Jon Gruden tells why he pushed to draft Alabama players with Raiders

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden was inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame on Sunday night. The Super Bowl-winning head coach spoke with Al.com about his time with the Las Vegas Raiders and why he drafted multiple Alabama players during his tenure.

“We’ve had our share of moments where the timing isn’t right. Sometimes that has a lot to do with it. But I’ll say this, in the last 20 years, Alabama’s been a lot better football team, too. I mean, let’s be honest. When that guy, what do they call him, Saban? When he came rolling through Tuscaloosa, things changed.”

Gruden added another reason why he was drawn toward drafting former members of the Crimson Tide on Sunday.

“And the style of play, the type of offense they ran, the type of defense they ran, the way that they practiced. The ability of these players really, I think, escalated.”

Several of the players that the Raiders drafted during Gruden’s time as head coach are Alex Leatherwood, Henry Ruggs III, and Josh Jacobs.

Gruden certainly seems to have an admiration for the Alabama football program, which is intriguing to see given the fact that he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2003.