2012 NFL Draft: First Round Expected to Be Loaded with Alabama Players

The first round of the NFL draft takes place tonight in New York City, but you may confuse it for an Alabama pep rally.

Alabama is set up for a big night in the Big Apple, with five former Crimson Tide players expected to be drafted in the first round. Running back Trent Richardson, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, safety Mark Barron, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and linebacker Courtney Upshaw are all projected to have their names called tonight, with Richardson and Barron possibly being Top-10 picks.

If five players go in the first round tonight, that would mean Alabama has produced a total of nine first-round draft picks in the last two years.

Nine.

That's a big statement for the program that Saban has built in Tuscaloosa.

Fans want SEC and national championships, but players—for the most part—play college football in order to start their career. It's pretty much the same for every other college student.

Saban has developed a program that has established itself as an NFL pipeline and a place where championships are expected. He has taken a program that was mired in the aftermath of probation and brought it back to the brink of a dynasty.

Best coach in America? Without a doubt.

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