The first Alabama player selected as the first pick in an NFL Draft also was the first Crimson Tide alumnus to start a game at quarterback in the NFL.

Seventy-five years after Harry Gilmer led off the 1948 NFL Draft, Alabama got its second No. 1 pick, and Bryce Young is set to become the second former Alabama QB to start in his first NFL game.

MORE NFL:

· ALABAMA ROOKIES HELP LIONS UPEND CHIEFS IN SEASON-OPENING GAME

· BRIAN BRANCH GETS PICK-6 IN HIS NFL DEBUT

· WEEK 1: BRYCE YOUNG LEADS ROOKIE CLASS INTO DEBUT GAMES

The Carolina Panthers will have Young under center when they kick off the 2023 season on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Young will become the 15th former Alabama player to start an NFL regular-season game at quarterback (for the era in which the quarterback is the player who takes virtually all the snaps from the center, and not for the era in which quarterback and blocking back were interchangeable terms for the same position).

Three of the previous 14 starting quarterbacks from Alabama are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Young becomes the fourth former Tide QB on a current NFL roster.

Here’s a rundown on the first NFL starts by the other Alabama quarterbacks (presented chronologically):

Harry Gilmer, Washington Redskins: Nov. 6, 1949

Gilmer started his career in an era where information on starting lineups and game-by-game performances was much sketchier than it is today, but it appears he made his first NFL start in a 27-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

Washington used the first pick in the 1948 NFL Draft on Gilmer even though it had Sammy Baugh at quarterback, who, to that time, was the greatest passer in NFL history. Gilmer played halfback at Alabama in single- and double-wing attacks, but the Redskins had made the switch to the T-formation in 1945, and Gilmer played quarterback and halfback for Washington.

A leg injury sustained in a preseason scrimmage limited Gilmer to one game in his rookie season, but he played in all 12 in his second year, with three recorded starts. They seem to be the game against the Steelers followed by a 44-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 13 and a 31-21 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Against the Steelers, Gilmer got the scoring started in the second quarter with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Hugh Taylor. The next week against the Eagles, Gilmer threw a 39-yard TD pass to Pete Stout in the first quarter and a 61-yard TD pass to Taylor in the fourth quarter.

Against the Bears, Baugh came on to throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter after Chicago had taken a 31-7 lead. Gilmer didn’t have any more scoring plays for the remainder of the 1949 season as he finished 49-of-132 passing for 869 yards with four touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Gilmer’s passing yardage ranked ninth in the league in 1949. Baugh finished fourth with 1,903 passing yards.

Gilmer and Baugh played together in Washington through 1952.

After his final season with the Detroit Lions in 1956, Gilmer became an NFL assistant coach, starting a long career on the sidelines that include two seasons as the Lions’ head coach.

Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers: Nov. 18, 1956

Starr completed 3-of-6 passes for 63 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 17-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at City Stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Starr became a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, five-time NFL champion and revered Packer, but he wasn’t an immediate starter.

A 17th-round choice in the 1956 NFL Draft, Starr was playing behind Tobin Rote as a rookie when he threw for 119 yards in the fourth quarter of a 38-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 11, 1956. Rote completed only 8-of-23 passes and threw three interceptions in the game, and with the Packers at 2-5, coach Lisle Blackbourn decided to give Starr a chance.

But not much of one.

End Billy Howton made a one-handed catch on the Packers’ second possession against San Francisco for a 39-yard touchdown – the first of 152 TD passes for Starr – as Green Bay got off to a 9-0 lead. But an interception and a 49ers’ rally brought Rote back into the lineup, and while he ran for a touchdown, Green Bay came up short by losing three fumbles in the final six minutes.

Rote stayed in the lineup for the rest of the season, and Starr had to wait until 1957 to become Green Bay’s starting quarterback and until 1960, when the Packers reached the NFL Championship Game, to feel secure in the role. From 1961 through 1967, Green Bay won five NFL titles as Starr posted a 9-0 record as a playoff QB, won the 1966 NFL MVP Award and the MVP awards for the first two Super Bowls.

Joe Namath, New York Jets: Sept. 26, 1965

Namath completed 19-of-40 passes for 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York.

Although the Jets had kept Namath out of the NFL with what was pro football’s most lucrative contract to that time, he didn’t make his first start until New York’s third game of 1965. Mike Taliaferro started the first two games, during which he completed 8-of-33 passes for 83 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a pair of losses.

Namath made his AFL debut in relief of Taliaferro in the second game, completing 11-of-23 passes for 121 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions to earn the starting assignment in the next game.

In the fourth quarter of his first start, Namath’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Dee Mackey, his 2-point conversion pass and a 23-yard field goal by Jim Turner had the Jets within five points of the Bills before a late touchdown put it away for Buffalo.

The Bills went on to their second straight AFL championship in 1965, and Namath became the AFL Rookie of the Year as he completed 164-of-340 passes for 2,220 yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Namath finished fourth in TD passes and sixth in passing yards in the AFL as a rookie.

Bigger things were ahead of Namath, including a record-setting 4,007 passing yards in 1967, the AFL Player of the Year Award in 1968 and the Jets’ seminal 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969. The face of the AFL entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Steve Sloan, Atlanta Falcons: Oct. 8, 1967

Sloan completed 0-of-6 passes with two interceptions in a 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Sloan entered the NFL as an 11th-round draft pick of the expansion Falcons in 1966. Randy Johnson was Atlanta’s first starting quarterback. He had joined the team in the first round of that draft. After starting their existence with 10 losses, the Falcons won three of their final five games in 1966.

Atlanta carried none of that momentum into 1967. The Falcons started the campaign by losing to the Baltimore Colts 38-31, San Francisco 49ers 38-7 and Green Bay Packers 23-0 as Johnson completed 30-of-52 passes for 326 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions.

After throwing 13 passes as a rookie, Sloan played in relief in the losses to the 49ers and Packers – and so did a third Atlanta quarterback, Terry Nofsinger.

The Falcons switched Sloan to starter for the fourth game of the season, but he didn’t last long as former Grand Bay High School star Don Hultz returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown as Philadelphia took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The next week, Johnson was back as the starter, and the week after that, Nofsinger was Atlanta’s No. 1 QB, but only for one game as Johnson went back in for good.

After his only NFL start, Sloan played only once more in the NFL. On Nov. 12, he completed 1-of-3 passes in a 49-7 loss to the Colts.

The 1967 Falcons finished with a 1-12-1 record. Johnson had three more seasons and 14 more starts ahead with the Falcons as he gave way to Bob Berry. For Sloan and Nofsinger, 1967 was the final season for each in the NFL. Sloan started his coaching career the next season at Alabama.

Scott Hunter, Green Bay Packers: Sept. 26, 1971

Hunter completed 2-of-7 passes for 41 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions and ran for a 4-yard TD in a 34-3 victory over the Denver Broncos at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The final season of Bart Starr’s Hall of Fame career was an abbreviated one. After offseason arm surgery, he started only three games late in the 1971 season. In Green Bay’s opening game of 1971, the Packers started 39-year-old QB Zeke Bratkowski even though he hadn’t played since 1968. Hunter replaced the veteran in the second half and directed a Green Bay comeback that fell just short in a 42-40 loss to the New York Giants.

A sixth-round draft choice, Hunter completed 9-of-16 passes for 158 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in his first NFL game to earn the start in Game No. 2 of his rookie season, which Packers coach Dan Devine watched from the press box after sustaining a broken leg in a sideline collision in the opener.

While Hunter started against Denver, the Packers also used Bratkowski and second-year Frank Patrick at quarterback. The three combined to complete 5-of-19 passes for 101 yards with three interceptions. It didn’t matter because Green Bay intercepted Denver QB Don Horn six times, and Dave Hampton, John Brockington and Donny Anderson ran for a combined 218 yards, with each scoring one touchdown.

Hunter stayed in the starting lineup for the next eight games until Starr returned. The Green Bay star started three of the final four games, with Hunter picking up the other.

The Packers posted a 4-8-2 record in 1971 as Hunter completed 75-of-163 passes for 1,210 yards with seven touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Hunter also ran for four touchdowns as a rookie.

After Starr retired, Hunter started every game in 1972, when the Packers went 10-4 and returned to the playoffs. Hunter completed 86-of-199 passes for 1,252 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions and ran for five TDs in his second season.

Over the next seven years, Hunter started 18 more games. Five came with the Packers in 1973, when Green Bay also started Jerry Tagge and Jim Del Gaizo at quarterback. After a stop with the Buffalo Bills, Hunter re-emerged as a backup to 1975 No. 1 draft choice Steve Bartkowski with the Atlanta Falcons. When Bartkowski suffered a knee injury, Hunter started the final six games of 1976 and the first seven games of 1977.

Ken Stabler, Oakland Raiders: Oct. 17, 1971

Stabler completed 11-of-15 passes for 99 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 34-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

It’s hard to imagine now, but in the two years after the Raiders selected Stabler in the second round of the 1968 draft, he played more games in the Continental Football League than he did for Oakland.

Stabler had thrown 12 NFL passes when he came in for Daryle Lamonica on Oct. 10, 1971, to rally the Raiders to a 27-16 victory over the Denver Broncos with the first touchdown pass and second TD run of his pro career.

But Lamonica was back on the field after Oakland fell behind Philadelphia 10-0 in Stabler’s first start, and the Mad Bomber played over the Snake for the most part through the 1972 season.

Stabler almost rallied Oakland past Pittsburgh in the Immaculate Reception game, which ended the Raiders’ 1972 season. When the Raiders stumbled out of the gate in 1973, Stabler took over as starting quarterback in the fourth game and Oakland rebounded to make the first of five straight appearances in the AFC Championship Game.

The 1974 NFL MVP, Stabler delivered a Super Bowl win and stayed the Raiders’ starter through the 1979 season followed by two seasons with the Houston Oilers and two seasons (plus three games) with the New Orleans Saints to conclude his career, which landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Richard Todd, New York Jets: Oct. 31, 1976

Todd completed 6-of-20 passes for 87 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 19-14 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Todd had been the sixth player picked in the 1976 NFL Draft. But the Jets still had Joe Namath, and the veteran all-star started the first seven games of the season before giving way to Todd.

The rookie got his chance from coach Lou Holtz after New York lost 20-0 to the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 24. The Jets had a 1-6 record, and Namath had two touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

Todd connected with David Knight on a 20-yard throw in the second quarter against Buffalo for the first of his 124 NFL touchdown passes to open the scoring. A blocked-punt return for a touchdown and a field goal had the Jets in front 16-0 at halftime of Todd’s first start.

Todd started six games in a row. He had the field to himself in three and got relieved by Namath in three. When the Jets fired Holtz before the final game of the season, interim coach Mike Holovak put Namath back into the starting lineup for his final game with New York.

In his first season, Todd completed 65-of-162 passes for 870 yards with three touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Todd started all but one game he played over the next seven seasons with the Jets, then had a year as a starter with the New Orleans Saints.

Jeff Rutledge, Los Angeles Rams: Nov. 11, 1979

Rutledge completed 6-of-11 passes for 71 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 27-23 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.

In the Rams’ 24-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks the previous week, Los Angeles quarterback Pat Haden had suffered a broken finger, ending his 1979 season. With Vince Ferragamo recovering from a hand injury, the Rams turned to their 1979 ninth-round draft choice.

Rutledge had made his debut in a blowout loss to the San Diego Chargers in October, then came in against Seattle when Haden went down, completed 3-of-9 passes for 22 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

When Rutledge threw the first of his 16 NFL touchdown passes – a 18-yarder to Terry Nelson – the Rams led the Bears 16-0 in the second quarter. But QB Mike Phipps directed a Chicago comeback capped by 2-yard touchdown run by Walter Payton with 1:12 to play.

With Ferragamo ready to play the week after Rutledge’s start, he went into the lineup, and the Rams didn’t lose again until falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV.

Rutledge’s NFL career continued for another 13 years, during which he started nine games – four apiece for the New York Giants in 1983 and 1987 and one for the Washington Redskins in 1990. He had two more Super Bowls in his future, too, and he played in both as New York beat the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI and Washington beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI.

Brodie Croyle, Kansas City Chiefs: Nov. 18, 2007

Croyle completed 19-of-27 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a 13-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The setback was the third in a row for the Chiefs, who lost their final nine games to finish 4-12 in 2007.

In a 27-11 loss to Denver the previous week, Croyle had replaced Damon Huard after the starter had thrown an interception to set up a Broncos’ touchdown, then lost a fumble that was returned for a score on consecutive Kansas City snaps in the ninth game of the 2007 season. There had been some expectation that Croyle would be the Chiefs’ starter from the opening game after Kansas City traded Trent Green in the offseason, but coach Herm Edwards went with Huard.

Against the Colts, Croyle connected with wide receiver Dwayne Bowe with 1:22 left in the third quarter as the Chiefs tied the game at 10-10. Peyton Manning led Indianapolis through an almost seven-minute drive that ended with a 24-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri with three seconds to play.

A third-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft who threw seven passes as a rookie, Croyle started six of Kansas City’s final seven games in 2007. He completed the campaign 127-of-224 passing for 1,227 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Croyle began 2008 as the starter but suffered a shoulder injury in the opener. Croyle returned to the lineup for Game 6, but he again got hurt, this time knocking him out for the season.

In 2009, the Chiefs sent a second-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel. After starting 15 games in place of injured Tom Brady for New England in 2008, Cassel took over as the Kansas City starter, with Croyle making one start apiece in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Greg McElroy, New York Jets: Dec. 23, 2012

McElroy completed 14-of-24 passes for 185 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and ran for 25 yards on four carries in a 27-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

A seventh-round draft choice, the rookie was the third-team QB behind Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow and had played in one game when Jets coach Rex Ryan benched Sanchez, bypassed Tebow and named McElroy the starter for Game 14 of the 2012 season.

Ryan made the change after Sanchez threw four interceptions in a 14-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans that dropped the Jets to 6-8. McElroy had thrown a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in his only NFL appearance on Dec. 2.

Against the Chargers, McElroy hardly had a chance as San Diego tied a team record with 11 sacks, including one that forced a fumble.

Ryan planned to stick with McElroy for the season finale, but it turned out all those sacks had given the rookie a concussion. He never played in another game. The Jets went with a new QB corps in 2013 after drafting West Virginia’s Geno Smith in the second round.

AJ McCarron, Cincinnati Bengals: Dec. 20, 2015

McCarron completed 15-of-21 passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a 24-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

A fifth-round draft choice in 2014, McCarron didn’t play in his rookie season because of a shoulder issue. In 2015, he served as Andy Dalton’s backup, and he had thrown four passes in three appearances when Dalton suffered a broken right thumb against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 13.

McCarron completed 22-of-32 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in relief during the Bengals’ 33-20 loss to the Steelers.

Against the 49ers the next week, McCarron’s first NFL touchdown pass – a 20-yarder to tight end Tyler Kroft – gave the Bengals a 21-0 lead with 53 seconds left in the first half as Cincinnati clinched a playoff berth and McCarron became the first former Alabama QB to start an NFL win since Jeff Rutledge on Nov. 15, 1987.

McCarron started the Bengals’ remaining two regular-season games. Then in the postseason opener, McCarron completed 23-of-41 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception and had Cincinnati on the brink of its first playoff victory since 1990 after overcoming a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. But an untimely fumble by Bengals running back Jeremy Hill and a meltdown by the Cincinnati defense allowed Pittsburgh to rally in the final 90 seconds for an 18-16 victory.

McCarron has started one game since the playoff loss. He’s served as a backup to Dalton, Derek Carr and Deshaun Watson and was supposed to fill that role for Matt Ryan in 2021. Instead, a knee injury in an Atlanta Falcons’ preseason game sidelined him for the season.

McCarron made a comeback with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL in 2023, and he led the league with 24 touchdown passes in nine games.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: Nov. 1, 2020

Tagovailoa completed 12-of-22 passes for 93 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a 28-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the fifth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft even though his college career ended prematurely when he sustained a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture against Mississippi State on Nov. 16, 2019.

Tagovailoa watched 16-year veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick take every snap in the first five games before Miami put the rookie on the field for its final possession in a 24-0 victory over the New York Jets in Game 6. Tagovailoa completed both his passes for a total of 9 yards in a five-snap series that ran out the final 2:27 of the game.

When Miami returned from its bye, Tagovailoa had been installed as the starting quarterback. On the final play of the first quarter against the Rams, he threw his first TD pass – a 3-yarder to wide receiver DeVante Parker. Tagovailoa got a boost in his first start from Miami linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who returned a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown, and wide receiver Jakeem Grant, who returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown.

Tagovailoa started eight more times, missing one game with a thumb injury, but the Dolphins had Fitzpatrick come out of the bullpen twice with Miami trailing.

Miami had gone 6-2 in Tagovailoa’s starts, which put the Dolphins in contention for a playoff berth into the regular-season finale. But the Buffalo Bills beat Miami 56-26 on Jan. 3 as Tagovailoa threw three interceptions – one more than he had altogether to that point in his rookie season.

Tagovailoa completed 183-of-267 passes for 2,091 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions and ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in 2020.

Rib and finger injuries caused Tagovailoa to miss four games in 2021 and two concussions cost him four more games plus a playoff contest in 2022, when he led the NFL in passing-efficiency rating.

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: Dec. 13, 2020

Hurts completed 17-of-30 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and gained 106 yards on 18 rushing attempts in a 24-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Hurts became the first quarterback in NFL history to run for at least 100 yards and throw a touchdown pass in his first start. The Eagles entered the game with a 3-8-1 record while the Saints were 10-2.

Philadelphia selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft from Oklahoma, where he had transferred for the 2019 season with Tua Tagovailoa starting for Alabama. The Eagles picked Hurts even though they had Carson Wentz heading into his fifth season at quarterback on a fat contract.

By the 12th game of the season, Wentz had more interceptions and turnovers and had been sacked more times than any other player in the NFL. Hurts had played 33 snaps in the Eagles’ first 11 games, but with Philadelphia trailing the Green Bay Packers 20-3, coach Doug Pederson sent Hurts out for the second series of the second half. The rookie went the rest of the way in a 30-16 loss with Hurts completing 5-of-12 passes for 109 yards with one touchdown (a 32-yarder to Greg Ward) and one interception and 29 yards on five rushing attempts.

Each week for the rest of the season, Pederson went through a “we’ll see” routine on the starting quarterback, but each week it was Hurts.

Hurts became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 500 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in his first two starts as well as the first QB in the Super Bowl Era with at least three touchdown passes and a rushing TD in his first road start in a 33-26 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

After a 37-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Hurts was the 16th quarterback with at least 847 passing yards and the third quarterback with at least 238 rushing yards in his first three starts. But he was the only quarterback to reach both those totals in his first three starts.

As a rookie, Hurts completed 77-of-148 passes for 1,061 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions and ran 63 times for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught a 3-yard pass.

In 2021, Hurts helped the Eagles return to the playoffs, and in 2022, Philadelphia set a franchise record for victories and went to the Super Bowl. Hurts finished second in the voting for the NFL MVP Award, then signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension in the offseason.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots: Sept. 12, 2021

Jones completed 29-of-39 passes for 281 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a 17-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Jones became the first Crimson Tide QB to start in his first NFL game, and teammate Tua Tagovailoa was under center for the Dolphins. But another former Alabama teammate, New England running back Damien Harris, lost a fumble that Miami recovered at its 9-yard line with 3:31 to play to keep Jones from posting a comeback victory in his NFL debut.

Jones went on to start every game during his rookie season, including a 47-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, after joining the Patriots as the 15th selection in the 2021 NFL Draft,.

Jones completed 352-of-521 yards for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and ran 44 times for 129 yards during his first season, which he capped by playing the Pro Bowl.

Jones’ second season wasn’t as productive as he missed three full games and most of another contest with an ankle injury and the New England offense scuffled after losing offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.

Jones completed 288-of-442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and ran 47 times for 102 yards and one touchdown in 2022 as the Patriots missed the postseason.

For his third NFL campaign, Jones has another new offensive coordinator with Bill O’Brien coming aboard from Alabama to direct the New England attack.

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