NFL Draft 2011: 10 Dumb Draft-Day Decisions to Brace Yourself to Witness
As is the case with most sports, predicting which players or moves in any given NFL Draft will pan out well is an inexact science, to say the least.
For every bust like Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell, there's a diamond in the rough, like Tom Brady, or a can't-miss future star, like Peyton Manning.
Well, to be fair, there tend to be many more bonehead moves than Pro Bowl plays made on draft day.
The 2011 NFL Draft doesn't figure to be any different. This year's class is loaded with talent, most of which, like Auburn teammates Cam Newton and Nick Fairley, comes with considerable risk.
That being the case, expect a GM or two to lose their jobs down the line as a result of some bad decisions to be made later this month.
Here are 10 such poor choices.
The Carolina Panthers Take Cam Newton with the First Overall Pick
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The biggest mistake of the 2011 NFL Draft also figures to be the first.
That's right, folks: Cam Newton is looking more like the favorite to go to Carolina with the first overall pick.
New Panthers coach Ron Rivera has been gushing about Newton for the past couple weeks to any and every person who's willing to listen.
That means Rivera actually thinks Newton is the Panthers' best bet with the top choice or he's just trying to drum up interest in Newton to get some poor, desperate club to trade up.
Now, don't get me wrong; Newton, the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, is a tremendous talent and may someday be a terrific quarterback in the NFL.
However, it also seems likely that Newton will need at least a year or two to mature from a spread option quarterback into a competent pro-style passer.
Does a team as bad as Carolina have that kind of time to sit and wait for Newton's potential to actualize?
Is it even worth it for a team that has so many glaring holes on its roster to forfeit selecting the best player available (Patrick Peterson or Marcell Dareus) and instead draft for "need"?
These are certainly questions that will come up if/when the Panthers pick up Cam Newton to kick off the first day of the draft.
If the Panthers Don't Take Newton, Someone Else Will in the Top Five
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If, by some act of divinity, the Panthers come to their senses and pass on Cam Newton, he still isn't likely to hang around the green room for long.
The Denver Broncos, sitting pretty with the second-overall pick, aren't exactly in need of a quarterback just yet now that they've seemingly put their faith in Tim Tebow.
Once the Broncos make their selection, the Bills, Bengals and Cardinals all figure to be waiting in the wings like draft-day vultures to pick Newton off the board.
Again, assuming Carolina doesn't take him first.
Whether it be Buffalo at three, Cincinnati at four or even Arizona at five, any of these teams would be mistaken to overlook the abundance of surefire stars sitting at the top of this draft to take a risk on a player like Newton with such a startlingly high downside-to-upside ratio.
Someone (Anyone) Will Pass on Patrick Peterson
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Whichever team does end up taking Cam Newton in the top five will likely have forfeited the opportunity to draft the best player in the 2011 NFL Draft—Patrick Peterson.
Peterson is a once-in-a-generation-type talent and is easily the best cornerback prospect since Champ Bailey, if not Deion Sanders before him.
That includes Darrelle Revis, who's the closest thing to an MVP at defensive back that there's been in a long time.
In short, any team would be patently foolish to pass on Peterson, a shutdown corner with the ability to take away half the field on defense and take kicks and punts to the house on special teams.
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The Dallas Cowboys Ignore Their Need at Corner
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Though perhaps not quite on Peterson's level, Nebraska corner Prince Amukamara would be the first defensive back off the board in just about any other draft class.
Earlier prognostications from around the world of NFL mock drafts had Dallas selecting Amukamara with the ninth overall pick to fill the gaping hole in the team's defensive backfield.
The Cowboys were awful against the pass in 2010—a deficiency that might easily be attributed to the ineptitude of aging corner Terence Newman.
Hence, picking up a replacement of Amukamara's caliber would seem to be a no-brainer, right?
Right?
Oh, wait. According to Tony Pauline of Sports Illustrated, the Cowboys aren't exactly convinced that Amukamara is the guy they want to take with their first-round pick.
Whoops.
Someone Will Overlook Jimmy Smith's Character Concerns and Take Him Early
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Not to harp too much on defensive backs here, but the crop of corners in this year's draft class, though small, is eminently talented.
Colorado's Jimmy Smith certainly deserves inclusion amongst the likes of Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara, though that doesn't necessarily warrant him going in the first round, as so many draftniks have been projecting.
Why, pray tell?
How about two arrests and a positive drug test in college, and admission of only one of those arrests during his interview at the Combine?
Character issues much? Pac-Man Jones?
Question marks?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trade Up for a Defensive End
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One area in which there is no shortage whatsoever in this draft class is defensive line.
Apparently, no one told Tampa Bay.
Word on the street is that the Buccaneers, though well within range to select a quality talent like Iowa's Adrian Clayborn or Georgia's Justin Houston, may look to trade up to grab someone in the vicinity of North Carolina's Robert Quinn or Cal's Cameron Jordan.
Sure, adding a top-flight rush end would make the Bucs, who already employ tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, that much more formidable on defense for years to come.
But at what cost?
Any Team Has Trouble Finding Help in the Trenches
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Defensive end is far from the only position at which this year's draft class is stacked.
Essentially, if you're team is in need of assistance up front, along the offensive or defensive line, then this is the year to find it.
From nose tackles like Nick Fairley and Phil Taylor to offensive tackles like Gabe Carimi and Tyron Smith, there's no shortage of big bodies to be had in 2011.
As such, any team that could use a helping hand in the trenches (read: every team) but that doesn't come away with some sort of upgrade from the 2011 NFL Draft may be deemed a failure to some extent, perhaps even abjectly.
The sad thing about that statement, of course, is that at least a few teams are certain to drop the ball in this regard.
The Baltimore Ravens Opt for Defense...Again
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However, just because a team can add to its reinforcements up front doesn't necessarily mean it should do so early in the draft, in some cases, that is.
One such case is that of the Baltimore Ravens, who, according to Baltimore Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley, are leaning toward selecting Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward with the 26th pick.
Sure, Heyward would be a welcome addition to Baltimore's perennially pugnacious defense, elbow injury or no.
Such would then force Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome to wait until the second round to find a speedy wide-out to serve as a downfield threat for Joe Flacco and company, where he might find the pickin's to be a tad bit slimmer.
But not as slim as the 40 time of Maryland receiver Torrey Smith, who would be a perfect fit in Baltimore's offense, but who likely won't slip beyond the early second round.
The St. Louis Rams Wait Too Long to Pick Up a Wide Receiver
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The Baltimore Ravens aren't the only team in need of a wide receiver, nor are they the team most desperate for pass-catching help.
That title belongs to the St. Louis Rams, who somehow almost managed to slip into the playoffs with a passing attack that consisted of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford playing catch with the scout team receiving corps.
What better time than the present for the Rams to fill that hole, and what better player to do it with than Alabama wide-out Julio Jones?
Unfortunately for the good folks of St. Louis, it looks as though Jones is likely to go higher than 14th—when the Rams get their first crack at the draft.
Would it be unwise for the Rams to trade up to nab the wide receiver of their dreams, a guy who ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash on a broken foot?
Certainly, St. Louis has other holes to fill, but no hole is as glaring as the gaping one on their roster at wide receiver, and no player in this draft would fill it quite as perfectly as Jones.
Will the Rams do it? Probably not.
Ryan Mallett Goes in the First Round
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Ryan Mallett was once thought to be the best quarterback in the draft after Andrew Luck's decision to return to school.
Now, thanks to some questions about his character—some personnel folks seem to think he's the next Jimmy Clausen—it looks as though Mallett won't be off the board until the second round, at the earliest.
But then again, you never know if some team desperate for a new quarterback might just get a bit antsy and jump at the chance to draft the big-armed Texan in the first round.
Potential culprits include, but are definitely not limited to, the Vikings, the Redskins, the Dolphins and the Jaguars—all of whom, to varying degrees, need someone new, like Mallett, to take snaps under center.
Brace yourselves, folks. This draft is about to be a bumpy ride.
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