Nick Saban built the Alabama football program into a national powerhouse — showcased by the talent that comes out of Tuscaloosa and excels in the NFL year after year.

That's no secret, and nothing new to the legacy that the newly retired Crimson Tide coach built over his 17 seasons at Alabama. A total of 126 Crimson Tide players have been selected in the NFL draft who have played for Saban, not including former players who were signed as undrafted free agents.

But with the NFL draft starting up on Thursday in Detroit, it's come to the point of the year where fans — and perhaps NFL teams, as the draft goes on — may ask: Who's the top talent from Alabama this year? Who is available from Alabama?

MORE: Watch the 2024 NFL Draft with Fubo (free trial)

This year's pool of Crimson Tide players — who have the tag of "Nick Saban's last NFL draft class" to their names for eternity — consist of edge defender Dallas Turner, offensive tackle JC Latham and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

In addition to those four, seven other Alabama players are eligible for this year's NFL draft and could have their names called across Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27.

Here are the best fits for the top Alabama players in the NFL draft:

Note: All projections based off USA Today's Michael Middlehurt-Schwartz mock draft.

EDGE Dallas Turner to Atlanta Falcons in 1st round

Middlehurt-Schwartz has Turner going to the Falcons at No. 8 overall:

"This projection dates all the way back to USA TODAY Sports' way-too-early mock draft last April, and it's still hard to shake. Bringing aboard a blur off the edge in Turner feels like the most reasonable answer for an Atlanta team that has merely been scraping by with its pass rush for far too long."

CB Terrion Arnold to Jacksonville Jaguars in 1st round

Middlehurt-Schwartz has Arnold going to the Jaguars at No. 17 overall:

"With the passing attacks throughout the AFC South only growing more formidable, Jacksonville has to find more solutions for a pass defense that ranked 26th in yards allowed. Able to handle a wide variety of receivers in man coverage, Arnold would open up a lot of possibilities for new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen."

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OT JC Latham to Pittsburgh Steelers in 1st round

Middlehurt-Schwartz has Latham going to the Steelers at No. 20 overall:

"Omar Khan made a decidedly un-Steeler-like maneuver to shake up the quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Now, it's back to business with Latham, a jolting right tackle who fits Pittsburgh's offensive identity and would allow 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones to shift back to the left side."

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry to San Francisco 49ers in 1st round

Middlehurt-Schwartz has McKinstry going to the 49ers at No. 31 overall:

"With the passing attacks throughout the AFC South only growing more formidable, Jacksonville has to find more solutions for a pass defense that ranked 26th in yards allowed. Able to handle a wide variety of receivers in man coverage, Arnold would open up a lot of possibilities for new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen."

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Other Alabama players eligible for 2024 NFL Draft

Here's a list of the remaining eligible Alabama football players for this year's NFL draft. Projections are based on NFL.com's Chad Reuter's seven-round NFL mock draft:

• EDGE Chris Braswell: 4th round to the Chicago Bears (No. 117 overall)

• WR Jermaine Burton: 4th round to the New York Jets (No. 111 overall)

• K Will Reichard: 5th round to the Los Angeles Rams (No. 154 overall)

• DT Justin Eboigbe: 5th round to the New York Giants (No. 166 overall)

• RB Jase McClellan: Undrafted

• C Darian Dalcourt: Undrafted

• S Jaylen Key: Undrafted

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Top Alabama Crimson Tide NFL draft prospects of all time

Since the first NFL draft back in 1936, Alabama has had a total of 79 players selected in the first round.

Joe Namath was taken No. 12 overall in the 1965 NFL Draft by the then-St. Louis Cardinals. The former Tide quarterback would not play for St. Louis, however, as he signed with New York Jets after being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the American Football League draft that same season. Note: the NFL and AFL had competing drafts from 1959 to 1969, which caused tensions between both leagues. It was not until 1970 that both leagues merged into one draft.

Since 1994 — when the draft was reduced to seven rounds — Alabama is tied for the third-most draft picks in one single draft, as the Tide had 12 players selected in 2018.

Bryce Young went No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers in last year's NFL draft. He is the lone Alabama player to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft during the Saban era.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: NFL mock draft 2024: Alabama Crimson Tide prospect projections