Two Former Crimson Tide Football Players Selected on Night One of 2026 NFL Draft

PITTSBURGH – The University of Alabama football program had two former players selected in round one of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor was taken by the Miami Dolphins at No. 12, immediately followed by quarterback Ty Simpson going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13.

With two selections on the opening night of the Draft, the Crimson Tide has produced at least one first-round pick in each of the last 18 years and 51 first-rounders in total over that stretch. The group of 51 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), Jedrick Wills Jr. (No.10 Cleveland), Henry Ruggs III (No. 12, Las Vegas Raiders), Jerry Jeudy (No. 15, Denver)
2021 – Jaylen Waddle (No. 6, Miami), Patrick Surtain II, (No.9 Denver), DeVonta Smith (No. 10, Philadelphia), Mac Jones, (No. 15, New England), Alex Leatherwood, (No. 17, Las Vegas), Najee Harris, (No. 24, Pittsburgh)
2022 – Evan Neal (No. 7, New York Giants), Jameson Williams (No. 12, Detroit)
2023 – Bryce Young (No. 1, Carolina), Will Anderson Jr. (No. 3, Houston), Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12, Detroit)
2024 – JC Latham (No. 7, Tennessee), Dallas Turner (No. 16, Minnesota), Terrion Arnold (No. 24, Detroit)
2025 – Tyler Booker (No. 12, Dallas), Jihaad Campbell (No. 31, Philadelphia)
2026 – Kadyn Proctor (No. 12, Miami), Ty Simpson (No. 13, Los Angeles Rams)

Draft Notes

Alabama has had at least one player selected in the first round of 18 straight drafts (2009-Present), which is the NCAA record. The Crimson Tide surpassed the previous record held by Miami, with the Hurricanes producing a first-rounder in 14 consecutive drafts from 1995-08.
With Alabama's two selections this evening, the Crimson Tide has produced multiple first-round picks in 15 of the last 18 NFL Drafts. The Tide had just one first-round pick in 2009, 2015 and 2016.
Since 2000, the Crimson Tide has produced an NCAA-leading 53 first-rounders, a number that is seven better than the next closest school Ohio State (46).
Since 2010, Alabama has had an NCAA-leading 50 players selected in the first round, a number that nearly doubles the next closest school Ohio State (33).
With the selection of Kadyn Proctor, Alabama has had at least one offensive lineman taken in the first round in seven of the last eight Drafts, including each of the last three. The Crimson Tide is the only program to produce a first-rounder on the offensive line the last three years.
Including Ty Simpson, the Tide has produced four first-round picks at quarterback since 2020. That total is double LSU, Ohio State and Oregon, who have each had two first-round signal-callers since '20.
Following Simpson's selection, each of Alabama's last six starting quarterbacks have been drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
Dating back to the 2006 NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide has produced eight NFL Draft picks at quarterback. Alabama's eight selections are tops in the NCAA, ranking just ahead of Southern Cal and Ohio State who have produced seven apiece during that time.

The second and third rounds will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The 2026 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
Kadyn Proctor	12	Miami Dolphins
Ty Simpson	13	Los Angeles Rams

Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Lineman (No. 12 | Miami Dolphins)

Proctor served as Alabama's starting left tackle for three consecutive seasons, totaling 40 career starts and improving significantly each year on campus. His junior campaign resulted in consensus first team All-America recognition to go with the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, presented to the SEC's top offensive lineman. He totaled a team-high 985 offensive snaps in 2025, allowing just two sacks and four quarterback hits overall. Proctor graded out as the Tide's top run blocker and overall lineman while ranking second in pass protection as a junior, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition to his time at left tackle, the Des Moines, Iowa, native added five rushes for 16 yards and three first downs in '25. As a sophomore, Proctor earned second team All-SEC accolades, accumulating 54 knockdown blocks across his 639 snaps at left tackle. The 2023 campaign finished with Proctor being selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team by the conference coaches. He logged 743 snaps during his rookie season and finished with 20 total knockdowns.

Ty Simpson, Quarterback (No. 13 | Los Angeles Rams)

After his waiting his turn at quarterback, Simpson took the lead in 2025 and guided the Crimson Tide to 11 wins and a spot in the College Football Playoff. He appeared in 31 career games, including 20 as a reserve, and finished 334-of-523 passing for 3,948 yards and 28 touchdowns. Simpson also added 112 rushes for 223 yards and five scores with his legs. His pinpoint accuracy helped the Martin, Tenn., native set the Alabama career mark for lowest interception percentage at 0.956 and finish with a 63.86 career completion percentage that ranks eighth in program history. A permanent team captain in 2025, Simpson was named to the All-SEC Second Team after an impressive redshirt junior campaign. He racked up 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns compared to five interceptions on 305-of-473 passing. His pass attempts (2^nd), completions (3^rd), yards (4^th), touchdowns (T-7^th) and completion percentage (9^th) all ranked in the top-10 in Alabama single-season history. Simpson also finished second in the SEC and 10^th nationally for passing yards while ranking second in the league and tied for 12^th in Division I for passing touchdowns. Prior to 2025, Simpson served as the primary backup in both 2023 and 2024. He played in 12 combined games across those two seasons and was 25-of-45 passing for 346 yards to go with 22 rushes for 130 yards and four scores, including three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Simpson played in four games as a true freshman, completing 4-of-5 passes for 35 yards before redshirting at season's end.

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