# Could Alabama beat the worst team in the NFL? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 9, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860 "2018-12-09T19:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/41 "2018-12-15T20:52:47Z")
> [@Clawdio](#): > > Late to the game but: > An NFL team would destroy Alabama, it would not be competitive. > > Even if we took the current Alabama roster and put them in a time chamber to give the 18-22 year olds five years of weight lifting, body maturing, practice time… they’d still get beat because as others have pointed out, the vast majority of the team will never be good enough to play in the NFL anyway. Looking at the whole roster, that is likely true. However, take the starting 22 of Alabama and I bet the majority play in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/42 "2018-12-15T23:45:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’d like to see this be a regular exhibition game annually - worst NFL team vs. NCAAF champs. But there’d be no meaningful incentive for either side to risk their health this way, except maybe some promise of big money involved. It would also be kind of embarrasing to the NFL team. I’m sure the worst team realizes they are a bad team, but such an exhibition game sounds like making the players publicly wear a dunce cap. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/43 "2018-12-16T04:23:24Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > It would also be kind of embarrasing to the NFL team. I’m sure the worst team realizes they are a bad team, but such an exhibition game sounds like making the players publicly wear a dunce cap. True, good point. But back on the OP topic, wonder how many players would have to be removed from the NFL team to even the odds. Maybe 9 NFLers vs. 11 college players makes it exactly even? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/44 "2018-12-16T10:53:20Z")
I always wondered what would happen if you had the worst NFL team take on the best NCAA team but make it so it’s flag football rules and you heavily penalize excessive force. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/45 "2018-12-16T15:22:08Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I always wondered what would happen if you had the worst NFL team take on the best NCAA team but make it so it’s flag football rules and you heavily penalize excessive force. They are still much bigger and much faster and have more experience. It would be a blow out. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/46 "2018-12-16T15:42:33Z")
> [@Anglachel](#): > > Looking at the whole roster, that is likely true. However, take the starting 22 of Alabama and I bet the majority play in the NFL. Last year 12 Alabama players were drafted and that was a record. I relize a few people make the NFL undrafted, but I suspect more drafted players never play an NFL game. > **[Alabama Football Finishes with a Record 12 Players Selected in 2018 NFL Draft...](https://rolltide.com/news/2018/4/28/alabama-football-finishes-with-a-record-12-players-selected-in-2018-nfl-draft.aspx)** > > University of Alabama defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand , defensive back Anthony Averett , punter JK Scott , linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton , cent... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860/47 "2018-12-16T19:25:27Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Last year 12 Alabama players were drafted and that was a record. I relize a few people make the NFL undrafted, but I suspect more drafted players never play an NFL game. > > [Alabama Football Finishes with a Record 12 Players Selected in 2018 NFL Draft - Alabama Athletics](https://rolltide.com/news/2018/4/28/alabama-football-finishes-with-a-record-12-players-selected-in-2018-nfl-draft.aspx) In the case of those Alabama players, ten out of the 12 made NFL rosters, which is a pretty good hit rate; only the two drafted in the seventh round failed to stick (and even those two are currently on practice squads). But, even then, of those 12 draftees, seven were drafted in round 4 or later, and players who get drafted that late often wind up as reserves, if they do make a roster at all (and that looks to be the case with most of these players). So, what we wind up with here was a half-dozen or so seniors\* from that Alabama team who were good enough to start in the NFL as rookies (and I’m including their punter there, who is now the Packers’ punter). To that, we could likely add a few underclassmen who are probably good enough to play (possibly even start) in the NFL without more seasoning in college. - - not every player who enters the draft is a senior, I recognize, but that’s usually the case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-beat-the-worst-team-in-the-nfl/825860.md?page=2)