Can Alabama football's Will Anderson Jr. be even better in 2022? What Nick Saban said

Alabama football edge defender Will Anderson Jr. would likely be a top-five pick this year if he could go out for the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Anderson put together an impressive 2021 sophomore season as he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defender. He tallied 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. 

But he isn't draft-eligible until the 2023 NFL Draft. He is not yet three years removed from high school, so he will be back at Alabama for another season. 

While many of his teammates are looking to grow in the spring, does Anderson have something on which to improve? 

"I think that if you asked Will that question, he would probably have a better answer than I could give you even, because we have a tremendous amount of respect for how he played last year, what his production was, what his performance was on a consistent basis," said Nick Saban, speaking at Alabama's pro day on Wednesday. 

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Anderson was asked a similar question after returning from spring break. He said he's been focusing on leadership skills and schoolwork this spring. 

"Springtime is a good time to work on that type of stuff, so I’ve been working on my books because I’m trying to graduate in December," he said. 

Saban called Anderson one of the most dominating defensive players in the country last year. Improving on already being among the nation's best won't be easy for Anderson in his junior season, but he's got the necessary mindset to do so. 

"I think he challenges himself to continue to develop knowledge of 'how can I apply the skills that I have to be even more productive? Whether it's in pass rush, whether it's in playing the run, whether it's how I prepare for a game so I can anticipate what will happen next,'" Saban said. "Because I know as a competitor, he's never satisfied. I think that's probably why he is what he is and why he will continue to improve." 

Contact Alabama reporter Nick Kelly: nkelly@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly.