NFL Draft 2011: Will Andy Dalton and Christian Ponder Be First Round Picks?

As the 2011 NFL Draft draws ever closer, the rumor mill is working in full force.

Who will be the No. 1 overall pick? Where will Cam Newton go? Who will take a chance on Ryan Mallett?

These are the sorts of questions many NFL fans are wondering.

The quarterback position in this draft is a mystery.

We know that Blaine Gabbert of Missouri and Cam Newton of Auburn are going to be the first two quarterbacks taken. But we don’t know what order.

We also know that Jake Locker of Washington will probably be the third quarterback taken.

But will he be taken in the first round?

And will there be any more QBs taken in the first round?

Andy Dalton of TCU and Christian Ponder of Florida State hope that answer is yes.

It’s quite possible that Dalton and/or Ponder could be selected late in the first round.

Here’s a look at the possibilities for Dalton and Ponder to be selected.

Andy Dalton

Dalton has been linked in rumors to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts won’t be able to take him with their second round pick since he likely won’t still be on the board, so that means they must be looking into using a first round pick on him.

If a tackle like Anthony Castonzo or Nate Solder isn’t available when the Colts pick at No. 22, they could either select Dalton or try to trade down to get him.

If they do want Dalton, though, they better not trade down too far or else some other team might snatch him up.

Since Dalton has been linked to a team in the first round, I’ll give him a 65 percent chance of being selected in the first round.

It could be by the Colts or by a team that trades up from the early second round to ensure they can take Dalton.

Christian Ponder

The Washington Redskins have been linked to both Ponder and Dalton.

If Gabbert and Newton are both gone when the Redskins pick at No. 10, they will likely try to trade down into the late first round.

There they will be looking to take either Ponder or Dalton.

The ‘Skins clearly don’t think Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman can handle the quarterback load this season, so they’d like to get a franchise QB in this draft.

I’d give Ponder the edge in the “QB with more potential” category. His game is more NFL ready than Dalton’s.

The Redskins will probably see that as well. But if they don’t, Ponder might not go until the early second round.

I’ll give Ponder a 40 percent chance of being drafted in the first round.

Conclusion

It’s always tough to tell how honest teams are being in these rumor reports.

Also, some teams might just be bringing in players for workouts as decoys to try to throw other off the scent of who they really plan on picking.

But based on the recent buzz surrounding the second tier of quarterbacks, there does seem to be a reasonable chance that Dalton and/or Ponder will be selected in the first round.

Of course, no one will know for sure until April 28.