NEW YORK – The University of Alabama had a school-record four players selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday evening.
Junior Marcell Dareus was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 3 overall pick, while junior wide receiver Julio Jones went to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6. Senior offensive lineman James Carpenter went No. 25 to the Seattle Seahawks, and junior running back Mark Ingram was selected with the 28th pick of the first round by the New Orleans Saints.
The four first-round selections was a school record for Alabama, breaking the mark of three set in 1993 with John Copeland, Eric Curry, and George Teague all going in round one. Alabama has now had seven first-round picks in the past three seasons under the guidance of coach Nick Saban.
“I think having four players selected in the first round says we have an institution and we have a program that attracts great people,” Saban said. “Not only athletically, academically and a lot of different ways, but I think it speaks volumes of our program because we have not only recruited some really good players, but we have developed them, and they have played extremely well.
“It is recognized by the people at the next level that the risk of drafting players that come from our program is a little less because of the way the players work, and how they are prepared and I think that is a real positive for our university and our program.”
Dareus, a native of Birmingham, Ala., was taken with the third pick after anchoring the Crimson Tide”s defensive line a season ago. He made 34 tackles with 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries in 11 games. Dareus was also the defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game and is the highest player chosen in the NFL draft for Alabama since Cornelius Bennett was the No. 2 overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1987.
“We are very pleased Marcell Dareus got picked with the third pick of the draft,” Saban said. “He has done a great job for us for three years. He has really developed into an outstanding player. He is a fine young man. He has represented the University of Alabama in a first-class way, and I am sure he is going to represent the Buffalo Bills in the same way.”
Listed at 6-foot-3, 308 pounds, he”s a versatile lineman who can play either on the end or tackle, and showed an ability of pressuring the quarterback as well as stopping the run. Dareus was the defensive MVP in helping Alabama defeat Texas in the 2010 national championship game.
“He is a force to be reckoned with,” Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “There”s a lot of people who make plays, but he is a force. He creates havoc on the offensive side.”
That”s what the Bills were looking for in the draft to address their top priority: a leaky defense that finished last against the run last season, and had difficulty generating a pass rush.
Jones, from Foley, Ala., was the catalyst to the passing game the past three seasons. In 2011, he hadthe most productive year with 78 receptions for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished his career No. 2 at Alabama in catches and receiving yards. Jones is the Crimson Tide”s fourth top-10 pick in the past three years.
“I”m really please for Julio,” Saban said. “Initially a lot of people had a lot of questions about a lot of things about Julio. I think the more they got to know him, the more they fell in love with him.”
That must be the case because Atlanta Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff invested much of his 2011 and 2012 drafts in a bold trade that brought Alabama receiver Julio Jones to Atlanta.
The Falcons selected Jones with the No. 6 overall pick acquired from Cleveland for a package of five draft picks, including Atlanta”s No. 27 overall selection in the first round this year and the team”s first-round pick in 2012.
The Browns also acquired the Falcons” second- and fourth-round picks this year and fourth-round selection in 2012.
The Falcons will pair the physical Jones with their Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White, giving quarterback Matt Ryan another top target.
“We knew it was going to be an aggressive move and cost us,” Dimitroff said. “As an organization we felt very strongly about the move for a player who truly adds the explosive, urgent athleticism we”re looking for to improve on this team.”
Jones said he was “very shocked” the Falcons made such a big investment to select him in the draft.
“It took me by surprise,” Jones said. “I feel like they have a lot of trust in me. I”m not going to disappoint.”
Ingram, out of Flint, Mich., finished his Alabama career in 2010 as the school”s career leader in rushing touchdowns with 42. He became the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy in 2009 and then went on to lead the Crimson Tide to a win in the BCS National Championship Game, earning offensive MVP honors. Ingram is the first Alabama running back to go in the first round since Shaun Alexander in the 2000 draft.
“I was hopeful the Saints were going to pick him at No. 24,” Saban said. “I think it (New Orleans) is the perfect situation for him. I know he is probably a little disappointed he didn”t get picked earlier. He was the best running back in the draft, there is no doubt about it.”
The Saints traded their first-round pick in the 2012 draft and their second-round pick this year to the New England Patriots to take Ingram, the son of former NFL standout Mark Ingram Sr. He rushed for 1,658 yards in 2009 and rushed for 875 yards on 158 carries after injuring his left knee in preseason practice. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and missed the first two games.
Still, he was the first running back taken.
The Saints finished 28th in the NFL in rushing last year, averaging just 94.9 yards while being decimated by injuries. Undrafted rookie free agent Chris Ivory had a team-high 716 yards, and no one else rushed for 300.
Carpenter, a junior-college transfer from Augusta, Ga., started every game at left tackle in his two seasons at the Capstone. He opened holes to help a potent rushing attack of Ingram and Trent Richardson while also providing blindside protection to quarterback Greg McElroy.
“James really played well for us in his two years and really developed nicely and made a tremendous amount of improvement,” Saban said. “I know people really like his athleticism. They like the fact he can play guard or tackle. He had a great Senior Bowl, and I think that sort of catapulted him up the charts in the draft and we were extremely happy to see him get picked where he did.”
Carpenter addresses a need for increased depth on an offensive line that was decimated by injuries and an inability to run the ball during the 2010 season.
He”ll come to Seattle with the expectation of being the Seahawks starting right tackle, likely meaning an end to the tenure of Sean Locklear with the Seahawks. That”s the plan of head coach Pete Carroll and assistant head coach Tom Cable, although both believe Carpenter could play any of four positions on the line.
“I was so shocked,” Carpenter said. “I thought I was going to go in the second round. I”m glad someone had faith in me.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.