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.

The earliest that a Troy player has been picked in an NFL Draft is at No. 11, and it happened twice. The Dallas Cowboys chose defensive end DeMarcus Ware at that spot in 2005, and the Buffalo Bills selected cornerback Leodis McKelvin in that slot in 2008.

They surpassed the previous low number for a Troy player in the draft of 56, where the New York Giants chose defensive end Osi Umenyiora in 2003.

An Auburn High School alumnus who played mainly outside linebacker in the NFL, Ware piled up 138.5 sacks in 12 seasons and led the league in that stat with 20 in 2008 and 15.5 in 2010. Ware received nine Pro Bowl invitations and earned first-team All-Pro recognition four times on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2023.

Across nine seasons, McKelvin had 15 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. McKelvin also returned 99 punts for an average of 10.3 yards and 95 kickoffs for an average of 26.0 yards. He led the NFL with a punt-return average of 18.7 yards in 2012, when he had two of his three punt-return touchdowns. McKelvin also ran back a kickoff for a touchdown as a rookie. He’s one of the five players in NFL history with at least three punt-return touchdowns, two interception-return touchdowns and one kickoff-return touchdown, along with Bill Dudley, Emlen Tunnell, Lemar Parrish and Deion Sanders.

Three other prospects from Alabama high schools and colleges have been the No. 11 pick in an NFL Draft:

· Offensive tackle D.J. Fluker (McGill-Toolen/Foley, Alabama): 2013 by the San Diego Chargers. Fluker was the Chargers’ right tackle in his first two seasons and right guard in his second two. Over the next four seasons, he played both positions for three teams and made 37 more starts to bring his career total to 96 in regular-season play. Fluker has not played since 2020, but he was on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad in 2023.

· Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama): 2018 by the Miami Dolphins. Traded by the Dolphins after his rookie season, Fitzpatrick has made the Pro Bowl four times and first-team All-Pro three times for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has 19 career interceptions, including six in 2022 when he tied for the NFL lead.

· Offensive tackle Jonah Williams (Alabama): 2019 by the Cincinnati Bengals. Injuries hampered Williams early in his career as he missed his entire rookie season and six games in his second. He settled in at left tackle and helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI to cap the 2021 season. In 2023, Williams moved to right tackle. After the season, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals as free agent.

The Minnesota Vikings hold the 11th 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.