The 2024 NFL Draft starts on Thursday 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 fourth pick in the NFL Draft has been a bonanza for half the teams that have selected a prospect who played at an Alabama high school or college. Two of those players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and two more of them might end up there.

The New England Patriots picked Alabama guard John Hannah (Albertville) at No. 4 in 1973 draft. A member of the NFL All-Time Team chosen for the league’s centennial celebration, Hannah was a seven-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler in 13 seasons. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 1991.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas at No. 4 in the 1989 draft. Thomas was a two-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler for Kansas City. Thomas set an NFL single-game record with seven sacks and recorded 126.5 in his 11-season career. An automobile accident on Jan. 23, 2000, ended Thomas’ career and ultimately took his life 16 days later. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2009.

The No. 4 pick of the 2004 draft, former Athens High School star Philip Rivers started the final 252 games of his NFL career. In regular-season play, the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback passed for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns, ranking sixth in both stats in NFL history.

The No. 4 pick of the 2015 draft, former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper is a five-time Pro Bowler with seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Cooper reached a career high of 1,250 receiving yards with the Cleveland Browns in 2023.

Four other prospects from Alabama high schools and colleges have been chosen at No. 4:

· Back Lowell Tew (Alabama): 1948 by the Washington Redskins. Instead of joining Alabama teammate Harry Gilmer, chosen by Washington at No. 1 in 1948, Tew got a $10,000 contract from the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference. A knee injury and concussion ended his football career in his second season.

· Defensive end Jon Hand (Sylacauga, Alabama): 1986 by the Indianapolis Colts. Hand spent his entire nine-season NFL career with Indianapolis, playing in 121 regular-season games and one playoff contest for the Colts. He recorded 35.5 sacks in his career, including 10 in 1989. Hand played in only two more NFL games after breaking his leg against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 18, 1994.

· Running back Brent Fullwood (Auburn): 1987 by the Green Bay Packers. Fullwood was one of four Auburn running backs drafted in 1987, along with Tommie Agee, Tim Jessie and Bo Jackson, who was on his second time around in the NFL Draft after stiff-arming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986. Fullwood ran for 274 yards as a rookie and 483 in his second season before producing 821 rushing yards as Green Bay’s fullback in 1989. He earned a Pro Bowl invitation for that performance. The next season, though, the Packers traded Fullwood to the Cleveland Browns after five games. Fullwood played in only one more game in his NFL career.

· Linebacker Keith McCants (Murphy, Alabama): 1990 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCants had knee surgery shortly after being drafted, but he was a full-time starter at defensive end in his second and third seasons with Tampa Bay. But injuries and substance-abuse problems unraveled his career and his life. He played in 88 games and recorded 13.5 sacks in six seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals hold the fourth 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.