2011 NFL Draft: Power Ranking the Top 100 Prospects
It's the time that we have all been waiting for: NFL draft week—a week that will get our hopes up for the 2011 NFL season.
The 2011 NFL draft class is certainly an interesting one. This class is loaded defensively while still offering some quality offensive muscle. And one of the draft's more intriguing traits is the quarterback position; there isn't really any standout.
If I were an NFL general manager, this is how my big draft board would look: Power ranking the top 100 prospects.
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Nos. 100-76
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100. Taiwan Jones, RB Eastern Washington
99. Clint Boling, OG Georgia
98. Jacquizz Rogers, RB Oregon State
97. Greg Sales, WR Hawaii
96. Jordan Todman, RB Connecticut
95. Chris Culliver, CB, South Carolina
94. James Brewer, OT Indiana
93. Casey Matthews, ILB Oregon
92. Mason Foster, OLB Washington
91. Ricky Stanzi, QB Iowa
90. Shareece Wright, CB Southern California
89. Chris Carter, OLB Fresno State
88. Lance Kendricks, TE Wisconsin
87. Quan Sturdivant, ILB North Carolina
86. Terrell McClain, DT South Florida
85. Colin McCarthy, ILB Miami
84. Jurrell Casey, DT Southern California
83. Marcus Gilbert, OT Florida
82. Kenrick Ellis, DT Hampton
81. John Moffitt, OG Wisconsin
80. Shane Vereen, RB California
79. Tyler Sash, SS Iowa
78. Quinton Carter, FS Oklahoma
77. Luke Stocker, TE Tennessee
76. Leonard Hankerson, WR Miami
Nos. 75-51
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75. Kendall Hunter, RB Oklahoma State
74. Will Rackley, OG Lehigh
73. Brandon Burton, CB Utah
72. Daniel Thomas, RB Kansas State
71. Stefen Wisniewski, C Penn State
70. Curtis Brown, CB Texas
69. Chimdi Chekwa, CB Ohio State
68. Edmond Gates, WR Abilene Christian
67. Dontay Moch, OLB Nevada
66. Sam Acho, OLB Texas
65. Allen Bailey, DE Miami
64. Jarvis Jenkins, DT Clemson
63. Colin Kaepernick, QB Nevada
62. DeMarco Murray, RB Oklahoma
61. Orlando Franklin, OT Miami
60. Drake Nevis, DT LSU
59. Christian Ballard, DE Iowa
58. Jerrel Jernigan, WR Troy
57. Davon House, CB New Mexico State
56. Rodney Hudson, C Florida State
55. Bruce Carter, OLB North Carolina
54. James Carpenter, OT Alabama
53. Titus Young, WR Boise State
52. Benjamin Ijalana, OG Villanova
51. Ras-I Dowling, CB Virginia
Nos. 50-26
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50. Rahim Moore, FS UCLA
49. Jonathan Baldwin, WR Pittsburgh
48. Andy Dalton, QB TCU
47. Marvin Austin, DT North Carolina
46. Brooks Reed, OLB Arizona
45. Stephen Paea, DT Oregon State
44. Marcus Cannon, OT TCU
43. Ryan Williams, RB Virginia Tech
42. Martez Wilson, ILB Illinois
41. Randall Cobb, WR Kentucky
40. Torrey Smith, WR Maryland
39. Jabaal Sheard, DE Pittsburgh
38. Ryan Mallett, QB Arkansas
37. Justin Houston, OLB Georgia
36. Jake Locker, QB Washington
35. Kyle Rudolph, TE Notre Dame
34. Brandon Harris, CB Miami
33. Aaron Williams, CB Texas
32. Christian Ponder, QB Florida State
31. Danny Watkins, OG Baylor
30. Mikel LeShoure, RB Illinois
29. Derek Sherrod, OT Mississippi State
28. Phil Taylor, DT Baylor
27. Muhammad Wilkerson, DT Temple
26. Jimmy Smith, CB Colorado
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25. Akeem Ayers, Outside Linebacker UCLA
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Akeem Ayers is the outside linebacker for the 3-4 defense. He is one of the more athletic outside linebackers, which enables him to keep up with receivers in coverage.
Also, Ayers is a quality pass rusher, which makes him a well-rounded outside linebacker.
24. Cameron Heyward, Defensive End Ohio State
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Ohio State's Cameron Heyward is a very quick, explosive and athletic defensive end. He's a very versatile player and can multiple positions in the 3-4 and 4-3 defense.
The only knock on Heyward is that he can sometimes disappear in games due to his inconsistent play.
23. Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End Iowa
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Clayborn pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge in March 2010, so there are questions about his character, but he is one of the more explosive pass rushers in the 2011 draft class.
Clayborn can fit any scheme, as he can line up as a 4-3 LDE or one-gap 3-4 RDE and can play defensive tackle in passing situations.
22. Nate Solder, OT Colorado
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For being 6'8" and weighing 320 lbs., Colorado's Nate Solder is very athletic and quick for his size.
Solder is extremely fast off of the snap and can play left tackle at the next level, but is best suited for right tackle.
21. Corey Liuget, DT Illinois
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Weighing in at 300 lbs., Corey Liuget is one of the draft's premier run stoppers.
Liuget is a quality pass rusher but needs to incorporate more pass rushing moves into his arsenal in order to excel at the next level.
20. Ryan Kerrigan, Defensive End Purdue
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Former Purdue defensive end/outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is very quick coming off of the edge and can get to the quarterback in a hurry.
Kerrigan is a bit undersized to play defensive end in a 3-4 defense, but is a quality fit as an outside linebacker. In the 4-3 defense, Kerrigan is best suited for defensive end, but will need to bulk up and add more strength and power.
19. Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle Wisconsin
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Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi is arguably the draft's most well-rounded offensive lineman.
Carimi is a great pass protector and does a great job at digging out defenders.
18. Mark Ingram, Running Back Alabama
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Mark Ingram is the draft's top running back, but does present a major concern regarding his right knee.
Despite the knee concern, Ingram is an every-down running back and could end up being a 1,000-yard rusher during his rookie season in the NFL.
17. Aldon Smith, Defensive End Missouri
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Aldon Smith is a very athletic and versatile defensive end out of Missouri. He can be disruptive as a 4-3 DE or stand up as 3-4 OLB.
However, Smith will need to bulk up a bit in order to continue his pass rushing success at the next level.
16. Mike Pouncey, Offensive Guard/Center Florida
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Former Florida Gators offensive lineman Mike Pouncey will be joining his twin brother Maurkice in the NFL as a very successful lineman.
Pouncey is a great run blocker and is versatile enough to play both center and guard, which will appeal to many teams.
15. Cam Newton, Quarterback Auburn
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The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn has all the intangibles to be a very unique and successful passer in the NFL.
Although, while watching ESPN's QB Camp, I am not confident that he'll be able to learn an entire pro-style offensive system—considering that Auburn's system practically consisted of "play one, play two, play three, etc."
14. J.J. Watt, Defensive End Wisconsin
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J.J. Watt out of Wisconsin is the perfect size for a defensive end in the 3-4 defense.
Watt's height (6'5") is ideal for knocking down passes and being able to use his long arms to gain leverage against blockers.
13. Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback Missouri
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To me, Missouri's Blaine Gabbert has "Alex Smith" written all over him. I draw the comparsion that Gabbert is nothing more than the more mobile verision of Drew Bledsoe.
Gabbert is a typical pocket passer—don't expect anything else out of him.
12. Anthony Castonzo, Offensive Tackle Boston College
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Boston College's Anthony Castonzo could very well be an impact player his rookie season.
Castonzo can play both left and right tackle, but projects as left tackle due to his great athleticism that allows him to keep up against speed rushers.
Another plus on Castonzo is that he comes out of Boston College, which is known for producing great offensive linemen.
11. Da'Quan Bowers, Defensive End Clemson
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If Da'Quan Bowers' right knee ends up being healthy, he is going to be a steal, as his draft stock has been on a freefall ever since the 2011 NFL combine.
Bowers is an elite pass rusher and as all the intangibles to succeed at the next level.
10. Tyron Smith, Offensive Tackle USC
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Over the past few months, not only has USC's Tyron Smith's draft stock been on the rise, but he's been certainly working out and adding some much-needed muscle.
Smith is projected to be a Pro Bowl left tackle for many years to come.
9. Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle Auburn
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For being 300 lbs., Nick Fairley is very quick for his size.
Fairley saw only one year of success at the college level, which might raise a few red flags. However, in that long year, Fairley recorded an impressive 11.5 sacks.
8. Cameron Jordan, Defensive End California
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California's Cameron Jordan is a very well-rounded defensive end.
Jordan can play in either the 3-4 or 4-3 defenses and can contribute in a major way as a pass rusher.
7. Prince Amukamara
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Nebraska's Prince Amukamara has the ideal size to be an NFL cornerback as he stands in at 6'0".
Many scouts and analysts have compared Amukamara to the NFL's best cornerback, Darrelle Revis—as Amukamara possesses great man-to-man coverage skills and can shut down just about any wide receiver he's matched up against.
6. Robert Quinn, Defensive End North Carolina
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If it wasn't for Robert Quinn being suspended for the entire 2010 NCAA season, he could very well be the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft.
Quinn is just a freak athlete. He's an unstoppable pass rusher and is very good against the run. I can even project Quinn as a 3-4 outside linebacker due to his above-average speed and ability to keep up with receivers.
5. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Alabama
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Standing nearly 6'3", Alabama's Julio Jones is a very complete wide receiver.
Jones is not only a physical receiver, but he's very fast and explosive and has great breakaway speed.
From a fundamental standpoint, he's a great route runner which enables him to get open on some plays when an average route runner wouldn't be open.
4. Von Miller, Outside Linebacker Texas A&M
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If your team is a need of a pass rusher, Von Miller is the player best suited for the job.
Miller is a very disruptive pass rusher and during his four-year career at Texas A&M, Miller recorded an impressive 50.5 sacks.
3. Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle Alabama
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There aren't any major weaknesses in Alabama's Marcell Dareus's play.
Dareus is a great defensive tackle who is stout against the run and can disrupt pass plays.
The only knock is that Dareus has given up on some plays—but that is something that can be changed moving on into the next level.
2. Patrick Peterson, Cornerback LSU
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The measurements of 6'0" and 220 lbs. are not usually found on cornerbacks.
LSU's Patrick Peterson is just a freakish athlete. He's got great speed, cover skills and isn't afraid to bring the lumber on plays.
Peterson is one of the most physical cornerbacks to enter the draft in a long time.
During his three years at LSU, Peterson was known to be a playmaker as he snagged seven interceptions and recorded three sacks.
1. A.J. Green, Wide Receiver Georgia
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In my opinion, wide receiver A.J. Green is the most complete player in the 2011 NFL draft class.
Green will be an instant success for whichever team drafts him, and he'll likely be the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He's a very athletic wide receiver who has a great burst of speed off of the line scrimmage and uses his hands very well to break free from press coverage.
The most intriguing trait on Green's resume is that he's always made at least one amazing, breathtaking, near-impossible catch in every game he's played at Georgia.
Green leaves Georgia with a total of 166 receptions, 2,619 yards, and a very impressive 23 touchdowns in just three seasons.
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