Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

Long before the NFL whiffed on Alvin Kamara, he was the one who got away from Alabama.

Kamara's breakout rookie year with the New Orleans Saints never should have been this big of a surprise. He signed with the Crimson Tide in 2013 as one of the top-rated recruits in the country (No. 32 overall on ESPN's 150 list and No. 2 among all-purpose backs by Rivals.com). He probably should have left there as a national championship star.

http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img...34&cquality=40

But Kamara's freshman season was derailed by a minor knee injury and some disciplinary issues, which buried him on a depth chart that also included current NFL backs Derrick Henry, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, among others.

So he decided to leave, spending a year at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before transferring to Tennessee and winding up as a third-round draft pick to New Orleans.

Now the dynamic dual threat is on pace for more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in a timeshare with another former Alabama star, Mark Ingram.

"I just had a gut feeling, like, 'This isn't where I'm gonna play my college ball at,'" Kamara said recently. "So I made a decision, and I feel like it was the best decision I could've made ... just the way everything played out.

"I enjoyed my time, I enjoyed my teammates. I just decided that I felt like it wasn't for me."

You might think this is a common story, since Alabama has been piling up star-studded recruiting classes along with national championships during the Nick Saban era. But Kamara is actually one of a kind.

AL.com did a detailed breakdown last year of every Saban recruit who transferred away from Alabama since 2008 -- and none had ever been drafted before this year.

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Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

They will just have to

https://media.tenor.com/images/74bd8...8e33/tenor.gif

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

Took the safe out with this pick. In SP I Trust

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

Plays like this (see GIF) are reasons why AK was picked by SP. Vision, balance and patience. He's been deadly & his running style is so smooth.

https://media.giphy.com/media/bFhhjkxpShwDm/giphy.gif

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

He pops through holes and just keeps going.

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

For the third time this season ... so far ...

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net...75&oe=5A98DBAB

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

And yet, many of the so called "analysts" don't even bring his name up for OROY.

How great would it be if we got DROY in the Lattimore and OROY in Kamara!

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

Re: Alvin Kamara: The one who got away from 31 NFL teams (and Alabama)
 

I heard someone say that very thing on NFL Network this past week. I can't remember who or which show (I watch them all), but I know it was a former player. He said that he felt like the Saints would sweep the ROY honors with Lattimore and Kamara.