One day the Nick Saban era of Alabama football is going to end. Totally and completely. Unofficially as well as officially. That day is not today.

Today Saban will wear two hats as the NFL Draft kicks off in Detroit. He will analyze the proceedings in his first official appearance as a member of ESPN’s College GameDay crew, and he will be a proud papa as more of his Crimson Tide players hear their names called in the first round by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Alabama will have as many as four first-round picks tonight and more to come in rounds 2-3 Friday and 4-7 Saturday. They will add to the program’s already ridiculous total of 123 draftees, 44 of them in the first round, since tackle Andre Smith, running back Glen Coffee, center Antoine Caldwell and safety Rashad Johnson became the first Alabama players under Saban to be drafted in 2009.

The final tally won’t be complete until last season’s freshman class departs, but Saban’s draft dominance is as solid as Denny Chimes concrete. Since 2009, Alabama has had 18 more overall picks than LSU, the SEC runner-up in that time, and 22 more first-rounders than second-place Georgia.

The disparity between Alabama and Auburn is striking on both fronts. The Crimson Tide has had 65 more players chosen than the Tigers over the last 15 drafts – 38 more in the first round alone. In fact, only three SEC programs have produced fewer first-round picks than Auburn’s six since 2009: Kentucky with three, Arkansas with two and Vanderbilt with zero.