Seahawks Draft Targets: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer on his top prospects

As is the case every year, the Alabama Crimson Tide have a handful of players who will hear their names called in the NFL Draft.

And several of those players could be fits for the Seattle Seahawks.

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To get some more insight on a few of those players, co-hosts Brock Huard and Mike Salk welcomed Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer onto the airwaves Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. DeBoer, of course, is the former UW Huskies head coach who guided the Dawgs to the national championship game during his two-year stint on Montlake before taking the Alabama job in January 2024.

Here are some highlights from what DeBoer said about several of Alabama’s top prospects.

G Tyler Booker

The powerful 6-foot-5, 321-pound Booker is ranked by ESPN as the top guard in the draft. He could be an option for the Seahawks, who have a glaring need to improve their guard spots. In their most recent mock drafts, ESPN’s Matt Miller has Booker going at No. 35 overall, while ESPN’s Field Yates has him at No. 47. Seattle currently holds the No. 18, 50 and 52 picks.

“This guy is one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” DeBoer said. “And he can do it because he puts the work in, so there’s no hypocritical piece to it when he’s asking for everything out of the people around him. He has a mindset that you absolutely would love. … He plays to and sometimes through the whistle, and his effort and energy is contagious throughout not just (the) offensive line, but the entire team.”

Huard then asked if Booker has the type of agility and athleticism to play in new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme, which will feature a strong dose of outside zone blocking.

“Yeah, I think so,” DeBoer said. “He showed growth last year, and I think that he’s still got his best football ahead of him, and I think he’s a guy that can really adapt. He will pour everything into it. And I understand if there’s limitations a person has, it doesn’t matter how much you put into it, so you’ve got to find the right fit.

“But I really do think he’s got that mobility. He’s got that flex and bend that you’re looking for. So I think he’s a top-tier guy in the draft.”

LB Jihaad Campbell

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Campbell is widely regarded as the top linebacker in this year’s class and could be a first-round option for the Seahawks at No. 18. ESPN’s Miller has Campbell going at No. 15 overall, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him at No. 32.

Campbell played both as an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher at Alabama, where he filled the stat sheet this past season with 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He then shined at the NFL combine, tying for the third-fastest 40-yard dash among linebacker and the second-best broad jump.

Related: Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Alabama’s ‘Swiss Army knife’ LB

DeBoer said he thinks Campbell can continue to move around and showcase his versatility at the NFL level.

“I think there’s a combination of inside and outside, very much like we used him,” DeBoer said. “… He’s got more room to grow as an inside backer, but he’s got elite traits. He runs to the football and he’s got instincts. He can go sideline to sideline. He’s an inside guy that can come off the edge, and that’s what we did with packages, especially on third down where we just wanted to cut him loose.

“And Jihaad’s fun to be around, gonna be an extremely hard worker and is going to soak up everything that comes his way as people try to figure out that exact role for him,” DeBoer added. “He’s an elite performer, a playmaker (and) he finishes plays. … He beats you and then makes the tackle or makes the sack.”

GIMME Dat!!!@RealJihaadC ➡️ @Timothy_smith77

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/bSlWCjQUmV

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 10, 2024

QB Jalen Milroe

Milroe, ranked by ESPN as the fifth-best quarterback in this year’s class, might be the most polarizing player in the entire draft.

With big-time speed and a powerful 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame, Milroe has explosive athleticism as a runner. But while he has NFL-level arm strength, he has struggled at times as a passer and needs to make considerable improvements in his accuracy and decision-making.

Related: Bump’s Take: 2 draft QBs reported to visit Seahawks

ESPN’s Kiper and Miller both have Milroe being selected in the third round. Wherever he ends up, it will likely be as a developmental project. The Seahawks reportedly were one of the teams that hosted him for a pre-draft visit.

DeBoer raved about Milroe’s talent as a runner and is confident in his ability to improve as a passer.

“When it comes off his hand, it comes off with some spin,” DeBoer said. “It comes off hot. He can throw the ball down the field. Two years ago, he had a really good season throwing the ball vertically down the field and one of the higher completion percentages. I think there is growth for him in just overall pass concepts, reads and things like that. But the guy pours everything into it. It’s just a matter of being comfortable.

“Jalen has a superpower and that’s running the football,” he added. “But he also I think has the capability of being a strong passer as well.”

.@JalenMilroe can do it all at the QB position 😤

(by @FedEx) pic.twitter.com/Z5nggkyPlr

— NFL (@NFL) April 9, 2025

S Malachi Moore

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Moore is a later-round prospect. He’s ranked by ESPN as the 16th-best safety in the draft and is projected as a fifth-round pick by ESPN’s Miller.

Moore started 46 career games for Alabama and has the versatility to play multiple safety spots. He totaled seven interceptions, 25 pass breakups, 16 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles over his five-year college career.

“This guy’s got passion, he’s got fire,” DeBoer said. “He’s played a lot of football here at Alabama, played it for a couple different coordinators on the defensive side, and did it extremely well. He’s smart, intelligent. He tested out very well. … And he played through some some dings this last season and still performed.

“He was one of the guys that was the heartbeat that really kept the whole thing together and allowed us to improve as the season’s going along. He plays with passion on gameday, but he practices that way as well. And so he just loves ball and everything that comes with it.”

Listen to the full conversation with Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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