Alabama once again will make its presence felt in the NFL draft, which begins tonight in Chicago.
This time around, however, the Crimson Tide have company.
Linebacker Reggie Ragland, defensive linemen A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, and center Ryan Kelly could give Alabama four first-round picks, which the Crimson Tide have accomplished twice before (2011 and 2012) under coach Nick Saban. Kelly, the winner of the 2015 Rimington Trophy (presented to the nation's top college center), is not a surefire first-round pick but may go 29th overall to the Arizona Cardinals, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said.
"Kelly would give them another building-block piece up front to protect 36-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer," he noted on a recent conference call.
The Crimson Tide have churned out 14 first-round picks in the past five drafts. Texas A&M is next among Southeastern Conference schools with seven.
Clemson (defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd and cornerback Mackensie Alexander) and Ole Miss (tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive end Robert Nkemdiche) each could have three players tabbed tonight, but the real story is expected to be Ohio State. Urban Meyer's Buckeyes could provide as many as six first-round picks, which would mean cornerback Eli Apple and former Ridgeland High School safety Vonn Bell joining the projected locks: defensive end Joey Bosa, running back Ezekiel Elliott, linebacker Darron Lee and tackle Taylor Decker.
Six first-rounders would tie the mark set by Miami in the 2004 draft, when the Hurricanes produced free safety Sean Taylor, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, outside linebacker D.J. Williams, tackle Vernon Carey and nose tackle Vince Wilfork. The sixth of those picks, Wilfork, went 21st overall to the New England Patriots.
Some mock drafts have Bosa, Elliott, Lee and Decker being chosen before the first Alabama player, which is expected to be Ragland. The 6-foot-1, 247-pound Ragland had 195 tackles and 17 tackles for loss during his last two seasons with the Crimson Tide.
"You could make a case that Ragland is as ready to contribute on Sundays as any defender in this draft," ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said recently. "He's an instinctive tackling machine, but he can also cover ground."
The second and third rounds are Friday, with the remainder of the draft Saturday.
Former Alabama running back Derrick Henry, who won the Heisman Trophy in December, has been widely projected as a second-round selection. A CBS seven-round mock draft has seven Crimson Tide players going overall, with cornerback Cyrus Jones being taken in the fourth round and backup running back Kenyan Drake going in the fifth.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.