Alabama is becoming the kind of NFL draft factory that the Miami Hurricanes were a decade ago.
The national champion Crimson Tide is expected to have five players drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft on Thursday night, which would be only the fifth time that has happened since the common draft began in 1967.
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Add in last year's first-round quartet, and only the Hurricanes have had a more prolific stretch in the draft.
Based on the latest mock drafts on NFL.com, tailback Trent Richardson, linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw and defensive backs Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick are all projected as first-rounders.
Still, Alabama will need one more great year to match the Hurricanes. Miami had six first-round picks in 2004, four in 2003 and five in 2002.
The Hurricanes of the early 2000s is the only team to have at least nine first-rounders in a two-year span, according to STATs LLC.
Ohio State also had five players taken in the opening round in 2006, as did Southern California in 1968.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said he emphasizes the importance of his players getting degrees and developing personally -- and then maybe turning into NFL players.
"We want to help them develop as a football player, which means, have a great career here, win a championship and see if you can play at the next level," he said.
It helps that Saban has been bringing in some of the nation's top recruiting classes. That has translated into two national championships in three years, along with a renewed draft presence.
The Tide didn't have a single player picked in 2008 for the first time in 38 years. The following year, Andre Smith became Alabama's first first-rounder since Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels in 2000.
The Tide has eight players who are likely to be drafted. Nose guard Josh Chapman, cornerback DeQuan Menzie and wide receiver/return man Marquis Maze are all expected to be picked in the mid-to-late rounds.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
