Nick Saban: First round of NFL Draft was a 'perfect storm' of offensive talent

If you were a high-value defender, surely you spent the opening night of the NFL Draft all sorts of anxious. There were quarterbacks everywhere. And they brought along their receivers and all those huge linemen.

In fact, it was a historical evening for everything offense in the first round of the NFL Draft. But Nick Saban, the legendary Alabama coach turned ESPN analyst, says there’s a reason for all the offense.

“I just think it was really … just a perfect storm,” Saban said. “The three primary positions on offense, which is offensive line, quarterback and wide receiver, were all loaded this year. And those are those are primary positions. So I don’t think it’s really an indictment on the defensive players. But I do think that people need quarterbacks people need to protect a quarterback and people need to give the quarterback weapons and I think that’s what you saw happening,” Thursday night.

First there was Caleb Williams in his custom-made Navy suit. The first pick of the NFL Draft walked quickly down the stage, screaming his delight at being the selected by the Bears at No. 1. Then followed Jayden Daniels, in crisp light blue, followed by Drake Maye in corporate Carolina.

The offensive players kept coming. There was a wave of receivers, from Marvin Harrison Jr to Malik Nabers to Rome Odunze. Washington quarterback Michael Penix was sitting back with his family, when the Atlanta Falcons made the shocking pick at No. 8. Penix going so early only made the NFL teams want to draft more offensive players. J.J. McCarthy went off the board at 10, thanks to a trade, then the Broncos secured Oregon’s Bo Nix.

And there were so many offensive linemen.

Here are the cold, hard, offensive NFL Draft facts from Thursday night. Sorry defensive players. Sorry Nick Saban and all the other defensive-minded coaches across the country. Of the 32 players selected Thursday night, 23 of them were on the offensive side of the ball. The first 14 picks Thursday were offensive players.

The Colts finally broke the offensive streak by selecting UCLA’s ferocious pass rusher Laiatu Latu. He went 15. Can you imagine? What in the name of Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll and yes, Nick Saban, were these NFL teams doing during the first round?

The previous record for offensive first rounders was 19. That has happened three times, the last time in 2009.

That meant there were only nine defenders. Meanwhile, the six quarterbacks selected tied the record from 1983. There were eight offensive tackles taken, which tied the NFL first-round record established in 2008. And the seven receivers also tied a first-round best last seen in 2004.

And to stick it to the defenders even more, the final two picks of the first round were wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette.

Saban threw in some gallow’s humor at the end of his evening as part of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage.

“Well, first of all, I’d like to answer a question for you,” Saban volunteered. “This is the real reason I retired. If they’re going to pick 23 guys in the first round on offense, I think it’s time for a defensive guy to go.”