The 2024 NFL Draft starts on April 25 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 is counting down to the draft by highlighting the players with Alabama football roots who have been chosen in the first 32 picks.

Kentucky outside linebacker Josh Allen and Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown entered the NFL as the seventh pick in the draft one year apart. They joined the list of the 20 highest-paid defensive players in the NFL a few days apart in April.

An All-State wide receiver while at Abbeville High School who finished second in the NFL in sacks in 2023, Allen signed a five-year, $141.25 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars after the team used its franchise tag to keep him out of free agency this offseason. Allen joined the Jaguars in 2019.

A former Auburn All-American coming off a Pro Bowl season that included an NFL tackles record for a defensive tackle, Brown signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Carolina Panthers. Brown joined the Panthers in 2020.

Allen and Brown are among the seven prospects from Alabama high schools and colleges who entered the NFL as the seventh selection in a draft:

· Quarterback Bobby Thomason (Leeds): 1949 by the Los Angeles Rams. After playing at VMI, Thomason led the NFL with 21 touchdown passes in 1953 for the Philadelphia Eagles, the first of his three Pro Bowl seasons. During his eight seasons, Thomason compiled 9,480 passing yards, at the time the most for a former Alabama high school player. He remains sixth on that list.

· Back Travis Tidwell (Woodlawn, Auburn): 1950 by the New York Giants. The MVP of the first Senior Bowl (and the only one not played in Mobile), Tidwell spent two seasons in the NFL behind Charlie Conerly at quarterback before playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Canada in 1954. In 14 NFL games, Tidwell completed 33-of-76 passes for 493 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions and ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries.

· Back Joe Childress (Robertsdale, Auburn): 1956 by the Chicago Cardinals. A two-time Gator Bowl MVP, Childress’ NFL career as a halfback and fullback straddled the Cardinals’ move from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960. When he retired after the 1965 season, his 2,210 NFL rushing yards stood as the most for an Auburn alumnus and for a former Alabama high school player. He also caught 121 passes for 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns – 10 more scores than he had as a ball-carrier.

· Safety Mark Barron (St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama): 2012 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barron transitioned from safety to outside linebacker to inside linebacker over the course of his eight NFL seasons, which featured two seasons with more than 115 tackles – one for the St. Louis Rams and one for the Los Angeles Rams.

· Offensive tackle Evan Neal (Alabama): 2022 by the New York Giants. Neal went right into the Giants’ lineup at right tackle. But injuries caused him to miss four games as a rookie and 10 games in 2023.

The Tennessee Titans hold the seventh 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.