Nick Saban Alabama draft picks record: History of Crimson Tide's first-round selections under legendary coach

Bill Bender

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Nick Saban Alabama draft picks record: History of Crimson Tide's first-round selections under legendary coach image

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Legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban might be retired, but his legacy will be felt in the NFL for several years to come. 

The 2024 NFL Draft will feature Saban's last draft class at Alabama, and that could lead to another year of double-digit draft picks for the Crimson Tide. 

Saban, who will be an analyst on ESPN's “College GameDay” in the fall, will be part of the draft coverage on ABC. Saban, of course, retired after the 2023 college football season. During his unprecedented run at Alabama from 2007-23, he posted a 201-29 record with six national championships.

The NFL Draft has been an infomercial of sorts for the program ever since Saban's first draft class in 2008. Here's a look at the first-round picks, total draft picks, and players who will join that group in 2024. 

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How many first-round picks has Alabama had under Nick Saban?

Entering the 2024 NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide have produced 44 first-round picks under Saban since 2009 – an NCAA record for a coach at a single school. 

Saban had three first-round picks during his stint at Michigan State and two from his time at LSU, giving him a record 49 for his career. 

The Crimson Tide also have produced at least one first-round pick in every season since 2009, a streak that should continue in 2024. That 15-year streak broke the record set by Miami from 1995-2008. 

A full list of Saban's first-round picks can be found below.

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Alabama mock draft 2024: Projected first-round picks

Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer's latest seven-round mock draft has four Alabama players being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That would increase Saban's first-round total to 48 draft picks at Alabama and 53 overall. 

A look at those players and their projected landing spots: 

POSPLAYERPICKPROJECTED TEAM
LBDallas Turner8Atlanta Falcons
CBTerrion Arnold17Jacksonville Jaguars
TJC Latham18Cincinnati Bengals
CBKool-Aid McKinstry26Tampa Bay Buccaneers

How many NFL draft picks has Alabama had under Nick Saban?

Alabama has produced 123 draft picks under Saban since 2009, the most of any FBS program in that stretch. 

That includes four draft classes with double-digit picks. Alabama produced 12 draft picks in 2018, and 10 players in 2017, 2021, and 2023. 

Iyer has seven Alabama players projected to be drafted, including those four first-round picks, edge Chris Braswell (second round), Jermaine Burton (second round), and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe (fifth round). If all seven of those players are selected, then the Saban era at Alabama would close with 130 draft picks. 

List of Nick Saban's first-round NFL draft picks

A look at Saban's 49 first-round picks heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Saban had three first-round picks at Michigan State in 1999-2000 and two at LSU in 2004-05. The other 44 first-round picks are from his tenure at Alabama.                         

YEARPLAYERCollegePICKTEAM
1999Dimitrius UnderwoodMichigan State29Dallas Cowboys
2000Plaxico BurressMichigan State8Pittsburgh Steelers
2000Julian PetersonMichigan State16San Francisco 49ers
2004Michael ClaytonLSU15Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2005Marcus SpearsLSU20Dallas Cowboys
2009Andre SmithAlabama9Cincinnati Bengals
2010Rolando McClainAlabama8Oakland Raiders
2010Kareem JacksonAlabama20Houston Texans
2011Marcell DareusAlabama3Buffalo Bills
2011Julio JonesAlabama6Atlanta Falcons
2011James CarpenterAlabama25Seattle Seahawks
2011Mark IngramAlabama28New Orleans Saints
2012Trent RichardsonAlabama3Cleveland Browns
2012Mark BarronAlabama7Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2012Dre KirkpatrickAlabama17Cincinnati Bengals
2012Dont'a HightowerAlabama25New England Patriots
2013Dee MillinerAlabama9New York Jets
2013Chance WarmackAlabama10Tennessee Titans
2013D.J. FlukerAlabama11San Diego Chargers
2014C.J. MosleyAlabama17Baltimore Ravens
2014Ha Ha Clinton-DixAlabama21Green Bay Packers
2015Amari CooperAlabama4Oakland Raiders
2016Ryan KellyAlabama18Indianapolis Colts
2017Marlon HumphreyAlabama16Baltimore Ravens
2017Jonathan AllenAlabama17Washington Redskins
2017O.J. HowardAlabama19Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2017Reuben FosterAlabama31San Francisco 49ers
2018Minkah FitzpatrickAlabama11Miami Dolphins
2018Da'Ron PayneAlabama13Washington Redskins
2018Rashaan EvansAlabama22Tennessee Titans
2018Calvin RidleyAlabama26Atlanta Falcons
2019Quinnen WilliamsAlabama3New York Jets
2019Jonah WilliamsAlabama11Cincinnati Bengals
2019Josh JacobsAlabama24Oakland Raiders
2020Tua TagovailoaAlabama5Miami Dolphins
2020Jedrick WillsAlabama10Cleveland Browns
2020Henry Ruggs IIIAlabama12Las Vegas Raiders
2020Jerry JeudyAlabama15Denver Broncos
2021Jaylen WaddleAlabama6Miami Dolphins
2021Patrick Surtain IIAlabama9Denver Broncos
2021DeVonta SmithAlabama10Philadelphia Eagles
2021Mac JonesAlabama15New England Patriots
2021Alex LeatherwoodAlabama17Las Vegas Raiders
2021Najee HarrisAlabama24Pittsburgh Steelers
2022Evan NealAlabama7New York Giants
2022Jameson WilliamsAlabama12Detroit Lions
2023Bryce YoungAlabama1Carolina Panthers
2023Will Anderson Jr.Alabama3Houston Texans
2023Jahmyr GibbsAlabama12Detroit Lions

Bill Bender

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Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.