The NFL Draft’s Alabama roots: Pick No. 1

The 2024 NFL Draft starts on Thursday in Detroit with the 32 first-round picks. In the 88 NFL drafts, teams have chosen 128 prospects who played at Alabama high schools and colleges in the first round, and another 29 who were not first-rounders but were selected in the first 32 picks. AL.com has been counting down to the draft by highlighting the players with Alabama football roots who have been chosen in the first 32 picks.

Almost one year ago, quarterback Bryce Young became the second Alabama player to go No. 1 in an NFL Draft – 75 years after Harry Gilmer had become the first.

They are among the eight prospects who played at Alabama high schools and colleges to be the first pick in the NFL Draft. With his career ahead of him, will Young join the five No. 1 picks who were selected for at least one Pro Bowl during their careers or the two who did not receive all-star recognition?

The eight prospects from Alabama high schools and colleges who have been the No. 1 selection in an NFL Draft include:

· Quarterback Harry Gilmer (Woodlawn, Alabama): 1948 by the Washington Redskins. Washington chose Gilmer even though it had a future Hall of Famer at quarterback in Sammy Baugh, and injuries limited Gilmer to one game as a rookie. Gilmer spent eight seasons in the NFL (six with Washington and two with the Detroit Lions), went to the Pro Bowl twice and was the Lions’ head coach for two seasons.

· Running back Tucker Frederickson (Auburn): 1965 by the New York Giants. Frederickson was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, when he ran for 659 yards and five touchdowns and caught 24 passes with another score. But he missed the 1966 season because of a knee injury. Frederickson battled injuries to play 53 games in five more seasons with the Giants.

· Running back Bo Jackson (McAdory, Auburn): 1986 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson rebuffed the Bucs to sign with Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals. Selected at No. 183 in the 1987 draft by the Los Angeles Raiders, Jackson played in parts of four NFL seasons after the baseball campaign had concluded. He still recorded the longest run from scrimmage in three of his four seasons and received a Pro Bowl invitation in 1990, but Jackson was unable to play in the all-star game after sustaining a career-ending hip injury in the playoffs.

· Linebacker Aundray Bruce (Carver-Montgomery, Auburn): 1988 by the Atlanta Falcons. Bruce played in 11 NFL seasons as an outside linebacker and defensive end – four with the Falcons and seven with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders. In 151 regular-season games, Bruce recorded 32 sacks and intercepted four passes.

· Quarterback JaMarcus Russell (Williamson): 2007 by the Oakland Raiders. A contract holdout delayed the start of the former LSU star’s rookie season, and he played in only four games. In 2008, Russell started 15 games and passed for 2,423 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Raiders benched Russell in his third season, when he made nine starts and had three touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, and released him in May 2010. He never got another chance in the NFL.

· Quarterback Cam Newton (Auburn): 2011 by the Carolina Panthers. Newton won the NFL Offensive Rookie the Year Award as he threw for a first-year record 4,051 yards and earned the first of his three Pro Bowl invitations in 2011. He went on to set Carolina’s career records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, became the NFL’s career leader for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback and won the league’s MVP Award for the 2015 season. Released by the Panthers after playing only two games in 2019 because of a foot injury, Newton was the New England Patriots’ quarterback in 2020. Released by the Patriots in favor of rookie Mac Jones, Newton returned to help Carolina complete the 2021 campaign, but he has not played since.

· Quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown): 2015 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A Pro Bowler as a rookie after winning the Heisman Trophy at Florida State, Winston led the NFL in passing yards with 5,109 in 2019. But he also led the league with 30 interceptions, and the Bucs signed Tom Brady to take his place. Winston played for the New Orleans Saints the past four seasons and was the starting quarterback in 2021 and 2022, but he started only 10 games because of injuries. He signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason.

· Quarterback Bryce Young (Alabama): 2023 by the Carolina Panthers. Young started 16 games as a rookie, but the Panthers posted a 2-15 record in 2023.

The Chicago Bears hold the first selection in this year’s draft.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.