Who has more draftable prospects: Ole Miss' defense or Alabama's offense

By the end of Lane Kiffin’s first Ole Miss-Alabama matchup in 2020, the Crimson Tide had scored touchdowns on their nine of their 11 possessions and — out of a possible 774 yards that they were capable of accumulating — they gained 723.

It’s part of why it should have come as no surprise that while Alabama had six offensive players go in the first two rounds of the next NFL draft (including five in the first round), there wasn’t a single Ole Miss defensive player taken in any of the seven rounds of that 2021 draft.

Times have changed though as we get ready for this latest meeting between Kiffin’s Rebels and the Crimson Tide.

While there’s naturally going to be more attention paid to the matchup between Ole Miss’ offense and Alabama’s defense or to the Tide going up against former Alabama and current Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding, there’s another element of this game that’s not being talked about enough. It’s that the Rebels have gotten to a point where they’re now at a respectable level on more than just offense. The defense is quietly now very much solid and full of talent too.

In fact, as crazy as this may seem, Ole Miss has just as many projected 2024 NFL draft picks on its defense as Alabama has on its offense. That’s why this is far from some easy matchup for a Crimson Tide offense that’s had significant issues the last two weeks during Alabama’s 34-24 loss to Texas and its 17-3 victory over USF.

Based on NFL scouting source feedback shared with On3, four Alabama offensive players currently have solid draftable grades for next year’s draft — first-round offensive tackle prospect JC Latham, running back Jase McClellan, wide receiver Jermaine Burton and running back Roydell Williams. Meanwhile, center Seth McLaughlin and guard Darrian Dalcourt are both viewed as late-round or undrafted free agent type players. Junior wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks was regarded as a potential early-round prospect heading into the season but doesn’t have a catch through the Tide’s first three games.

As for Ole Miss, NFL scouting sources currently have five or so Ole Miss defensive players in position to get drafted next year, including four players that seem to have a shot to go in the first five rounds of the draft — early-round defensive end prospect Cedric Johnson, cornerback Deantre Prince, defensive lineman Jared Ivey and linebacker Khari Coleman. That doesn’t even include some younger talent for the Rebels like five-star freshman linebacker Suntarine Perkins, who ranks fifth on Ole Miss with 13 tackles.

Combining that upgrade in talent with the addition of Golding is why the Rebels feel set for a step forward defensively this season after ranking last in the SEC in scoring defense in 2020, eighth in 2021 and then ninth last season with an average of 25.5 points allowed per game.

Although Ole Miss did give up 474 yards during its 48-23 win over Georgia Tech last week, the Yellow Jackets had just 10 points and 292 yards through three quarters.

Essentially, it’s reached a point where it’s more than just the Rebels’ offense that could create challenges for Alabama on Saturday.

“Pete does a good job,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said this week. “They’ve got a good scheme. I think they’re playing a lot better on defense because of it. And they play with a lot of inspiration. And they do a good job of executing the scheme.”