017, with the lone exception of the 2011 season.
After that, though, things changed. The 2017 recruiting class saw the arrival of Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, and Henry Ruggs III in Tuscaloosa, and the trio all went on to become first round draft picks. Following them was Jaylen Waddle, and then John Metchie and Jameson Williams in this last season.