Dont'a Hightower is right where he expected to be all along, projected to go in the first round of this month's NFL Draft. The former Alabama linebacker has had to convince NFL teams that he was worth such an investment and that he was fast enough to play middle linebacker at the professional level. "I always knew I was going to be a first-round draft pick," Hightower said. "That's the way I've always worked. I pride myself on going out and doing the best I can to the best of my ability. I might have started slow during the season but whenever my teammates needed me to make a play or make a call, I was always there and did my job. "It's not about what the media thinks. It's about what the team thinks."