2011 NFL Draft Results: 10 Reasons This Was the Most Entertaining 1st Round Ever
In a not so ordinary NFL offseason, the draft had a different feel to it this time around.
For some of us, the luster going in just wasn't what it used to be. For others, it was the only thing we were grasping to as we venture into uncharted waters.
And once the clock started ticking, the magic didn't fail to disappoint.
From Cam Newton going No. 1 overall, to Peyton Hillis taking the stage after winning the cover of Madden, firemen cheering on one of their own and Da'Quan Bowers somehow slipping past the first 32 picks, this was the most entertaining first round of the NFL Draft we've ever seen.
The Lockout
1 of 11
While Judge Nelson might have sided with the players and lifted the lockout for the time being, we're still a long way from playing some football this year.
That makes this draft something special all in itself. It's a refreshing dose of purity. No battling between the owners and players, no talk of collective bargaining or courtroom appeals. Just a draft and a reminder of why we love this game.
On Monday we'll go back to the sickening back and forth between millionaires and billionaires, but for today and the rest of the weekend, we can simply look cheerfully toward the future with our hopes high on incoming rookies.
The draft is always exciting, but when its all you really have, it means that much more.
No Free Agency, No Trades
2 of 11
Unlike years past, the dynamic of the draft changed this year without a collective bargaining agreement in place.
Free agency awaits in limbo, as does the possibility of trading players. What does that equal?
Teams like Minnesota took former Florida State quarterback/fringe first-round-graded prospect Christian Ponder with the 12th pick simply because the Vikings had to get their hands on a quarterback and really couldn't know when they'd have a better chance.
In any other year, you can bet picks like that don't happen. But with teams forced to fill their needs in the draft, things were bound to get a little nutty.
The Year of the Quarterback?
3 of 11
It's not the first time we've seen a run on quarterbacks, but when was the last time you saw four quarterbacks go in the top half of the first round and every single one of them was riddled with question marks?
It's a product of the reality that this is no ordinary NFL Draft.
A one-year wonder and Heisman winner was too good to pass up. Hard to make the same argument for Jake Locker and Christian Ponder. As for Blaine Gabbert, of all the teams in need of a quarterback, he just happens to go to one of the teams that wasn't.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Controversy in Jacksonville
4 of 11
A year ago, most Jacksonville Jaguars fans were calling for the team to select Tim Tebow. Obviously that didn't happen. The Jags stuck with David Garrard and he led the team to an 8-6 record in games he started.
But after further inspection, Garrard took a lot of heat for what was actually a decent season.
That wasn't enough for Jacksonville to stick with him again, though. The Jags didn't just draft a quarterback, they also traded up for someone with one of the highest draft grades in the class.
It's going to be very interesting when Blaine Gabbert gets to meet his new teammate.
Atlanta Gets Wild for Julio Jones
5 of 11
We have to admit that the prospect of Matt Ryan under center, Michael Turner in the backfield and Roddy White and Julio Jones lining up on the outside is simply scary.
It's the 2008-2009 Arizona Cardinals, but arguably even better.
We're excited just to see the show, but the production costs on this one were through the roof.
The Falcons gave up their first, second and fourth round picks in 2011 as well as their first and fourth-round picks in 2012. When's the last time you saw a player, any player, go for a such a high price?
Minnesota's Williams Wall, Meet the Suh-Fairley Combo
6 of 11
For years, Minnesota's Williams Wall (Pat and Kevin) has stood as the best one-two punch at defensive tackle in the NFL.
The pair has caused havoc, especially in the NFC North.
Thanks to a bit of luck, Detroit might have just surpassed their division rivals. It was Ndamukong Suh last year and in 2011 he's joined by Auburn's Nick Fairley.
Sure there are character concerns, but Fairely was in the debate to be the top overall pick just a couple of months ago. He and Suh will seal Detroit's interior line shut for the next decade.
Sometimes you simply have to love the scrutiny of the draft process. Without it, players like Suh and Fairley would never get the chance to play together.
Simply Put, Peyton Hillis
7 of 11
We'll keep it short and simple. It's really just great to see a blue-collar guy like Peyton Hillis rise from the shadows of Denver's depth chart to emerge as an All-Pro with the Cleveland Browns and don the cover of Madden 2012.
It culminated in Hillis taking the stage on draft day and announcing the Brown's first-round selection to the roars of an approving crowd.
You couldn't write fiction any better.
Danny Watkins Brings Along the West Kelowna Fire Department
8 of 11
Draft picks often travel to Radio City Music Hall with big groups of friends and family. But 26-year-old offensive guard Danny Watkins from Baylor took the cake.
The former part-time firefighter from Canada brought with him the fire chief and some of his other former co-workers from the West Kelowna Fire Department along for the ride.
That's a cheering section quite unlike any others we've seen before.
Mark Ingram Cries, but Soon It'll Be the Saints Opponents in Tears
9 of 11
Mark Ingram nearly slipped out of the first round all together after most mock drafts had him coming off the board at No. 15 to the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins passed and so did everyone from 16 to 27. With the 28th pick acquired from New England, the New Orleans Saints made sure Ingram would fall no further.
Giving up their second-round pick as well as next year's first-round selection, the Saints added the draft's top running back to one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.
When Ingram was read an encouraging and touching email from his imprisoned father upon taking the stage, the emotions of a long day got the best of him.
The stone-cold assassin on the field lowered his cap and let out the tears, partially joy, partially sadness no doubt.
The next person crying will be the first defensive coordinator who has to game plan for the Saints.
The Da'Quan Bowers Conundrum
10 of 11
Just like Nick Fairley, Da'Quan Bowers was part of the discussion to be the top overall pick just a couple of months ago.
But unlike Fairley, who went off the board at No. 13, Bowers experienced arguably the worst slide in recent history.
From No. 1 overall to out of the first round and all from a humiliating seat in the green room. We've seen injury concerns before, but the issues surrounding Bowers surgically repaired knee are on a different level.
Now the question becomes whether he'll turn out to be the biggest steal of the draft or the injury bust 32 teams made him out to be.
Super Speed Drafting
11 of 11
Here's a bonus one for you.
Since the NFL moved the first round of the draft to primetime a year ago, it's changed the dynamics of the event.
Starting at 8 p.m. with the whole nation watching and picks reduced to 10 minutes apiece, the last couple of years things have been designed to move along at a faster and more exciting rate.
But this year teams took it to another level. The first round wrapped up in three hours and 36 minutes, one hour and 44 minutes short of the maximum time allowable.
Things could have gone even faster had Baltimore and Kansas City not clogged up the machine at picks 26 and 27, with an uncharacteristic slipup by the Ravens that cost them one slot in the draft.
We burned through the first 20 picks in just over two hours. That's unprecedented for what's previously been a notoriously sluggish event.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
