Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses suffered a torn ACL during practice on Tuesday, according to AL.com's Matt Zenitz, which means that his 2019 season is over before it began.
Moses was our top-rated linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft class and the No. 14 player on our most recent Big Board. The injury leaves the Crimson Tide scrambling for a replacement, and comes weeks after senior linebacker Josh McMillan reportedly suffered what is thought to be a season-ending knee injury in scrimmage.
Taking the longer view, the question becomes whether Moses will choose to enter the NFL Draft in the spring or return to Tuscaloosa for another season, perhaps enhancing his draft stock in the process.
Here was our preseason scouting report on Moses: He is a prototypical NFL inside linebacker in that he's explosive, extremely athletic and has sideline-to-sideline playmaking abilities. He can rush off the edge and has the ability to sift through trash and knife through would-be blockers to make plays in the backfield. Moses was the best inside linebacker on Alabama's defense a season ago (that included Browns fifth-rounder Mack Wilson) and the expectation was that the true junior would improve on his 3.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the 2018 campaign.
Former Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons tore his ACL in February while preparing for the combine and was still drafted 19th overall by the Titans even though he's a long shot to play at all this season. Before the injury, Simmons was a top-five talent.
In January 2016, then-Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith suffered an ACL and MCL injury that dropped him from being a potential top-10 pick to a second-rounder in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Cowboys selected him knowing that Smith wouldn't play during the 2016 season. The gamble paid off for both Smith and the team, who earlier this month signed him to a five-year extension worth $64 million (including $35.5 million guaranteed).
It's too early to know what Moses will do; first things first, he'll need to have surgery and begin the rehab process. Typically, ACL recoveries take eight to nine months.
As for the 2020 class of linebackers, other names to watch as college football gets underway: Clemson's Isaiah Simmons, who is more a linebacker/safety hybrid in the Kam Chancellor mold; Miami's Shaquille Quarterman, who played well in the Week 0 matchup against Florida; Oregon's Troy Dye and LSU's Jacob Phillips.
