Nick Saban doesn’t like comparisons.

The Alabama coach makes that clear time and time again. Still, he managed to offer up one about a former Alabama star.

Saban had a unique comparison for former Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley, who could end up being the first receiver selected in the NFL draft on Thursday.

“Maybe some people don’t remember Drew Hill that we had with the Houston Oilers way back when I coached there,” Saban said during an interview on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’. “(Ridley’s) great coming out of a break. Can really drop his weight and separate out of a break. I know some people look at his size and say, well, we like bigger guys and all that. But this guy’s really a hard-working, very dependable receiver. Great hands. Hard to cover in man-to-man.

“And he’ll make critical catches in critical situations for you in a game. And I think his speed and quickness is pretty unique, so I think he’s going to be an outstanding player.”

The 6-1 Ridley certainly has more size than Hill, who was 5-9 but finished his career with 9,831 receiving yards in 14 NFL seasons. Certainly Ridley wouldn’t mind following in Hill’s prolific footsteps.

Here’s the entire video via SC Live (the Ridley quote is at the 2-minute mark):