After another year of draft speculation, scouting and plain ol’ guessing, the 2011 NFL Draft (surprisingly) happened this weekend at Radio City Music Hall in N.Y. And like every other year, the draft once again made a mockery of many an expert analyst before the first 10 picks were even announced.
To start the day, the Carolina Panthers, who were a measly 2-14 last year, made quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn University their first selection, just as many had predicted. But that was about all that went right for draft gurus like ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.
When Tennessee, 6-10 of a year ago, chose quarterback Jack Locker of the University of Washington with their eighth overall selection ahead of Missouri’s highly-touted quarterback Blaine Gabbert, NFL Network’s Rich Eisen exclaimed “We have our first shocker!” to signal the start of yet another wild weekend.
Other surprises of the draft included the Minnesota Vikings, also 6-10 last season, taking Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder 12th overall and the New England Patriots, 14-2 in 2010, using the 74th pick to nab a potential Tom Brady understudy in Arkansas’ uber-talented, but much maligned quarterback Ryan Mallet.
Even with the unpredictability, some teams still managed to come out of the draft with high hopes for 2012, while some seemed to do little to advance their own cause. Many draft experts have praised the work of the Saints, the Texans and the Lions with their shrewd maneuvering and well balanced approaches between drafting players for value versus need.
New Orleans, which has had an offensive juggernaut the last few years, took five defensemen in their six picks, including California defensive end Cameron Jordan with the 24th overall pick. The Saints’ draft, though, may be best remembered for the one offensive player they took: Alabama star running back and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. With the 28th overall pick, the Saints traded their second round pick this year and their first round pick next year to the Patriots to get the number one ranked running back in this year’s draft class.
The Detroit Lions, who haven’t had a winning season since they were 9-7 in 2000, also rated well on draft day. With the 13th selection, Detroit took Auburn defense lineman Nick Fairley who had been in the conversation for the number one overall pick just weeks before. The Lions also nabbed Boise State wide receiver Titus Young and Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure in the second round, giving them what is widely being considered the top draft combination.
On the other side, Seattle and New England seem to be on the other end of the measuring stick, leaving many fans scratching their heads over suspect selections.
After sneaking into the playoffs with a 7-9 record last year, Pete Carroll’s Seahawks addressed one of their most pressing needs at offensive line with their first three picks. Their first round pick of James Carpenter out of Alabama was quickly deduced as an overshot selection by both Kiper and McShay on the live ESPN telecast.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were also thought to have had a sub-par draft. While the Pats took some solid players early on like offensive tackle Nate Solder of the University of Colorado, their draft may be better remembered for higher-end talents that they passed up.
Still, like any draft, the true winners and losers are often determined two to three years down the road where Mr. Irrelevant, Rice University defensive end Cheta Ozougwu, the last overall pick in this year’s draft, may just end up outplaying top selection Cam Newton.
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