Alabama fielded one of the SEC’s best pass defenses in 2016. The Tide led the conference in interceptions (16) and sacks (54) while also holding quarterbacks to the second-worst QB rating (106.47) — trailing only Florida (92.86).

The secondary was littered with NFL talent. CB Marlon Humphrey was drafted No. 16 overall by the Baltimore Ravens, S Eddie Jackson was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago Bears, and the trio of CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB Anthony Averett and S Ronnie Harrison could all see their names being called on the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Losing Humphrey and Jackson hurts, but the cupboard isn’t close to being bare — that’s what constant No. 1 recruiting classes will give you. The biggest hurdle for the Tide’s pass defense — and possibly the entire team — will be trying to replace the pass-rush production left behind from last year’s all-star crew.

So, will Alabama’s pass defense be better or worse in 2017?

Passing yards allowed per game (SEC rank): 197.9 (4)
Sacks: 54 (1)
Interceptions: 16 (T-1)

The pass rush

During the 2016 season, Alabama led the country in sacks with 54 over 15 games. It was an impressive season for the Tide’s pass rush, but players accounting for 37 of those sacks are gone.

Jonathan Allen (10.5 sacks), Tim Williams (9.0) and Ryan Anderson (9.0) were easily the most productive trio of pass-rushers that has come through Alabama during the Nick Saban era, and replacing all three will not be an easy task.

Three players are projected to lead the Alabama pass rush: Rashaan Evans, Christian Miller and Da’Shawn Hand. Those three combined for only eight sacks last season, with Evans recording half of those.

Evans will continue to move between inside and outside linebacker, so Miller will be expected to be the Tide’s primary pass-rusher. The former 4-star prospect has excellent burst and has shown the bend necessary to wreak havoc off the edge.

Expecting double-digit sacks out of Miller is a bit of a stretch, but the 6-4, 240-pound redshirt junior is more than capable of recording 7 or 8 if he can earn a three-down role as an edge rusher.

Best cover linebacker

As if needing new pass-rushers wasn’t enough, the Tide will also be looking to replace the best off-ball linebacker the school has seen during the Saban era — Reuben Foster.

Foster finished the 2016 season with 115 total tackles — including 13 for a loss and 5 sacks. The comparisons to former Ole Miss star Patrick Willis are warranted, and that is why his loss will be felt more than any other player on the defense.

Shaun Dion Hamilton, who played in 13 games last year before tearing an  ACL in the SEC Championship Game, is expected to take over as the defensive field general.

He finished with 64 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions during those 13 games. While he doesn’t have the instincts that Foster possesses, it’s clear that he can read and react at an above-average level.

Hamilton was at his best when covering running backs out of the backfield — evidenced by him staying in phase on Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson and coming down with an interception in the Iron Bowl.

Fans shouldn’t expect Hamilton to be Foster — especially coming off a torn ACL — but he is still in line to become the Tide’s next productive linebacker.

Secondary scheme

Back when Saban was working under Bill Belichick in Cleveland, he struggled stopping the Pittsburgh Steelers’ high-powered passing game. To combat it, he developed a system that allowed the defense to essentially play both man and zone coverage at the same time.

Saban’s pattern-matching defense is specifically designed to help protect the seams, which  are the most vulnerable areas against a traditional cover-3 scheme.

This system allows the secondary to be flexible. If the opposing receiver — typically the inside receiver — continues pushing the seam vertically, then the safety — or the outside linebacker in certain situations — will get in that receiver’s hip pocket and play cover-1 (man coverage) in order to protect the seam. If that receiver sits down or crosses, then it basically becomes a traditional cover-3 zone.

It’s a complicated scheme, but it’s effective. And Alabama has mastered it.

Saban prefers to play two safeties deep and have his cornerbacks rolled up playing press coverage on receivers — which makes it more difficult to run screens and short passes. That preference has sometimes caused difficult transitions for Alabama’s cornerbacks when entering the NFL — Dre Kirkpatrick being a prime example when he struggled early in his career with learning to backpedal properly — but it’s helped the Tide field a top defense annually.

Shutdown corner

Considering Humphrey was the first Alabama player to come off the board in the 2017 NFL Draft, a lot of people would assume that he was the Tide’s most impressive cornerback last season. Not necessarily.

Now you’re probably thinking about rising junior Fitzpatrick. No doubt, the former 5-star has been an absolute stud since he stepped on campus as a true freshman in 2015. But he played the last half of the season at safety. (And I believe he’ll end up back at safety this season.)

That turns our attention to redshirt senior Averett — a former 4-star prospect out of New Jersey. Averett was expected to be the weak link of the Tide’s secondary last season, but after being tested early, he quickly proved that he is a force on the back-end as well.

Averett didn’t record any interceptions last season, but he did lead the team in pass deflections with eight — Fitzpatrick and Harrison tied for second with seven. Outside of a few mishaps, the 6-0, 185-pound speedster emerged as a true shutdown corner.

If he can continue to build on his impressive season, Averett could follow Humphrey’s path and hear his name called on the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft.

One stat that must improve

Alabama’s defense was dominant last season in most statistical categories but struggled in the red zone. The Tide ranked 10th in the SEC in opponents’ scoring percentage when inside the 20-yard line — giving up a touchdown or field goal 84 percent of the time.

They did fair a little bit better in terms of red zone touchdowns given up — checking in at No. 6 with opponents scoring a touchdown 48 percent of the time. In comparison, LSU gave up a touchdown only 24.2 percent of the time.

Alabama did lead the SEC in created turnovers with 29 (16 interceptions and 13 fumbles), but it needs to do a better job of creating turnovers in the red zone if it wants to continue its dominance.

Better or worse

This is tough to say considering the amount of talent that Alabama still has on defense, but it’ll be hard for the Tide to put up the same numbers they did last year.

The pass rush is taking a huge hit with the losses of Allen, Anderson and Williams. On top of that, the secondary lost Humphrey and Jackson. And Foster won’t be there to lead the way.

That’s a lot of quality that has moved on to the NFL. If players such as Miller, Hand and Hamilton don’t step up, opposing quarterbacks such as Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham and Arkansas’ Austin Allen could have their way with the Alabama defense.

At this point, there is no other choice but to assume that it will be worse. How much worse is the million dollar question.