Two Alabama players taken in 2025 NFL Draft first round

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WTVY) - One of the most highly-regarded stats for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program was padded on Thursday night as the team’s streak of first-round NFL Draft picks continued with the selection of two players to the professional level.

The selection of the two Tide juniors, offensive lineman Tyler Booker and linebacker Jihaad Campbell, extended the streak to 17 straight years that a player from the university in Tuscaloosa was taken in the first round. That number leads all college teams, with the next closest being Ohio State at nine consecutive years.

Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker (left) and linebacker Jihaad Campbell (right) were both... — Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker (left) and linebacker Jihaad Campbell (right) were both selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night.(Crimson Tide Photos)

Booker was taken with the 12th pick by the Dallas Cowboys. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Booker was a two-year starter for the Tide during his playing career in Tuscaloosa. He was named a permanent team captain going into the 2024-25 season and started all 13 games for Alabama. He was highly touted both by his coaches and others, being named an All-SEC and All-American team selection thanks to his blocking work, which included a team-high 92 knockdown blocks last season and allowing just half a sack.

Booker will join a Cowboys team that is looking to improve its running game in the upcoming season, something that suffered in 2024, with the IMG Academy graduate looking likely to slot into the right guard spot left open by the retirement of NFL 2010s All-Decade Team member and nine-time Pro Bowler Zack Martin.

Campbell would come off the board with the penultimate pick of the first round, going 31st overall to the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles after a last-second trade between them and the Kansas City Chiefs. Another IMG Academy grad and a native of Erial, New Jersey, Campbell’s versatility at the linebacker position made him a spotlight option for a lot of teams going into Thursday night. In 2024, the junior accounted for a team-high 117 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss, while also adding five sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, and a pair of pass breakups and quarterback hurries. He also earned first-team All-SEC recognition and second-team All-American honors.

Campbell makes for a potentially perfect defensive fit for the Eagles going into the upcoming season, which will only bolster the abilities of the NFC powerhouse led by former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts as they look to become only the 9th different NFL franchise to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.

The 2025 NFL Draft continues Friday night with second and third round selections.

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