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:
| POS | PLAYER | PICK | PROJECTED TEAM |
| LB | Dallas Turner | 8 | Atlanta Falcons |
| CB | Terrion Arnold | 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| T | JC Latham | 18 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| CB | Kool-Aid McKinstry | 26 | Tampa 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.
| YEAR | PLAYER | College | PICK | TEAM |
| 1999 | Dimitrius Underwood | Michigan State | 29 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2000 | Plaxico Burress | Michigan State | 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2000 | Julian Peterson | Michigan State | 16 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2004 | Michael Clayton | LSU | 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2005 | Marcus Spears | LSU | 20 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2009 | Andre Smith | Alabama | 9 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2010 | Rolando McClain | Alabama | 8 | Oakland Raiders |
| 2010 | Kareem Jackson | Alabama | 20 | Houston Texans |
| 2011 | Marcell Dareus | Alabama | 3 | Buffalo Bills |
| 2011 | Julio Jones | Alabama | 6 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2011 | James Carpenter | Alabama | 25 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2011 | Mark Ingram | Alabama | 28 | New Orleans Saints |
| 2012 | Trent Richardson | Alabama | 3 | Cleveland Browns |
| 2012 | Mark Barron | Alabama | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2012 | Dre Kirkpatrick | Alabama | 17 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2012 | Dont’a Hightower | Alabama | 25 | New England Patriots |
| 2013 | Dee Milliner | Alabama | 9 | New York Jets |
| 2013 | Chance Warmack | Alabama | 10 | Tennessee Titans |
| 2013 | D.J. Fluker | Alabama | 11 | San Diego Chargers |
| 2014 | C.J. Mosley | Alabama | 17 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2014 | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix | Alabama | 21 | Green Bay Packers |
| 2015 | Amari Cooper | Alabama | 4 | Oakland Raiders |
| 2016 | Ryan Kelly | Alabama | 18 | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2017 | Marlon Humphrey | Alabama | 16 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2017 | Jonathan Allen | Alabama | 17 | Washington Redskins |
| 2017 | O.J. Howard | Alabama | 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2017 | Reuben Foster | Alabama | 31 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2018 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Alabama | 11 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2018 | Da’Ron Payne | Alabama | 13 | Washington Redskins |
| 2018 | Rashaan Evans | Alabama | 22 | Tennessee Titans |
| 2018 | Calvin Ridley | Alabama | 26 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2019 | Quinnen Williams | Alabama | 3 | New York Jets |
| 2019 | Jonah Williams | Alabama | 11 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2019 | Josh Jacobs | Alabama | 24 | Oakland Raiders |
| 2020 | Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama | 5 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2020 | Jedrick Wills | Alabama | 10 | Cleveland Browns |
| 2020 | Henry Ruggs III | Alabama | 12 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2020 | Jerry Jeudy | Alabama | 15 | Denver Broncos |
| 2021 | Jaylen Waddle | Alabama | 6 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2021 | Patrick Surtain II | Alabama | 9 | Denver Broncos |
| 2021 | DeVonta Smith | Alabama | 10 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2021 | Mac Jones | Alabama | 15 | New England Patriots |
| 2021 | Alex Leatherwood | Alabama | 17 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2021 | Najee Harris | Alabama | 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2022 | Evan Neal | Alabama | 7 | New York Giants |
| 2022 | Jameson Williams | Alabama | 12 | Detroit Lions |
| 2023 | Bryce Young | Alabama | 1 | Carolina Panthers |
| 2023 | Will Anderson Jr. | Alabama | 3 | Houston Texans |
| 2023 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Alabama | 12 | Detroit Lions |
