2012 NFL Draft: Alabama Defenders Set to Sack Draft's First Round

Many NFL teams will be looking to bolster their defenses in the first round of April's NFL draft, and the squads looking to do so should look to the South for help, as the University of Alabama rode one of the most formidable defensive units in recent memory all the way to a National Championship in 2011.

The first round of the 2012 draft could easily see no fewer than four Crimson Tide standouts chosen, and each one of those players brings a significant level of skill and ability to the National Football League.

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is arguably the best inside linebacker prospect in this year's draft class after a 2011 season that saw the 6'4", 260-pound junior tally 85 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and an interception en route to being named a first team All-American.

A powerful thumper with a nose for the ball, Hightower's torn ACL in 2009 raises some red flags, but he's started every game the past two seasons and will likely hear his name called somewhere in in the middle of the draft's first round.

Right around the time that Hightower comes off the board he should be joined by fellow Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw, who prowled the outside for the crimson Tide to the tune of 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

The 6'2", 265-pound second team All-American's experience in Alabama's 3-4 defense will certainly appeal to some teams, and Upshaw recently told Sports Illustrated that he's looking forward to showing off his prowess at the combine.

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I'm looking forward to many of the events, but I'm most focused on the 40-yard dash. I know how important 40 times are to a player's draft stock, and I'm determined to impress scouts and GMs with my performance. My goal is to run a 4.6-second 40. I've been practicing the 40 while training in Arizona and -- though the trainers won't tell me my time -- I know I'm in the 4.6 range.

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The Crimson Tide's secondary had no shortage of star power in the secondary either, beginning with cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who racked up 29 tackles and two forced fumbles while earning second team All-American honors in 2011.

The 6'2", 190-pound Kirkpatrick is big for a cornerback, raising the possibility of a move to safety down the road, but he's a physical player with decent coverage skills that could find himself selected towards the end of the first round, especially given the premium on cornerbacks in today's pass-wacky NFL.

Finally, safety Mark Barron is widely believed to be the top prospect at his position in this year's class, and although a sports hernia will prevent the 6'2", 210-pound first team All-American from participating in the combine and possibly Alabama's pro day, many believe he still merits first-round consideration, including the Boston Herald's Ian Rapoport, who sees the New England patriots as a potential suitor.

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[Barron] thrived in Nick Saban’s Belichickian system. He’s physical and decisive, excelling in man-to-man coverage.

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Should that prove to be the case then Mark Barron, who had 66 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in 2011, could find himself at the tail end of a quartet of hard-hitting 'Bama boys who are picked in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.