2011 NFL Predictions: Predicting the 2011 All-Rookie Team

Each season, all major news outlets that cover the NFL get to call judgment on the league's best rookies by creating an All-Rookie team. 

The crop of 2011 NFL rookies looks promising. Each drafted player has something they can do to improve their respective team and contribute significantly. 

Of course, it's not guaranteed that only top selections will make the All-Rookie teams; some rooks are thrown into terrible situations, while others are considered "project players" that require time to develop.

To sort out the junk, here is the projected 2011 NFL All-Rookie Team.

Carlos Sandoval is co-host of a weekly NFL podcast that's waitin' for the lockout to end. Follow him on Twitter.  

QB: Jake Locker

The Tennessee Titans shocked the entire nation when they selected Jake Locker as the eighth overall pick. 

Locker didn't have an amazing season in his last season with the Washington Huskies—he hurt his draft stock greatly (well, he did get drafted really high, didn't he?), and no one had him drafted in the top-15 selections.

So why is he on here?

Locker still proved that he was pretty NFL-ready, despite his lackluster season in 2010. But beyond that, he's thrown into an amazing situation with the Titans.

That's because the Titans were a potent offense last season—were it not for three horrible offensive games, they might have been a top-10 offense. Chris Johnson is the team's running back, and he's arguably the best ball-carrier in the NFL.

That'll alleviate the pressure from Locker in his rookie season—most likely, he'll be able to defer to CJ2K most of the time and play mistake-free football comfortably.

He won't "wow" anyone the way Sam Bradford did, but he'll get the job done better than, say, first overall pick Cam Newton, who'll need time to develop while also being thrown into a poor situation in Carolina.  

RB: Daniel Thomas

The Miami Dolphins traded away a couple of late-round picks to grab Daniel Thomas, a surprise to many, who thought they'd take Ryan Mallett, who was still on the board (Hey, Brady Quinn, you aren't alone anymore!).

Of course, Daniel Thomas may not be the best running back in the draft, but he's a good one who will have Mike Pouncey and Jake Long blocking for him up front. 

The Dolphins' bread and butter is the run game, and that'll benefit Thomas' stats greatly. 

Even more, Thomas may be thrown in as the team's primary running back, and he'll get far more reps than the pass-oriented New Orleans' Saints' running back Mark Ingram. 

Thomas has a solid combination of speed and power, something that the 'Fins need to kickstart their offense. 

WR: Julio Jones

Julio Jones joins the triumvirate of Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner in Atlanta, arguably the best team last season until the postseason. 

Jones was a highly coveted wide-out in this year's draft, and the Falcons gave up a ton to nab him with the sixth pick in the draft. 

What's going to ensure Jones that he'll have an amazing rookie season is the talent that's around him. 

Matt Ryan has already established himself as a solid starting quarterback, and with the run-game looking as good as ever, thanks to Michael Turner and another great wide-out to spread the field, Julio Jones will get a ton of reps in Atlanta to push the Falcons' offense further. 

WR2: Edmond Gates

The Miami Dolphins are quite possibly the worst complete team in the NFL. 

But, they're a complete team. The defense was solid all season long, the offensive line started off strong and the run-game wasn't half-bad despite having terrible ball-carriers. 

However, this situation—and the fact that Chad Henne should be allowed to throw down field more than he was with offensive coordinator Dan Henning at the helm—allows Gates to be the most surprising rookie this season. 

Gates is a speedy receiver who proved to have great hands and a solid sense of route-running. He won't have to carry the reception load, either, with Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess taking some of the heat off the young wide-out.

T: Tyron Smith

Tyron Smith proved to be a solid left tackle at USC. He has all the physical tangibles such as quickness, speed and strength necessary to compete at the NFL level immediately. 

Smith will have a large-ish task in Dallas, though: The Cowboys didn't have all the help they could use at the offensive line. 

However, the Cowboys could be pushed over the edge with this pick, and it could turn their fortunes around: Smith is a ripped lineman who works hard enough to perfect his craft in Dallas. He reacts quickly and has a solid amount of hustle to him, too. 

T2: Nate Solder

Nate Solder and Tyron Smith are close in comparison in terms of caliber of lineman: Both are solid picks, and both have an insane amount of talent. 

However, Solder will be coached by the New England Patriots' staff. 

The Patriots have had a good history with lineman, and Solder has all the talent that the Patriots like while also being mature enough to be coachable. 

C: Mike Pouncey

No one knows the position Mike Pouncey will play on the Miami Dolphins' offensive line, but for the time being, he's a center. 

And a damn good one who will work alongside Jake Long, possibly the best lineman in the NFL. 

The Dolphins have a decent offensive line (despite popular belief), but it needed some work, and Pouncey can balance it out in 2011. If Jake Long and he work harmoniously, Pouncey could be a top-5 lineman. 

G: Orlando Franklin

Orlando Franklin could bolster an extremely weak offensive line for the Denver Broncos, which so desperately needs protection.

Franklin has a deadly combo of speed and size and can help the inside of the line pretty easily, even in Denver, where he'll be a starter immediately. 

TE: Kyle Rudolph

The Minnesota Vikings have some problems at quarterback to address, even with the drafting of rookie Christian Ponder. 

However, Kyle Rudolph is an amazing ball-receiver and can make the toughest of catches. He's speedy for a tight end, and the Vikings could use more of an open field for Adrian Peterson to run. 

Kyle Rudolph will allow for the short-pass game to excel, too, and the more spacing, the better in Minny. 

DTs: Stephen Paea, Nick Fairley

Nick Fairley will line up alongside Ndamukong Suh, and the influence on one another alone should be damn potent. 

Fairley was a dominant defensive tackle in college and proved to be one of the best pass-rushers and run-stoppers in the nation. Lining up with Suh will make him look even better, and the catapulting of the Detroit Lions' defense will benefit his rookie campaign.

Stephen Paea will be thrown into the best of situations with the always-potent defensive unit of the Chicago Bears, and he'll likely keep the tradition of aggressive defense alive in Chicago when the aging linebacking corps (consisting of Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers) retire.  

DEs: Robert Quinn, Adrian Clayborn

Robert Quinn could be the St. Louis Rams' savior. 

Quinn has all the tangibles, and intangibles, even, to be the kind of guy that can turn around an entire defense, bolstering them from the ground up. 

The Rams need it, too—their defense was easily their weakness in 2010. 

Adrian Clayborn would help the Tampa Bay Buccanneers greatly, too, but since the team already has a decent defense, he won't have the same kind of impact. 

However, Clayborn is talented enough to make the Bucs' defense as elite as it once was. 

LBs: Von Miller, Martez Wilson, Mason Foster

Von Miller was the second overall pick for a reason. The Denver Broncos desperately needed some bolstering on the defensive end, and that's exactly what Miller is going to do. 

Miller proved to be an absolute animal in his last year in college, and the Broncos will slip him in the linebacking rotation immediately. 

Martez Wilson should allow the New Orleans Saints to muster up some defense, something they didn't have consistently all of last season. The fact that he'll be a starter should help his chances of making the All-Rookie team. 

Mason Foster is another Tampa Bay Buccaneer drafted for defense, and it's no surprise that they had quite the steal with Foster, who will be able to work his way into the starting lineup and have an immediate, surprising impact.  

CBs: Patrick Peterson, Prince Amukamara

Patrick Peterson was arguably the best player in the 2011 NFL draft. He was an absolute monster of a corner in his time with LSU, and there wasn't a player in the draft that could match the caliber of a player Peterson was. 

And alongside Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (who isn't amazing, but is a decent starting corner), the Cardinals should have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. 

Prince Amukamara was pretty damn close in comparison to Patrick Peterson. The New York Giants will most likely insert him as a starter right away, and his ability to keep up with some of the fastest receivers should make the Giants a much better defensive team, which is scary. 

Safeties: Rahim Moore, Jaiquawn Jarrett

There weren't a ton of great safeties in the 2011 NFL draft, but Rahim Moore was hands-down the best one on the board. 

Moore will provide a solid secondary option for the Denver Broncos, who seemingly went defense-only in this year's draft. If the group of rookies work well together in their first season, Moore will benefit greatly from contributing and association with an elite class of defensive rookies. 

Jaiquawn Jarrett will get playing time for the Philadelphia Eagles, and though Philly has a decent defense, their secondary could use some help, and Jarrett will prove to be the second-best safety of this rookie class.

Special Teams: Alex Henery, Colin Jones, Malcolm Williams

Let's get this out of the way first: Alex Henerey, a placekicker, was selected in the fourth round of the draft. 

A kicker. In the fourth round of the draft. Not even ESPN knew what to say about this. Did they even scout him? From this quote about his intangibles, doesn't look like it: 

"

Active in community service and an above-average student.

"

Cool. So he does a little community service. Let's be real: You're never going to find a kicker who is the "heart of the team" and in the middle of huddles pumping everyone up. 

Still, Henery must be good if he was selected in the draft. Right?

Colin Jones and Malcolm Williams are both amazing at covering kick returns, and both could provide some trouble for opposing returning teams.