Thursday night saw four players connected to Alabama chosen in the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The University of Alabama had three players selected in the first round while Auburn had a former quarterback have his name called on the opening night of the draft.
JC Latham - Tackle (Alabama)
JC Latham became the first Alabama player taken off the board when the Tennessee Titans selected him No. 7 overall. Latham followed Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt as the second offensive lineman taken in the draft.
Over the past two seasons, Latham started all 27 of Alabama’s games at right tackle. Last season, he was named first-team All-SEC, recording an impressive 81.7 pass-blocking grade and a 79.6 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
Bo Nix - Quarterback (Oregon/Auburn)
With the No. 12 overall pick in the draft, the Denver Broncos selected Alabama native and former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix started his high school career at Scottsboro before moving to Pinson Valley to finish it. After graduating from Pinson Valley, Nix committed to Auburn, where he spent his first three years of college. After his junior season, Nix transferred to Oregon, where he finished his college career and finished third in the 2023 Heisman voting.
Nix finished his career with 15,352 yards, 113 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions in 61 career games.
Dallas Turner - Edge (Alabama)
A run of 14 offensive players selected to start the draft caused Dallas Turner to wait a bit longer than anticipated to be selected. Finally with the No. 17 pick overall, he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings.
Last season, Turner was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Alabama defense with 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hurries in 14 games. In just 38 games with the Crimson Tide, he amassed an impressive 22.5 sacks and 32.5 tackles for loss.
Terrion Arnold - Defensive Back (Alabama)
The Detroit Lions selected Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold with the No. 24 overall pick making him the second defensive back taken in the draft.
Last season, Arnold played a key role in Alabama’s secondary, recording 63 total tackles, the fourth-highest on the team, and five interceptions. He led the team in pass breakups with 12 and limited opposing quarterbacks to a 50.7 NFL quarterback rating on passes targeted at him, as reported by Pro Football Focus. Arnold’s outstanding performance earned him recognition as a First-Team All-America and First-Team All-SEC player, contributing to the Crimson Tide's conference title win and their trip to the College Football Playoff.
Rounds two and three of the draft will be on Friday starting at 6 p.m. CT.
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