2011 NFL Draft: 15 Biggest Draft-Day Free Falls in Draft History
2011 NFL Draft is almost here, and once the draft gets under way, you know someone is going to slide down the draft board.
It happens every year without fail, and it's something that we might as well plan for at this point. Some are more stunning than others, and with that in mind, here are the 15 biggest in draft history. If you agree or disagree, make sure to put your thoughts in the comments.
Who do you think was the biggest slide in draft history?
No. 15: Andre Smith
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You may not remember Andre Smith, even though he was a top draft pick.
Smith came out of Alabama with all the hype in the world but then had numerous personal conduct issues and had a terrible workout. He was originally projected to be possibly the top pick in the draft but slipped to No. 6, where he was taken by Cincinnati.
He hasn't done much, and with motivation and a personality like his, it's no shock to see why.
No. 14: Rey Maualuga
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Rey Maualuga was a star linebacker at USC, and a lot of people thought he was going to be a first-round pick.
However, that wasn't the case on draft day, as Maualuga slid down the draft board and into the second round, where he was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals. He hasn't been a stud with the Bengals, but he hasn't been a waste either.
Maybe the slide was warranted.
No. 13: Louis Oliver
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Louis Oliver isn't exactly a well-known name when it comes to people falling in the NFL draft.
However, Oliver was a cornerback who was originally projected to be a solid first-round pick, but on draft day he found himself tumbling way down the draft board and ended up being taken by the Miami Dolphins at the bottom of the first round.
He never really did anything of consequence in the NFL.
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No. 12: Aaron Hernandez
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Aaron Hernandez was a solid tight end at Florida who people thought would be a fairly high draft pick.
However, Hernandez reportedly failed a drug test, and that killed his draft stock and sent him into the fourth round, where the New England Patriots scooped him up. He's done great things for that team and is part of the Pats' young nucleus.
If the draft was done over today, there's no way he would fall to the fourth round again.
No. 11: Michael Crabtree
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Michael Crabtree was coming off a monster season at Texas Tech where the Red Raiders nearly went to the national championship.
He was looked at as a sure-fire, can't miss prospect and looked like a perfect fit in Oakland with the Raiders, who really needed a wideout. Instead, the Raiders took Darrius Heyward-Bey in a move that shocked everyone at the draft.
Crabtree fell to the San Francisco 49ers, who took him with the 10th pick.
No. 10: Matt Leinart
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Matt Leinart looked to be the sure-fire first overall pick in the draft after his junior year at USC.
The quarterback decided to come back for his senior year and ended up losing in the national championship game to Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns. Young hopped Leinart on the draft board and was taken by the Tennessee Titans.
Other teams passed on Leinart, and he was finally taken 10th by the Arizona Cardinals after an awkward moment for him in the green room.
No. 9: Warren Sapp
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Warren Sapp was looked at as one of the best prospects in the country when he came out of Miami.
The draft started, and team after team passed on the stud defensive lineman before he was taken 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp went on to go to multiple Pro Bowls and even win a Super Bowl.
It's one of the more stunning moments in draft history.
No. 8: Jimmy Clausen
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Jimmy Clausen came out of Notre Dame as a solid prospect.
He had a good season with the Fighting Irish, and a lot of people thought he would be taken somewhere in the first round. The draft started going, and teams that could have used him passed and kept passing on him as he fell out of the first round.
Carolina took him in the second round, and he struggled in his rookie season. Who knows what his final role will be, but it doesn't look good.
No. 7: Rashaan Salaam
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Coming into the 1995 draft, Raashan Salaam was looked as one of the best, if not the best running back in the draft.
Salaam ended up being the fifth running back taken as the 21st overall selection by the Chicago Bears.
Salaam never really amounted to anything in the NFL, but then again, neither did a lot of those backs. Ki-Jana Carter was a bust, along with James Stewart, while Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman had decent careers.
It was still a shocking moment on draft day.
No. 6: Brady Quinn
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Brady Quinn came into the NFL draft after a couple of successful seasons at Notre Dame under Charlie Weis.
A lot of people thought he was destined to go to the Cleveland Browns, and he got there—just not in the way everyone thought he would. Quinn tumbled down the draft board on national television as people watched in horror as team after team passed on him.
He eventually went to Cleveland with the 22nd pick in the draft, and he has never really panned out as a pro quarterback.
No. 5: Drew Brees
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Looking back on it, it's stunning to think of where Drew Brees went in the draft.
Brees was a successful quarterback at Purdue, but when he entered the NFL draft, for some reason no team wanted him. In fact, he wasn't even taken in the first round. Brees was taken 32nd, the first pick of the second round at the time.
I guess he proved everyone wrong now that he's an MVP and a Super Bowl champion.
No. 4: Thurman Thomas
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Thurman Thomas is a Hall of Famer and was a major piece of that Buffalo Bills dynasty that reached four straight Super Bowls.
However, he wasn't always this acclaimed. Coming out of college, Thomas was dealing with a knee injury, and there were a lot of question marks around him. He was taken in the second round with the 40th overall pick by the Bills, and they never looked back.
I guess those other teams should have done their homework.
No. 3: Randy Moss
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Randy Moss is one of the greatest wideouts to ever play football, but that didn't stop teams from passing on him.
There were a lot of character concerns around Moss when he entered the draft in 1998, and he started sliding down the board and was actually the second wideout taken behind Kevin Dyson, who went to Tennessee.
Moss went on to do amazing things, and Dyson was part of two of the most famous plays in NFL history: the Music City Miracle and then coming up a yard short in the Super Bowl that same season. I bet the Titans could have used Moss.
Just saying.
No. 2: Dan Marino
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Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Too bad he doesn't have the draft stature of one. Marino was taken 27th overall in the draft by the Miami Dolphins, and it was because of some concerns about the quarterback's health and some rumors about drug use that teams were scared off.
The Dolphins may have never won a Super Bowl, but they still made out like bandits.
No. 1: Aaron Rodgers
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Coming into the 2005 draft, it was either Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers.
It was a close race, and no one could decide who was going to go where. The San Francisco 49ers took Smith with the first pick, and Rodgers was expected to follow soon after. However, Rodgers started tumbling and kept tumbling as everyone scratched their heads.
Eventually, the Green Bay Packers took Rodgers with the 24th pick in the draft. Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre while Smith struggled in San Fran. Favre left for the Jets a couple of years later, and Rodgers hasn't looked back.
If Green Bay gets to the Super Bowl on Sunday, it will have been one of the bigger steals in draft history.
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