The little-known rising redshirt senior that was a co-winner of Alabama's spring defensive line award last spring may finally get his chance to be a regular along the Crimson Tide defensive line.

Alabama not only loses starting nose tackle Da'Ron Payne but also backup nose tackle Josh Frazier. And another Tide defensive lineman that's now headed to the NFL thinks that little-known veteran could end up filling that spot vacated by Payne and Frazier.

"Nose guard, it's probably going to be Johnny Dwight or maybe Raekwon (Davis)," Da'Shawn Hand said. "It just depends what type of defense we're in. ... The two noses actually leave. Frazier, No. 69, and Da'Ron Payne are leaving, and then the other nose (tackle) was Johnny, so yeah."

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Dwight played in six games last season as a redshirt junior and posted nine tackles, 3.5 stops for a loss and a sack.

There are others that will in the mix for playing time at nose tackle, too, though.

Some young players like redshirt sophomore Quinnen Williams may be capable of moving inside and playing nose tackle. Or, as Hand said, maybe even Davis, though you don't see many 6-foot-7 nose tackles.

"Anything's possible," Hand said when asked whether Davis can play nose tackle. "Raekwon, the sky's the limit for him. He's big, fast. He's really a freak of nature -- 6-7, 300-something pounds and can run."

Matt Zenitz is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mzenitz.