It’s graduation time! Alabama stars among those getting degrees

How’s this sound for an all-star cast: Trevon Diggs. Raekwon Davis. Anfernee Jennings. Terrell Lewis.

Those four from Alabama are not only Round 1 or Round 2 prospects, but they also were among 30 Crimson Tide players who graduated over the weekend. Overall, 15 football players graduated.

Growing up, everybody has a dream of what they could become one day. Coming from Meridian, most of us don’t ever get a chance to see that dream become a reality. But I did. I never realized what I could achieve until I learned the value of hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/ldpa57CtjK

— Raekwon Davis (@Raekwondavis_99) December 12, 2019

More players will graduate in the coming weeks as the Winter Break gets under way. Auburn’s Derrick Brown, the top defensive lineman in the 2020 NFL draft, is among the graduates.

“Hearing my name called, getting to walk across the stage, that's my academic mission completed. We're always talking about mission completed on the field. It's just as important to be able to walk across that stage."

📰 https://t.co/NYBkwhGXIP#WarEagle

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 13, 2019

Does it really matter to teams whether a player graduates? It does, but only in that it helps paint a more complete picture of a player during the evaluation period.

The same can be said, for example, of the Wonderlic test, which is administered to all players at the Combine. There are plenty of examples of players who scored low on the Wonderlic who went on to enjoy long careers. Likewise, there are plenty of examples of players who scored high on the test who accomplished little on the field.