The 2025 NFL Draft starts on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the 32 first-round picks. AL.com is counting down to the event by highlighting the best choice – overall, from the SEC and of players from Alabama high schools and colleges — made with each of the first 32 picks in the 89 NFL drafts.

Best No. 21 pick: Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998

Before the Vikings chose Moss, the earliest a player from Marshall had been selected in the NFL Draft was No. 53. But Moss paid off immediately for Minnesota as he led the NFL in touchdown receptions as a rookie, made the Pro Bowl in five of his first six seasons and began his career with six consecutive campaigns with at least 1,200 receiving yards.

Selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, Moss ranks fourth in receiving yards and second in touchdown receptions in NFL history with 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns in 218 regular-season games. He also had 54 receptions for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 postseason contests.

The No. 21 selection has yielded two Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers, with Lynn Swann joining the Pittsburgh Steelers from this spot in 1974.

Last year’s No. 21 pick was Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson by the Miami Dolphins.

Best No. 21 pick from the SEC: Tulane safety Richie Petitbon by the Chicago Bears in 1959

If Petitbon is remembered by football fans today, it’s more likely be for his 12 seasons as the Washington Redskins’ defensive coordinator, including with three Super Bowl-winning teams. But before that, Petitbon spent 14 seasons as an NFL safety.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Petitbon is the only one of the 15 SEC players picked at No. 21 who has been a first-team All-Pro. Petitbon earned that honor in 1963, when he intercepted eight passes in the regular season and another one in the NFL Championship Game as the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 14-10 to win the league title.

The most recent SEC player chosen at No. 21 is Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis by the Detroit Lions in 2017.

Best No. 21 pick with Alabama football roots: Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix by the Green Bay Packers in 2014

Clinton-Dix’s first four-and-one-half seasons with the Packers were the best part of the former Crimson Tide All-American’s career. He had 14 interceptions in 75 regular-season games, plus three more in seven playoff contests, with Green Bay. After being traded to Washington during the 2018 season, Clinton-Dix had two interceptions in the 27 remaining games in his NFL career and did not return to the postseason.

Clinton-Dix’s best season came in 2016, when he received a Pro Bowl invitation and received second-team All-Pro recognition.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the No. 21 pick in the NFL Draft on April 24.

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