Thursday, April 26th will be another high water mark for the Alabama football program under Nick Saban. Airing on the NFL Network and ESPN, the NFL draft projects as many as 5 Alabama players could be drafted in the 1st round.

The first Alabama player taken in the draft will most certainly be junior Trent Richardson who is universally considered the best running back available in the draft. The Pensacola, FL native’s stock is so high that most draft projections have him going in the first 5 picks, which is becoming more and more uncommon for running backs in a pass happy NFL. The last time a running back was taken in the Top 5 was in 2008 when the Raiders chose Darren McFadden out of Arkansas. If Richardson is the first running back selected, it will mark the 2nd straight year that an Alabama player was the first running back taken in the NFL draft (Mark Ingram was drafted in the 1st round by the Saints last year).

The two suitors for Trent Richardson’s services seem to be the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who will pick 4th and 5th respectively in the draft. The Browns lost their top playmaker at running back, Peyton Hillis, to free agency in the offseason, so running back is a clear need. Cleveland however has many needs including quarterback, wide receiver, and cornerback which are why some projections show Trent Richardson falling to Tampa Bay at #5. The possibility appears to have upset the current starting running back for Tampa Bay, LeGarrette Blount, who has publicly commented he would not enjoy seeing the Bucs draft another running back.

Another Alabama player considered the top prospect at his position is senior Mark Barron at safety. An admittedly weak crop of safeties has made Mobile native Mark Barron an even more sought after commodity. The three year starter who was a 3 time 1st team All-SEC player and a Consensus 1st team All-American his senior year sees his draft status peak about halfway through the first round. Highest projections have him being picked by the Dallas Cowboys at #14 or the Philadelphia Eagles at #15. Cincinnati also needs safety help, and they pick 17th and 21st in the first round.

Junior cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is also projected as a 1st round draft choice. Morris Claiborne of LSU is the consensus top rated cornerback available in the draft, but behind him Kirkpatrick and former Florida Gator Janoris Jenkins, who finished his career at UNA, are considered the best of the rest. Kirkpatrick garnered some unwanted publicity in the offseason with a marijuana arrest, but charges were later dropped. The incident is not expected to affect his draft status. While some projections also have him at #14 with the Cowboys and #15 with the Eagles, most see Kirkpatrick going to the Bengals at #17 or #21. Or he could possibly stay closer to home being drafted at #20 by the Tennessee Titans.

Senior linebacker Courtney Upshaw improved his draft status in his final year at the Capstone with an All-American senior season at outside linebacker for the Crimson Tide and his Senior Bowl week performance in Mobile. The Eufaula native is projected at the defensive end position as well, depending on what defense the team that drafts him will be running. The 270+ hybrid player is a great fit for NFL teams running the 3-4 defense. The New York Jets, who pick 16th, need an edge rusher and run a 3-4 defense as do the San Diego Chargers at #18. Some projections have Upshaw going to Chicago at #19, and some have him dropping to New England at #27 or Green Bay at #28. Both run a base 3-4 defense.

Junior linebacker Dont’a Hightower was also a Consensus All-America in 2011 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Lewisburg, TN native was considered to be one of the top linebacker prospects in America at any age after his stellar freshman season in 2008, and he would have likely not been playing for Alabama in 2011 if not for the devastating knee injury he suffered in his sophomore season vs.
Arkansas.

If there is any one of the 5 Alabama players that may drop to the 2nd round of the NFL draft it will probably be Hightower since most of the team needs throughout the NFL this year push inside linebackers down the list. Hightower’s versatility is seen as a plus with his ability to put his hand on the ground and rush the passer in dime defenses and his pass coverage skills in nickel defenses. If Hightower does go in the first round it will likely be to a perennial Super Bowl contender from the AFC North in the Pittsburgh Steelers at #24 or the Baltimore Ravens at #29. Both run a base 3-4 defense.

Alabama had 4 first round draft picks in last year’s NFL draft. Marcel Dareus went 3 rd to the Buffalo Bills. Julio Jones went 6th to the Atlanta Falcons. James Carpenter went 25th to the Seattle Seahawks, and Mark Ingram went 28th to the New Orleans Saints. Having 9 first round picks over a 2 year period is unprecedented in Alabama football history.

There are other Alabama players to watch out for in the NFL Draft. Senior defensive tackle Josh Chapman out of Hoover wasn’t able to further impress scouts in the offseason because it was revealed he had been playing with a torn ACL in his knee ever since the Florida game on October 1 st. He had surgery soon after the BCS Championship Game, yet Chapman is still projected to be chosen in the 2 nd or 3rd round. Senior Cornerback DeQuan Menzie is projected to go in the 4th or 5th round and senior tight end Brad Smelley in the 6th or 7th round. Smelley is projected as a hybrid offensive player with tight end, fullback, and H-back as possibilities. It is possible that seniors Marquize Maze and Jerrell Harris could be late round draft choices, but most likely they will be signed as free agents after the draft.