Three Former Alabama Football Players Selected on Opening Night of 2024 NFL Draft
4/25/2024 10:52:00 PM | Football
The Crimson Tide’s Latham, Turner and Arnold all went on night one of the Draft
DETROIT – The University of Alabama football program had three former players selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Detroit, Mich. Offensive tackle JC Latham was selected by the Titans at No. 7, followed by linebacker Dallas Turner at No. 16 to the Vikings and cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 24 to the Lions.
With three selections on the opening night of the Draft, head coach Nick Saban has now produced 52 first-rounders in his career, including 47 at Alabama. Those 47 selections, which have all come in the last 16 years, are as follows:
- 2009 – Andre Smith (No. 6, Cincinnati)
- 2010 - Rolando McClain (No. 8, Oakland), Kareem Jackson (No. 20, Houston)
- 2011 - Marcell Dareus (No. 3, Buffalo), Julio Jones (No. 6, Atlanta), James Carpenter (No. 25, Seattle), Mark Ingram (No. 28, New Orleans)
- 2012 – Trent Richardson (No. 3, Cleveland), Mark Barron (No. 7, Tampa Bay), Dre Kirkpatrick (No. 17, Cincinnati), Dont'a Hightower (No. 25, New England)
- 2013 – Dee Milliner (No. 9, New York Jets), Chance Warmack (No. 10, Tennessee), D.J. Fluker (No. 11, San Diego)
- 2014 – C.J. Mosley (No. 17, Baltimore), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (No. 21, Green Bay)
- 2015 – Amari Cooper (No. 4, Oakland)
- 2016 – Ryan Kelly (No. 18, Indianapolis)
- 2017 – Marlon Humphrey (No. 16, Baltimore), Jonathan Allen (No. 17, Washington), O.J. Howard (No. 19, Tampa Bay), Reuben Foster (No. 31, San Francisco)
- 2018 – Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 11, Miami), Da'Ron Payne (No. 13, Washington), Rashaan Evans (No. 22, Tennessee), Calvin Ridley (No. 26, Atlanta)
- 2019 – Quinnen Williams (No. 3, New York Jets), Jonah Williams (No. 11, Cincinnati), Josh Jacobs (Oakland, No. 24)
- 2020 – Tua Tagovailoa (No. 5, Miami Dolphins), Jedrick Wills Jr. (No.10 Cleveland Browns), Henry Ruggs III (No. 12, Las Vegas Raiders), Jerry Jeudy (No. 15, Denver Broncos)
- 2021 – Jaylen Waddle (No. 6, Miami Dolphins), Patrick Surtain II, (No.9 Denver Broncos), DeVonta Smith (No. 10, Philadelphia Eagles), Mac Jones, (No. 15, New England Patriots), Alex Leatherwood, (No. 17, Las Vegas Raiders), Najee Harris, (No. 24, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- 2022 – Evan Neal (No. 7, New York Giants), Jameson Williams (No. 12, Detroit Lions)
- 2023 – Bryce Young (No. 1, Carolina Panthers), Will Anderson Jr. (No. 3, Houston Texans), Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12, Detroit Lions)
- 2024 – JC Latham (No. 7, Tennessee Titans), Dallas Turner (No. 16, Minnesota Vikings), Terrion Arnold (No. 24, Detroit Lions)
Draft Notes
- Alabama has had at least one player selected in the first round of 16 straight drafts (2009 – present), which is the NCAA record. The Crimson Tide surpassed the previous record held by Miami (1995-08) with 14 consecutive first round draft picks.
- Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban holds the NCAA record for the most first round draft picks in a career at 52 and for the most first-round picks from a single school at 47. The next closest coach in each of those categories is the late Joe Paterno with 33 first-round picks in both his career and from a single school (Penn State).
- With Alabama's four selections this evening, the Crimson Tide has produced multiple first-round picks in 13 of the last 16 NFL Drafts. The Crimson Tide had just one first-round pick in 2009, 2015 and 2016.
- Since 2000, the Crimson Tide has produced an NCAA-leading 49 first-rounders, a number that is 11 better than the next closest school Ohio State (38).
- Since 2010, the Crimson Tide has had an NCAA-leading 46 players selected in the first round, a number that nearly doubles the next closest school Ohio State (25).
The second and third rounds will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The 2024 NFL Draft concludes with rounds four through seven on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. CT. The remaining rounds will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
Alabama First Round Recap
|
Player |
Pick |
Team |
|
7 |
Tennessee Titans |
|
|
16 |
Minnesota Vikings |
|
|
24 |
Detroit Lions |
JC Latham, Offensive Lineman (No. 7 | Tennessee Titans)
One of the top offensive linemen in all of college football, Latham spent the last two seasons starting at right tackle for the Crimson Tide. He earned All-SEC First Team honors from the Associated Press and conference coaches in 2023, allowing just two sacks all season while registering 40-plus knockdown blocks across 800-plus snaps to average better than 3.0 per contest. As a sophomore, Latham started all 13 games and had 29 knockdown blocks while allowing only two sacks. Before settling in at right tackle, Latham spent his freshman season as a key reserve on the offensive front while also contributing in a role on special teams. He played in all 14 match-ups in 2021, earning 104 total snaps.
Dallas Turner, Outside Linebacker (No. 16 | Minnesota Vikings)
Turner entered the NFL Draft as one of the country's top defenders overall and arguably the best pass-rusher in this year's class. A permanent team captain for the Tide in 2023, Turner was a consensus first team All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the All-SEC First Team. He recorded 53 total tackles, including a team-high 14.5 for loss (-88 yards) and an SEC-best 10 sacks (-68 yards), while adding two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a team-best 13 quarterback hurries. During his sophomore season of 2022, Turner played in all 13 games with 10 starts, totaling 37 tackles, including eight for loss (-29 yards) and four sacks (-18 yards). He pressured opposing quarterbacks nine times while adding a fumble recovery for a touchdown in 2022. One of the top recruits in his class, Turner made an immediate impact as a freshman, picking up Freshman All-America honors and being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. He saw time in all 15 games with three starts in 2021, tallying 30 stops, including 10 for loss (-58 yards) and 8.5 sacks (-40 yards), while contributing five quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
Terrion Arnold, Defensive Back (No. 24 | Detroit Lions)
Arnold has emerged as one of the nation's top defensive backs in this year's NFL Draft. He finished his redshirt sophomore season as a first team All-American by the Associated Press and earned a spot on the first team All-SEC list by the conference coaches. Arnold finished the 2023 season with 63 total tackles, good for fifth on UA, including 6.5 for loss (-24 yards) and one sack (-9 yards). He contributed 12 pass breakups and five interceptions for 17 passes defensed on the year while also adding two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. The Tallahassee, Fla., native paced Alabama and finished tied for the SEC lead in interceptions while his 17 passes defensed tied for the league lead. He also averaged 1.2 passes defended per game to tie for tops in the conference and 10th among Division I defenders in 2023. In his first season of action in 2022, Arnold was selected as a Freshman All-American by the FWAA and named to the Freshman All-SEC Team by the league coaches. He earned playing time in 11 of the team's 13 games, including seven starts in 2022, and totaled 45 tackles, including one for loss (-1 yard), to go with eight pass breakups, an interception and one fumble recovery.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on X and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
