2011 NFL Draft: 10 Reasons Nick Fairley Shouldn't Be the No. 1 Pick
Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley has been getting a ton of love after his performance against Oregon in the BCS National Championship game. There is no denying that he is one of the most talented players in the 2011 NFL Draft.
But should he be the No. 1 overall pick?
With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck returning to school for his junior year, the top spot in the draft is wide open.
There are at least four players that could make a case to be the top pick to the Carolina Panthers in April's draft.
Right now, all the momentum is in Fairley's favor. He shined on the biggest stage that college football has to offer. He was a force in the best conference in college football all year long.
But don't be so quick to pencil Fairley onto Carolina's roster for 2011. He is not a slam-dunk, lead-pipe lock to go No. 1.
Here are 10 reasons that the big Auburn defensive tackle won't hear his name called first April 28.
Fairley’s Reputation
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Fair or unfair, Fairley has earned a reputation as a dirty player.
Even in the BCS Championship game, he was shown shoving an Oregon player's head into the ground.
With the NFL cracking down on penalties, it could have a direct effect on how teams view his style of play.
Some could call it being intense. Others could view it as a player with an unstable temper.
There are all kinds of psychological tests that these players go through before they are drafted. If something unusual shows up in one of these exams, it could impact his draft stock slightly.
Fairley Is a Little Small for a Defensive Tackle
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In terms of height, Fairley is fine. He is 6'5", a very good size for a defensive tackle.
However, he is listed at 298 lbs. in the Auburn media guide. A lot of defensive tackles, particularly in a 3-4 scheme, are well over 300 lbs.
Some would like to see him add a little bit more bulk to his frame to be the “prototypical” defensive tackle size.
Fairley Had Only 1 Good Year in College
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As good as Fairley was for Auburn this year, it was his only productive season in college.
He redshirted his freshman year in 2008.
In 2009, he had only 28 tackles and one sack, hardly impressive numbers.
He had a breakout year in 2010 with 56 tackles and 12 sacks. He was a dominant force for Auburn’s national championship team. But again, it was only one year. Anyone can have a peak year in college.
Maybe it was just the start of something for Fairley, or maybe this year was as good as it gets for him.
A bigger sample size would make the choice much easier. Unfortunately it’s not there.
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Fairley Is Not Ndamukong Suh 2.0
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When talent evaluators have talked about Nick Fairley, they bring up the name Ndamukong Suh.
Suh, for those that don’t remember, was the Nebraska defensive tackle taken by the Lions with the second overall pick in last year’s NFL draft.
In his rookie season he finished with 66 total tackles and 10 sacks. He is going to win the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in a landslide.
As good as Fairley was for Auburn, he’s not Ndamukong Suh. He played brilliant this year, but he will not be the player that Suh is.
Oregon Plays Many Small Offensive Linemen
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The game that people bring up when they talk about why Fairley should be the No. 1 overall pick is the National Championship Game.
However, Oregon’s offensive line is really small.
Oregon plays a fast, frenetic kind of game. As a result, they want linemen who use more finesse and speed instead of power. Fairley was able to run right through the smaller Oregon linemen.
He did what he had to do and looked phenomenal in doing it. But let’s not act like he was running through a brick wall to get to Darron Thomas and LaMichael James.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Quarterback
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The Carolina Panthers have the No. 1 overall pick in this draft.
They have a vast number of needs, but perhaps the most pressing one is at quarterback.
Every year, quarterbacks in the draft tend to get over-valued because of their position. That’s the nature of the beast.
The quarterback is the most important position on the field.
The best quarterback in the 2011 draft is Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. He is not a franchise-changing quarterback like Andrew Luck, but he is the best of the bunch.
Carolina could go the quarterback route with their first pick.
The same thing happened last year when Ndamukong Suh was passed over by St Louis in favor of Sam Bradford.
Fairley’s Not the Consensus Best Player in the Draft
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Unlike past years, there seems to be at least four players who can make a claim to the top spot in the NFL draft this year.
Those players include Fairley, Georgia receiver AJ Green, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson and Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.
There are a couple other players who could make a claim to the top spot in this draft class, but those four seem to be the cream of the draft crop.
If one of those players shines above the others in their scouting day workouts, they will likely be the top pick.
The pressure is on Fairley to show what he’s got on his workout day if he wants to be No. 1.
Fairley Might Not Be the Best Defensive Lineman In the Class
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It’s going to be difficult for the top two defensive linemen to distinguish themselves from one another this draft season. They both have a lot of great qualities and could make an instant impact.
Of course the top two defensive linemen are Fairley and Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.
We all know Fairley’s skills, he played in the best conference in college football and they get all the national media attention.
Bowers did not get the media attention that Fairley did because he played for Clemson, but he is a terrific defensive end prospect. He gets after the quarterback and is a dynamic pass rusher off the edge.
The Panthers have a need for an elite pass rusher and could turn to Bowers, who has all the physical tools to play the position right away.
The Panthers' Defensive Scheme Will Call for a Pass-Rushing Defensive End
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Ron Rivera, who was the defensive coordinator in San Diego, will run a 4-3 defensive scheme with the Panthers. With the team having lost their franchise defensive end Julius Peppers to the Bears last season, they could look to for his replacement in this draft.
While Fairley would be a good pick, Da’Quan Bowers gives them that explosive player off the edge to get pressure on the quarterback.
Given the 4-3 scheme that the team will run, it only makes sense to get the best possible pass rusher available.
Unfortunately for Fairley, that’s not him.
He can be a good pass rusher, but defensive tackles make their money stopping the run first. Bowers provides them with the speed rush that they so obviously lack.
What Kind of Contract Will Fairley Want?
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It’s one of the oldest stories in the NFL draft book.
A lot of teams, especially early on in the draft, will avoid a player that wants to get paid more than they should, especially for their first professional contract.
Nick Fairley is going to hear how great he is for the next three months. That kind of talk can make a player think that he should be paid accordingly.
St Louis gave Sam Bradford $48 million to sign with them last year.
Will Fairley look for a deal worth even more than that?
Will the collective bargaining situation affect how he and his team handle negotiations?
Teams tend to shy away from players based on contract demands. While no one has made any kind of financial demand in Fairley’s camp, once we get closer to the draft that could change.
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