1st rounders Mark Barron, Mark Ingram, James Carpenter and Julio Jones
1st rounders Mark Barron, Mark Ingram, James Carpenter and Julio Jones

It’s become a regular occurance. Every April former Alabama players are following Nick Saban’s path to the NFL.

The plan is simple: Come to Alabama, play 3 or 4 years…your choice. Follow the process, win hardware the right way, then go make big money in the NFL and change your life.

As Alabama head coach Nick Saban prepares for his seventh season leading the Crimson Tide this fall, he can look recruits in the eye and tell them he knows how to get them to the NFL. With consistency.

Trent Richardson, Dont'a Hightower and Dre Kirkpatrick
Trent Richardson, Dont’a Hightower and Dre Kirkpatrick

In his time at Alabama, Saban has placed 11 players in the money round of the draft, with at least three set to join those ranks tonight. The likely inductees into this exclusive club are Chance Warmack, Dee Milliner and DJ Fluker, with Eddie Lacy and Barrett Jones not far behind.

Marcel Dareus and Andre Smith
Marcel Dareus and Andre Smith

In addition to Lacy and Jones, other Tide players with draft hopes are nose tackle Jesse Williams, linebacker Nico Johnson, safety Robert Lester, and defensive ends Damion Square and Quinton Dial.

Kareem Jackson and Rolondo McClain
Kareem Jackson and Rolondo McClain

It’s no wonder why top recruits keep making their way to Tuscaloosa. Even if you don’t go in the first round, Nick Saban prepares you for the next level like no other.

Round one of the NFL draft begins tonight at 7:00pm EDT, televised live on ESPN.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

2 thoughts on “NFL DRAFT: More Tiders prepare to be taken in the 1st round”

  1. The University and Coach Sabn have done a fantastic job of bringing back Alabama football. Bama fans are fickle and expect great things. Above, along with 3 championships in the last four years, a heisman, and consecutive excellent recruiting classes speak volumes.

  2. I can’t wait.

    I watch the draft now every year since Ingram went pro. That was a great night.

    The draft though, it changes so much throughout, there’s a lot of dead air, and I’ll also say this——-watching it with pro football fans isn’t nearly as much fun as college football.

    It’s exhausting. They yell and swear and scream and shout and it’s just so weird. Recruiting day, it ain’t.

    Then it makes less sense.

    Like, Tom Brady, arguably the best QB in the league, was picked I think 1,029th, or something like that. The guy beat Alabama after all, I thought he might get picked sooner, but still. I hope Barrett Jones gets picked early. Several people I spoke with all said, “but he’s just a center,” which means they forgot how many positions he played on the line over the last four years. They also said Eddie Lacy was hurt so long, like they were suggesting he’d otherwise be playing instead of Trent Richardson through 2011? Same with Marcus Lattimore, who I think is a great guy and an incredible talent, but may be one of the most cost-effective deals of the draft this year. Then there’s Matt Barkley, who I don’t dislike (I thought he fit the USC culture perfectly and he seems adult enough), but I’ve never understood the prospects on him for pro football. I stil won’t after tonight, I just know everyone’s watching for him is all.

    I often don’t understand the NFL and I definitely don’t love the NFL, even though I try every year. I love our players who are going pro though, and I love seeing their dreams come true.

    They deserve it.

    I’ve got my Bama gear on and tonight I’m headed to the same place downtown where a couple dozen friends and I watched Alabama beat Notre Dame in January. Roll Tide.

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