Nick Saban has spent the two weeks ahead of Wednesday’s Citrus Bowl relaying the advice he gave to his NFL-bound players who had to decide whether or not to put their bodies on the line against Michigan.

If you are graded by NFL teams as a top 15 pick, Saban would understand the decision to sit out the non-College Football Playoff game and avoid risking the guaranteed money that comes along with being selected that high in the draft.

Saban said Dec. 16 that he had received draft grades on his players from 20 NFL teams. He also decried media mock drafts for, in his mind, often being inaccurate and misleading players.

But not until Monday evening did Saban reveal more specifics about where his players were graded by league evaluators.

“We only had one guy that has that high of a grade and he’s not going to be play in the game because he’s injured,” Saban said during his radio show from Orlando. “And that injury may affect his grade, unfortunately, for him, right now.”

Saban was clearly referring to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State last month.

Yet in saying Tagovailoa was the only player graded to be chosen in the top half of the first round, Saban dropped a hint that NFL perception of Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and other Tide draft prospects might not be as high as the media’s.

For example, a mock draft published last week by ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay projected Jeudy as the third overall pick. Rankings published by ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper last month placed Jeudy as the No. 4 overall prospect.

Saban receiving feedback from NFL teams that Jeudy might not be a top 15 pick could explain why the junior receiver decided to play in the Citrus Bowl.

“If you’re not a [top 15 pick], we’re going to do everything we can to insure you so you don’t have to worry about playing in a game from an injury standpoint,” Saban said last Friday. "And you can go out there and create value for yourself.

"I think a lot of people in this world make decisions on what-ifs. I think you want to deal from a position of strength. I think when you worry about what-ifs, you worry about a lot of weaknesses, about what might happen, and that may make you not make a good choice or decision about what you do. But if you’re confident in moving forward in doing what you do, and you create value for yourself, I think that’s going to give you the best opportunities in your future.

“I think that’s kind of what we talked to our players about. Most of them buy into it and understand it.”

The exceptions are linebacker Terrell Lewis and cornerback Trevon Diggs, who both decided not to join Alabama for the Citrus Bowl.

“We only have two players that aren’t playing in the game,” Saban said Monday evening during his radio show. “I’m really pleased and happy with all the players who decided to play in the game.

“If you’re not a [top 15 pick], it’s an opportunity for you to showcase your talents in terms of being able to move up in the draft. ... So everybody here on our team has an opportunity to showcase your talents. Do you want your last game you played in -- is that the memory you’re satisfied with for people to evaluate who you are, what kind of player you are and [why] they might want to invest in your future?

“I kind of tell it like it is. There’s no secrets. I told it to all the draft-eligible guys and all the seniors. It is what it is. We appreciate the guys that aren’t playing in the game what they did to represent the program. We’ll be supportive of them as well. But I do think that everybody would have benefitted from playing in this game. They would’ve had an opportunity to showcase their talents.”