With the 2016 NFL Draft now in the books, NFL.com scout Daniel Jeremiah has already begun to take a glance at the top prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft. Of course finding difference makers on the defensive line has become one of the major priorities for every successful NFL franchise. With that in mind, many talent evaluators will be watching Alabama senior Jonathan Allen closely this fall.

In his latest NFL.com First Look series, Jeremiah notes Allen’s ‘outstanding combination of hand quickness, awareness and strength’ after viewing him twice in person and watching game tape of three games last season: Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Clemson.

An interesting nugget from the article includes Jeremiah’s belief that the ‘marquee matchup’ of Week 1 will be Alabama’s game against USC in Cowboy Stadium. Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about the game:

Alabama will square off against USC in what I consider the marquee matchup of college football’s opening weekend. While both teams will be breaking in new signal-callers, there is plenty of NFL-caliber talent on both sides of the ball for each team. Allen will be going up against a veteran offensive line, including mammoth offensive tackle Zach Banner. This will likely be the biggest offensive line Alabama will face this fall. I can’t wait to see how Allen performs against both the run and the pass. This will be a must-see game for NFL evaluators.

If Allen and his Alabama teammates have their way with the Trojans to open the season in a game NFL evaluators are labeling the best opening weekend game, it sets up the Tide for another fantastic season.

After passing up an early opportunity to play in the NFL, a big season should boost Allen’s stock all the way up the upcoming draft board. If that happens, you can expect to see Jeremiah breaking down the big lineman’s film on the NFL Network next offseason in the lead up to the the 2017 draft.