Mike Johnson was an All-America offensive lineman on Alabama's 2009 national championship team who later played five seasons with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, so he's probably as qualified as anyone to judge the level of play in the Alliance of American Football.

Johnson, the radio color analyst for the undefeated Birmingham Iron, joined Randy Kennedy and me on Sports Drive on WNSP FM 105.5 on Tuesday afternoon. He was first asked about the overall quality of talent in the AAF, as compared to the SEC and the NFL.

"I think it's a lot better than most people realize," Johnson said. "The question I get most often is 'how would the Birmingham Iron do against Alabama?' … I think Bama wins by a few touchdowns, to be honest with you. This is a developmental league — they're focusing on fundamentals, they're focusing on making sure the product is good for a spring league. That doesn't always lend itself to being the best possible football team.

"At Alabama, you've got 5-star recruits and you've got a number of (future) first-round draft picks. A lot of those guys will play a ton of years in the NFL. These guys, with the AAF, they're scratching and clawing to catch on. Not many of them were first-round picks, aside from Trent Richardson.

"I think it's a good product and it will continue to get better. As training camps get longer and the season gets longer and more teams are added, I think you'll see the product get better. … When you see throws across the field from the far hashmark, when you're asking quarterbacks to do those things, that's where you see the true difference. Some of the throws the quarterbacks you see in the NFL, you're just not seeing that in the AAF. … Julio Jones and Matt Ryan have been together for 10 years; they know where each other is going to be at all times. The Birmingham Iron players have been together for about six weeks. But that will come with time."

One of the breakout stars for the Iron and the AAF is Richardson, Johnson's former Alabama teammate, a 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist and a Top 5 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The 28-year-old Richardson washed out of the league after five years, and played briefly in the Canadian Football League before joining the Iron this year.

Though he is averaging fewer than three yards per carry, Richardson has six touchdowns in the Iron's first three games. Johnson, who like Richardson hails from Pensacola, Fla., said his old friend remains a work in progress from a football standpoint.

"I think when Trent is at his best, is when the hole opens up and he can sprint toward the goal line," Johnson said. "Right now, they're doing some inside zone (blocking) stuff, and Trent has been kind of forced to jump-cut. The offensive line in front of him has not really had a lot of time to become a cohesive unit, to jell together, so many times when Trent has taken a handoff, he's been met in the backfield by tacklers. I think he has shown the ability to catch balls out of the backfield at a high rate.

"… You can see where he's strong — it's when he's not jump-cutting, or when he's not cutting back, it's when he's allowed to go forward. That's why his touchdowns are up. When they get near the goal line, they give him the ball and tell him to run about three people over from the 4-yard line. That's where he's good, and that's where Trent will always be good. I think he would admit to you that there's still an extra step he wants to get to, but as the weeks go on, and you see him continue to develop inside of this offense, he continues to get better and better."

Birmingham Iron running back Trent Richardson carries the ball at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019.

Of course, the operative question regarding the AAF is whether or not its players will be able to make the transition to the NFL (or back to the NFL, as in the case might be). Johnson said he is hopeful on that front, for Richardson and others.

"It's tough to say at this point," Johnson said. "There is no bigger Trent Richardson fan than me. … I go all the way back to Pensacola watching him play in Little League and playing against his older brother in high school. … Where he's at right now, I don't know that he's going to get an invite to any (NFL) training camps. I love the progression, though. There's an upward trend in his game. … Trent's never going to be a speed-sweep guy, or someone you're going to pitch the ball to and get to the sideline, although he does have some speed. But I think if he continues on this upward trend, he can at least make an impact somewhere. You need to see a little more urgency in his feet that you see at the next level to see him get back there. But he's got it in him; we've all seen it."

Johnson also noted several other players, including former South Alabama standout Braedon Bowman and ex-Troy star Jonathan Massaquoi, with the talent to play at a higher level.

"There was a couple of good tight ends that started the year, Braedon Bowman and Connor Davis, that we really were high on," Johnson said. "Both of those have really long frames at tight end, but they're both now on injured reserve. A guy like Jonathan Massaquoi, who I was with with the Falcons for a couple of years — he's out of Troy — he has really had a massive impact. He's one of those guys who was a true defensive end. He got into the NFL and they tried to make him into an outside linebacker, and he didn't really flourish. But he's started to flourish now. … He's been great.

"The middle linebacker, Beniquez Brown from Mississippi State, is another guy who has been really incredible for this defense. And the one guy that I have to mention, he's a cover corner, his name is Jamar Summers. He has been the Darrelle Revis of the AAF so far. This guy has gone out there and locked down every single guy he has come up against."

Johnson can be heard calling Birmingham Iron games alongside play-by-play man Thom Abraham on Birmingham’s WERC 105.5 FM and via iHeartRadio. The Iron (3-0) hosts the San Antonio Commanders (1-2) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Legion Field.