Nick Saban brought a lot of changes to Tuscaloosa. The first and most obvious is the winning culture that Alabama hadn’t seen since the early 1990s.

Another change was recruiting. Since Saban’s arrival, Alabama has finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in seven of the past eight seasons. That level of dominance is unheard of in today’s college football.

One position that has seen the biggest benefit from the elite recruiting is linebacker, especially at inside linebacker. There has been a high level of success with turning 4- and 5-star linebackers into successful NFL Draft prospects.

Here’s a list of Alabama’s off-ball linebackers who have been drafted under Saban:

  • Rashaan Evans (2018: Round 1)
  • Shaun Dion Hamilton (2018: Round 6)
  • Reuben Foster (2017: Round 1)
  • Reggie Ragland (2015: Round 2)
  • C.J. Mosley (2014: Round 1)
  • Nico Johnson (2013: Round 4)
  • Dont’a Hightower (2012: Round 1)
  • Rolando McClain (2010: Round 1)

Two of those players (Evans and Hamilton) haven’t had a chance to showcase their skill set in a regular season NFL game yet. The other six players have, however, and the results have been positive.

So, who is next in line to emerge as a premium NFL talent? The answer is a little bit different than it has been in recent years.

Alabama actually has two inside linebackers who have a chance of becoming a future first-round draft pick. Ironically, both were ranked as the No. 2 OLB prospect in their respective recruiting classes.

The oldest of the duo is Mack Wilson, a rising junior who led the Crimson Tide in interceptions (4) in 2017 despite missing three games with a foot injury. The 6-2, 239-pound head-hunter only has 48 tackles in two seasons in Tuscaloosa. But he has shown flashes of being a potential force on the inside of Alabama’s defense.

The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard had Wilson going as high as No. 8 overall to the Washington Redskins in his latest 2019 mock draft.

As much potential as Wilson has shown, his running mate could end up being better.

Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Dylan Moses showed off versatility in his first season on campus. Like his predecessor Rashaan Evans, Moses can make an impact from multiple spots in the front seven. That was made clear after he racked up 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while seeing regular reps as an edge rusher.

Following a knee injury to Shaun Dion Hamilton, Moses was moved to inside linebacker permanently. It took him awhile to become comfortable, but there’s certainly enough there to believe that he’ll thrive in his second season. In fact, Moses has the tools to be one of most complete linebackers in the Saban era.

Mix that with Wilson, and it’s easy to see why the two could team up to make one of the best inside linebacker duos in school history.

As good as Alabama’s inside linebackers have been, we still haven’t seen two first-round picks starting beside each other full time for the entirety of a season. Well, at least not since Rolando McClain and Dont’a Hightower in 2008.

Evans didn’t become the starter next to Reuben Foster until after Hamilton’s injury in the 2016 SEC Championship game. And C.J. Mosley split time with Nico Johnson playing next to Dont’a Hightower in 2011 and 2012.

Mack and Moses have a chance to achieve something special this season, as long as both can stay healthy.