Draft Revisited 2011

  Seems like every time I start these drafts I have 2 reactions, holy crap what shit show, or holy crap how loaded is this draft. Well this is the latter, I say this every time, but this might be the most stacked top 10 I've done of these. Let's even expand it to top 11, then you get 9 Pro Bowlers. It's crazy to see how smart these teams are, and then how bad the misses are. This is a fun exercise for me, so let's get into another.

Pick #1 Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton QB, Auburn. Not often the flash in the pan, one year wonder QB works out. Cam is the exception, not the rule. He dominated college football in 2010 with his size, speed, and arm strength. I know Michael Vick was a cheat code, but put 50 lbs on him, make him right handed, and change nothing else, that was young Cam. I hated Cam in college but became a fan of his in the NFL. He wasn't perfect but he was pretty damn good. It's almost a decade later and he's looking for work, but I think taking a QB #1 and he gets you to a Super Bowl is a great pick.

Pick #2 Denver Broncos: Von Miller LB, Texas A&M. When you can nail a pick in the top 5 it really helps your chances at winning football games in the near future. For the Broncos getting an absolute beast of a pass rusher set them up to contend for Super Bowls in the near future. Von Miller has been a multiple time All Pro and Pro Bowler. He was 3rd in the league in sacks his 2nd year. In 2015 he won the game MVP as the Broncos won the Super Bowl. He's heading to Canton.

Pick #3 Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus DT, Alabama. When Dareus was young and right he was dominate defensive tackle. He made a couple Pro Bowls with Buffalo and even signed a huge extension. However, he troubles started with drugs and sadly once you're in the NFL drug program it usually doesn't turn out well. He's been suspended twice, and he's now a free agent after spending 2019 in Jacksonville. If you're keeping score, that's 3 for 3 with Pro Bowlers.

Pick #4 Cincinnati Bengals: AJ Green WR, Georgia. The hits keep coming with this draft. AJ Green has been a very good receiver since entering the league, he's never been the best but he's often considered in the upper echelon. When Calvin Johnson suddenly retired AJ Green became my guy in fantasy football. He's fought the injury bug in the last couple years, but 6 of his 8 seasons he's gone over 1,000 yards receiving and double digit touchdowns 3 times. Hopefully he's still got a little gas in the tank to help Joe Burrow in 2020.

Pick #5 Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson CB, LSU. We're 5 for 5, Patrick Peterson was arguably one of the best cover corners in the league for a time, but much like running back being a shutdown corner doesn't last long. He's got 25 career interceptions, he went to 8 straight Pro Bowls. He did land a PED suspension in 2019, but that shouldn't overshadow his tenure in the league. Peterson worked out well for Arizona.

Pick #6 Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones WR, Alabama. It's rare for 2 wide receivers to go in the top 10, it's even rarer for both of them to pan out. Atlanta paid a mint for Julio, 2 1st round picks, a 2nd, and 2 4th rounders, but he's what they wanted, a big play deep threat for Matt Ryan to throw to and open up Roddy White underneath. It nearly worked in 2016 when after an awesome catch by Julio the Falcons bungled the next 3 plays and took themselves out of FG range, I've talked about that sequence a lot on the blog back in December. Julio has been a hit for Atlanta, and the streak continues as we're now 6 for 6 in guys making at least 1 Pro Bowl.

Pick #7 San Francisco 49ers: Aldon Smith LB, Missouri. There are plenty of head cases in the NFL, the key is find a coach or teammate they respect enough to keep in line. Well apparently the 49ers never found that guy for Smith. He was dominate on the field and just as dominate off the field, racking up over 30 sacks his first 2 years, he also got arrested, stabbed and arrested again in those 2 years. He never really kept it going on the field after that, he was out of the league after 2015 and even though he's trying to come back next season I don't expect much from him. However, those first 2 seasons made the 49ers look like geniuses, he was basically Von Miller and JJ Watt, but he lost his head and then he was gone. 7 for 7 on Pro Bowlers.

Pick #8 Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker QB, Washington. Here's the thing about Jake Locker, if Cam Newton doesn't happen out of nowhere he's the #1 pick. He was the #1 pick in 2011 as soon as the 2010 draft ended. Locker was the next big thing, see my Mt. Rushmore post a couple weeks back. He didn't pan out, he wasn't the 2nd coming of Steve Young or anything even close. 4 years, 23 starts, 27 TDs and 22 INTs gets you out of the league pretty fast. What's worse for Locker is he automatically the bust of this draft since the 7 guys in front of him were all Pro Bowl caliber players for at least a season, he wasn't, instead he runs a gym now.

Pick #9 Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith OT, USC. I only have 1 question, how in the hell did a 6'7" 310 lb tackle make it to #9 with no other tackles being taken. This dude is legit good, 7 Pro Bowls 4 time All Pro, and of course Jerry Jones made a smart pick. I guess how hard is it when a future hall of famer just lands in your lap at #9. You can't fault the other teams who didn't take him, besides Tennessee, but he's outlasted most of these dudes. Julio Jones is the only other guy at Smith's level right now. Great pick by Dallas and Smith has a couple more years in the tank.

Pick #10 Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert QB, Missouri. Remember what Atlanta paid to get to 6, Jacksonville didn't pay that much to get to 10. They sent a the 16th pick and a 2nd to get Yo Gabba Gabbert. I'll give Gabbert credit, he's the kind of QB that even though he failed he's managed to at least hold a clipboard this entire time, (he's like Colt McCoy) he'll start a couple games a year and have success 1 out of 4 starts but he never puts it together. I liked Gabbert more than Locker coming into the draft. Obviously this didn't work out as Jacksonville was back drafting another QB in a couple years, but he isn't the bust Jake Locker was.

That is as stacked a top 10 I've done, this draft though isn't as deep as the 2007 draft that I just reviewed. The best player of the draft though went #11 to Houston, JJ Watt, who has been a multiple time Defensive Player of the Year and when he stays healthy he's an absolute force.

From 12-20 you had some decent guys, the 4th QB taken was Christian Ponder at 12 to Minny. Some premium pass rushers in Robert Quinn (14th, Rams) and Ryan Kerrigan (16th, Redskins) sandwiched a good interior lineman in Mike Pouncey (Dolphins). Nate Solder went 17th to New England, and Adrian Claybourne went 20th to Tampa Bay.

21-32 had some decent guys, the Saints got 2 of them in Cameron Jordan at 24 and Mark Ingram at 28. Cameron Heyward went to Pittsburgh at 31, they have a good eye for defense.

2nd round the Bengals got the 2nd best QB of the draft in the Red Rocket Andy Dalton, whom they paired with AJ Green. San Francisco took Colin Kaepernick with the next pick at 36.

The Vikings made a great pick with Kyle Rudolph at 43. Green Bay got Randall Cobb with the last pick of the 2nd round.

Picks 70 and 71 by Kansas City and Dallas were both stellar, with Justin Houston and DeMarco Murray.

4th round saw Seattle get K.J. Wright and Cleveland got Cameron Jordan, who was a stellar tight end for a season and a half. Denver snaked Julius Thomas near the end of the 4th, he was great when paired with Peyton Manning, average with everyone else.

Seattle stole Richard Sherman in the 5th round

Philly drafted Jason Kelce to play Center in the 6th round, that was a good deal.

Seattle continued their shrewdness by signing Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent.

So Seattle did well, but New England also had a solid draft. Dallas did ok.

Jake Locker was the bust of the draft, what a shame.

I think JJ Watt is the best player but Tyron Smith has been the most consistent and Julio Jones has been the most dynamic.

This was a good class but they didn't have enough greatness to pass 2007 for my favorite. Still a good one though. I'm going to do 2012 next and if you look in the archives you'll see I did a draft diary for that one, I'm probably going to cry a lot, like a lot, I'm still mad, damn it.