NFL Draft 2011: Jake Locker to Titans, Jaguars Trade Up for Blaine Gabbert
The 2011 NFL Draft has been a real doozy, folks, and there is still a fair number of picks to be made.
In case you weren't watching, the craziness started right around the No. 6 pick, which the Cleveland Browns traded to the Atlanta Falcons. They used it to take Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, effectively giving Matt Ryan one of the best receiving duos in football to throw to (the other being Roddy White, of course).
That trade seemed to set a weird kind of tone. After Jones came off the board, all sorts of crazy things started happening. The San Francisco 49ers selected Missouri outside linebacker Aldon Smith with the No. 7 pick, and then the Tennessee Titans passed up Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert to take Washington's Jake Locker.
A few moments later, the Jacksonville Jaguars acquired the No. 10 pick from the Washington Redskins so they could take Gabbert.
Like I said, craziness. For a quick recap of the Locker and Gabbert picks and assorted other draft tidbits, feel free to read on.
NFL Draft 2011: Recapping Early Trades of First Round
1 of 4
In case you missed the early part of the 2011 NFL Draft, don't bother looking at any pre-draft mock for guidance. Suffice it to say that the draft did not proceed as any of us thought it would, and this has a lot to do with the trades.
Yes, there were a couple of major trades early on. If you didn't know that, allow me to fill you in.
The Atlanta Falcons were rumored to be interested in trading up to take Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, and they did just that when they made a deal to acquire the Cleveland Browns' No. 6 pick.
In order to get Jones, however, the Falcons had to give up the No. 27 pick in the first round, as well as the No. 59 pick in the second round and the No. 124 pick in the fourth round. They also gave up their first and fourth-round picks in 2012. Jones definitely didn't come cheap.
Even more surprising than the Jones trade, however, was the one between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Washington Redskins.
The Jags traded their No. 16 and No. 49 (Round 2) picks to the Redskins in exchange for their No. 10 pick, and they ended up taking Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The Redskins used the No. 16 pick on Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan.
A little while later, the Browns made a deal to acquire the No. 21 pick from the Kansas City Chiefs and they used it to select Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor. The Chiefs got the No. 27 pick, which is a few picks away at the time I'm writing this.
NFL Trade Rumors: Could Kevin Kolb Be Headed to San Francisco 49ers?
2 of 4
Four quarterbacks have come off the board in the first 12 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft. Cam Newton went first overall to the Carolina Panthers, Jake Locker went No. 8 to the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to No. 10 to take Blaine Gabbert and the Minnesota Vikings took Christian Ponder at No. 12.
Of those four picks, three are complete surprises. But so it goes when it comes to the NFL Draft.
One of the teams that had a shot at drafting a quarterback was the San Francisco 49ers, but they chose to use their No. 7 pick on Missouri outside linebacker Aldon Smith instead. Personally, I don't want to speculate about whether or not that 49ers had ulterior motives in selecting Smith, but it is generally agreed that it was an odd pick.
I don't want to speculate, but Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News apparently had no problem doing so. He was of the mind that the 49ers may have had a certain backup quarterback for the Eagles on their minds when they took Smith:
""Methinks Kevin Kolb is going to San Fran and Aldon Smith will be coming to Philly as soon as trades are green-lighted."
"
To clarify, this was more of a theory than a rumor. That said, I'll be damned if it isn't an intriguing theory.
The Eagles do have a need for an outside linebacker, and a player like Smith would definitely fill it. Moreover, we all know that the 49ers need a quarterback, and Kolb is the best veteran that is going to be available whenever the NFL okays trades.
Unfortunately, the word from Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News is that 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said the team is "definitely not" trading Smith.
Bummer. That would have been a good story.
NFL Draft Rumors: Is Kyle Rudolph Ready to Come off the Board Late in Round 1?
3 of 4
As of the time I'm writing this, there are just a handful of picks left to be made in the first round, and one guy I'm still keeping an eye on is Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Evan Silva of Pro Football Talk said that Rudolph is "tentatively expected" to be a late-first or early-second round pick, but that his draft stock is "hard to gauge."
Earlier in the day, a report from the Miami Herald claimed that Rudolph was a possibility for the Dolphins at No. 15, but they ended up taking Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey.
Also on Thursday, Tony Pauline of SI.com tweeted that the St. Louis Rams were "looking hard" into Rudolph, and that they were considering trading down to get him. They ended up selecting North Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn at No. 14.
Up until Thursday night, the Atlanta Falcons were seen as a possible landing place for Rudolph, but they acquired the No. 6 pick from the Cleveland Browns so they could pick Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.
So at this point, there really are no clear suitors left in the first round. But if the first 20 picks of the draft are any indication, that does not mean that Rudolph is going to be available when the second round gets under way on Friday.
I thought the Baltimore Ravens were a possibility, but they ended up taking Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. So at this point, it's looking pretty likely that Rudolph will not go in the first round.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
NFL Draft 2011: Will Blaine Gabbert Have Better NFL Career Than Jake Locker?
4 of 4
Those of us who fancy ourselves NFL Draft experts had plans for Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. As we saw it, there was little chance of him falling past the Arizona Cardinals at No. 5. And if he did, it wouldn't be very far.
As far as Washington QB Jake Locker, most of us figured that he was barely a first-round talent. Therefore, if a team drafted him in the first round, it was going to be a reach.
This is why you should never listen to the experts, kids. Locker went No. 8 to the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to No. 10 so they could draft Gabbert.
Oh well. Now that Locker and Gabbert have been drafted, there is only one question: who will have a better career?
It's a good question. Locker and Gabbert are entering into two completely different scenarios, and it could be a while before we see either of them come into their own.
Locker is going to start right away with the Titans. Vince Young is going to be released or traded sooner or later, and the Titans don't have anybody else blocking Locker from the starting gig.
Because the Titans have arguably the best running back in football in Chris Johnson, there won't be that much pressure on Locker to perform right away. That's a good thing.
Gabbert could very well back up David Garrard for a few years. Garrard is by no means an elite NFL quarterback, but he's pretty good. He's signed up through the 2013 season, so Gabbert will have a couple years to watch and learn if Garrard doesn't play his way out of a job.
In the long run, both Locker and Gabbert are going to have their growing pains before they emerge as capable pro quarterbacks. Locker is the more physically talented of the two, but Gabbert did something that Locker never did in college, and that's throw for 3,000 yards.
Deciding which of these two has a brighter future on the same night they were drafted is a tough call. But if I must make a bold prediction, I'll go with Gabbert. I don't think he's as raw as Locker is, and I think he will benefit from watching Garrard for a season or two.
If and when Gabbert is giving his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, just remember that you heard it hear first.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
