He played college football for the Southeastern Louisiana Lions and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

After redshirting in 2008, he started nine of the 10 games in 2009, appearing in at cornerback and finished the season with 46 tackles (35 solo), and was also second on the team with five pass breakups.

In his final season, he was named first team All-Southland conference after finishing the year with 39 tackles (35 solo), including five for loss, four interceptions and eight pass break ups.

[2] On January 26, 2013, Alford recorded five combined tackles and an interception to help Detroit Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz's South team that defeated the North 21–16.

[5] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Alford was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

[12] Throughout training camp, he competed for a starting cornerback job against Asante Samuel, Desmond Trufant, and Robert McClain.

He made his first career interception off a pass attempt by quarterback Drew Brees that was intended for receiver Marques Colston at the end of the third quarter.

After posting a 3–10 season, head coach Mike Smith elected to start Alford at cornerback over Asante Samuel for their Week 14 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

[16] He played in all 16 games with four starts as a rookie finishing with 40 combined tackles (28 solo), nine pass deflections, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

On October 19, 2014, Alford recorded two solo tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco twice during a 29–7 loss.

[23] Throughout his first training camp under new head coach Dan Quinn, Alford competed to maintain his role as starting cornerback against Akeem King, rookie Jalen Collins, and Phillip Adams.

[24] On October 11, 2015, Alford recorded one tackle, two pass deflections, intercepted Washington Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins twice, and returned one for a touchdown during the Falcons' 25–19 victory.

He started the Atlanta Falcons' season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made five combined tackles and deflected two passes during their 31–24 loss.

On January 14, 2017, Alford started his first career playoff game and recorded five solo tackles in the Falcons' 36–20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round.

On February 5, 2017, Alford recorded 11 combined tackles, an interception, fumble recovery, and touchdown as the Falcons lost to the New England Patriots 34–28 in overtime.

Alford deflected Brady's throw into the air behind him, and Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen merged on the ball to try an intercept it or knock it down.

[47] Alford entered the 2021 season third on the Cardinals cornerback depth chart behind Byron Murphy and rookie Marco Wilson.