4/25/2024 10:52:00 PM | Football
The Crimson Tide’s Latham, Turner and Arnold all went on night one of the Draft
DETROIT – The University of Alabama football program had three former players selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Detroit, Mich. Offensive tackle JC Latham was selected by the Titans at No. 7, followed by linebacker Dallas Turner at No. 16 to the Vikings and cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 24 to the Lions.
With three selections on the opening night of the Draft, head coach Nick Saban has now produced 52 first-rounders in his career, including 47 at Alabama. Those 47 selections, which have all come in the last 16 years, are as follows:
Draft Notes
The second and third rounds will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The 2024 NFL Draft concludes with rounds four through seven on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. CT. The remaining rounds will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
Alabama First Round Recap
Player
Pick
Team
JC Latham
7
Tennessee Titans
Dallas Turner
16
Minnesota Vikings
Terrion Arnold
24
Detroit Lions
JC Latham, Offensive Lineman (No. 7 | Tennessee Titans)
One of the top offensive linemen in all of college football, Latham spent the last two seasons starting at right tackle for the Crimson Tide. He earned All-SEC First Team honors from the Associated Press and conference coaches in 2023, allowing just two sacks all season while registering 40-plus knockdown blocks across 800-plus snaps to average better than 3.0 per contest. As a sophomore, Latham started all 13 games and had 29 knockdown blocks while allowing only two sacks. Before settling in at right tackle, Latham spent his freshman season as a key reserve on the offensive front while also contributing in a role on special teams. He played in all 14 match-ups in 2021, earning 104 total snaps.
Dallas Turner, Outside Linebacker (No. 16 | Minnesota Vikings)
Turner entered the NFL Draft as one of the country’s top defenders overall and arguably the best pass-rusher in this year’s class. A permanent team captain for the Tide in 2023, Turner was a consensus first team All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the All-SEC First Team. He recorded 53 total tackles, including a team-high 14.5 for loss (-88 yards) and an SEC-best 10 sacks (-68 yards), while adding two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a team-best 13 quarterback hurries. During his sophomore season of 2022, Turner played in all 13 games with 10 starts, totaling 37 tackles, including eight for loss (-29 yards) and four sacks (-18 yards). He pressured opposing quarterbacks nine times while adding a fumble recovery for a touchdown in 2022. One of the top recruits in his class, Turner made an immediate impact as a freshman, picking up Freshman All-America honors and being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. He saw time in all 15 games with three starts in 2021, tallying 30 stops, including 10 for loss (-58 yards) and 8.5 sacks (-40 yards), while contributing five quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
Terrion Arnold, Defensive Back (No. 24 | Detroit Lions)
Arnold has emerged as one of the nation’s top defensive backs in this year’s NFL Draft. He finished his redshirt sophomore season as a first team All-American by the Associated Press and earned a spot on the first team All-SEC list by the conference coaches. Arnold finished the 2023 season with 63 total tackles, good for fifth on UA, including 6.5 for loss (-24 yards) and one sack (-9 yards). He contributed 12 pass breakups and five interceptions for 17 passes defensed on the year while also adding two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. The Tallahassee, Fla., native paced Alabama and finished tied for the SEC lead in interceptions while his 17 passes defensed tied for the league lead. He also averaged 1.2 passes defended per game to tie for tops in the conference and 10th among Division I defenders in 2023. In his first season of action in 2022, Arnold was selected as a Freshman All-American by the FWAA and named to the Freshman All-SEC Team by the league coaches. He earned playing time in 11 of the team’s 13 games, including seven starts in 2022, and totaled 45 tackles, including one for loss (-1 yard), to go with eight pass breakups, an interception and one fumble recovery.
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