wo former Alabama players now have been selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the No. 7 pick to select former Alabama safety Mark Barron.
Earlier, the Cleveland Browns traded up one spot and used the No. 3 pick to select former Alabama running back Trent Richardson.
Three more former Crimson Tide stars are expected to be selected later in the first round tonight: linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.
Barron was a three-year starter and two-time captain who played key roles as a signal-caller and playmaker on two national championship teams.
As a senior, the Jim Thorpe Award finalist and unanimous All-American led an Alabama defense that finished the season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (8.2 ppg), total defense (183.6 yards per game), rushing defense (72.2) and passing defense (111.5). It capped the season with a 21-0 victory over top-ranked LSU in the BCS Championship Game, holding the Tigers to 92 total yards and allowing them to cross midfield only once, late in the game.
