 Of all the draft @-@ eligible juniors , Mark Ingram , Julio Jones and Marcell Dareus declared their eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft on January 7 . At the time of their announcement , each was projected as a first round pick . Five Alabama players , two seniors and three juniors , were invited to the NFL Scouting <unk> . The invited players were offensive lineman James Carpenter , quarterback Greg McElroy , defensive end Marcell Dareus , running back Mark Ingram , and wide receiver Julio Jones . In the draft , Alabama set a school record with four players selected in the first round . The first round selections were Dareus ( 3rd Buffalo Bills ) , Jones ( 6th Atlanta Falcons ) , Carpenter ( 25th Seattle Seahawks ) and Ingram ( 28th New Orleans Saints ) . McElroy was selected in the seventh round ( <unk> New York <unk> ) . Preston Dial signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in July 2011 after the NFL labor dispute was resolved . 
