PITTSBURGH — The 2026 NFL Draft opened Thursday with three Alabama names coming off the board in the first round, keeping the Crimson Tide’s hopes alive of extending its record streak to 18 straight years with a first-round pick.
The Miami Dolphins traded back from No. 11 to No. 12, picked up No. 177 and No. 180, and then used the 12th selection on Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor. One pick earlier, the Dallas Cowboys moved up to No. 11 and took former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, sending Nos. 12, 177 and 180 back to Miami. The Los Angeles Rams followed at No. 13 with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Proctor had been mocked as high as ninth overall, while Simpson was widely viewed as a second-rounder, making the first-round run on Alabama football talent a sharper outcome than many projections had suggested. Over a dozen Alabama players were hoped to hear their names called during the draft weekend, but the early action centered on the Tide’s top-end talent and whether the program could keep its first-round streak intact.
That streak has become part of Alabama’s recruiting pitch and draft identity, and the opening round in Pittsburgh put it in immediate play. Proctor’s selection was especially notable because teams had varied widely on where he fit, with some seeing him near the top 10 and others more cautiously. Hunt? No, the clearer storyline was the Cowboys’ aggressive move for Downs, whom evaluator Hunter DeSiver described as “so talented, big, physical, can move, has power, he's got range, he's got good feet.” DeSiver also said the concern was conditioning away from the building, noting he could get overweight and might not arrive in the best shape, though those issues were manageable and he was not a self-starter in that sense.
For Alabama, the first hour of the draft delivered both the reward and the reminder that elite college production still gets re-priced in the league’s boardroom. Proctor, Simpson and Downs all went in the opening round, and the Tide’s run at 18 straight years with a first-round pick now had the kind of head start that keeps the streak firmly in reach.
