2011 NFL Draft Thread

[CubColtPacer]

was there some sort of weird compensation pick there at the end? Why did we end up with 97 picks through 3 rounds?

 

Yes, compensatory picks start in round 3. Carolina received the only 3rd rounder this year for losing Peppers.

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

was there some sort of weird compensation pick there at the end? Why did we end up with 97 picks through 3 rounds?

 

Yes, Carolina got a compensatory for Peppers

[Derwood]

weird. didn't know that was a rule

[Derwood]

I don't remember the last year that just one Penn State player went in the first three rounds. Pretty sad. I though Royster would have gone earlier, but he must have had a terrible combine or something

[rawaction]

I don't remember the last year that just one Penn State player went in the first three rounds. Pretty sad. I though Royster would have gone earlier, but he must have had a terrible combine or something

 

Royster has a deadly combination of being slow, not being shifty, and the inability to put up numbers vs. good teams. The last 2 years, he's done almost nothing against any defense in the top 50 in the nation. He was pretty much pushed into the late rounds after 4 games this past season.

[hawkeyecub]

I can't believe Ballard has fallen to the 4th, I would love to see the Vikings grab him if he's there in 9 picks. Before it came out that he tested positive for pot at the combine he was a late 1st, 2nd round guy. That was incredibly dumb but he's a pretty smart kid who isn't a character concern. He plays the [expletive] cello for crying out loud. I think he's going to be a really good NFL player though and is flexible.

[Exile on Waveland]

Is he good?

The Bears were going to take Paea in the first if Carimi was gone, so at the very least they loved him.

 

Paea was the guy I really wanted for the Colts in the second round (although I was fine with the guy they took). From what I have read about him, he should be good for the Bears as well.

 

Me too. I thought for sure the reason the Colts traded up in the second round was for Paea. Oh well, I'm happy with all three picks so far (man I love addressing the lines).

[rawaction]

My top 5 drafts so far:

 

New Orleans- Cam Jordan was neck and neck with Watt, who went 11th. Saints got him at 24. Arguably got the top DE and RB in the draft. Throw in arguably the top ILB in the draft (Wilson) and a ballhawk to throw in the CB risk, and who cares that NO has to wait 130 picks to take another player. Their draft is done, and done well.

 

Cleveland- the extra picks they got are sweet, and with Holmgren in charge of them...they will turn the franchise around. And when they did pick, they did it well. Phil Taylor is pretty much a beast up front. Sheard was one of the top 3, 4-3 DEs in this draft. A good get for a team transitioning from 3-4. Greg Little is a perfect fit for their quick, short passing attack with Colt McCoy at QB.

 

Indianapolis- got a top 15 pick at 22, arguably the best NFL ready LT in the draft. Got Ijalana at 49, which could be a steal with his versatility to play 4 of the 5 OL positions. Drake Nevis adds another quick body to the quickest DL in the league and they have some crazy first steps up front now with Nevis, Mathis and Freeney, the latter 2 should make Nevis' job easier.

 

Houston- maybe I'm biased, because I always think Houston does a good job on draft day, but the result of the season is always the same. But going to a 3-4, they pulled off the best 3-4 DE in the draft (Watt), a rush LB getting compared to Clay Matthews (Reed), and get Brandon Harris, a CB I think is very similar to Asante Samuel with elite level ball skills and ability to jump routes. If nothing else, they got the 3 hardest workers at these 3 positions in this draft.

 

Tampa Bay- not a big fan of Clayborne, but he can play. Bowers in the 2nd is a steal if he's even close to healthy. Their DL is now loaded with young talent. I also like Mason Foster, who I think is the most versatile LB in this draft. Can play inside in 3-4, and for Tampa can play all 3 positions in the 4-3.

 

Honorable mention- Green Bay, Chicago, Dallas, NY Giants, Steelers

 

 

My worst 5 drafts so far:

 

Minnesota- I actually really like the players they picked. But seriously? TE was not a major need. Though they got the best in the draft, it wasn't some kind of steal that they couldn't pass up. And Ponder is actually my favorite QB in the draft. But 12th? They had a shot to go up 2-3 picks to get Gabbert. They had a shot to trade down and still get Ponder. They did neither.

 

San Francisco- I had such high hopes for them. They had two 2nds, and multiple picks in 3 of the last 4 rounds. New coach, easy division, should have been primed to make a big splash in the draft. I thought Quinn would have been a better pick than Aldon Smith. I thought they would have used their plethora of picks to come up to get a QB (Dalton). They did come up to get Kaepernick, but that looks like a panic move as the QBs ahead of him were gone. I do like Kaerpernick, but he's not going to help them win this year. Culliver's a reach in the 3rd.

 

San Diego- Another team with some picks. Five in the first 3 rounds. IMO, they got a prototype 3-technique in Liuget, who they are going to miscast as a 5-tech in the 3-4. Gilchrist is a 4th round talent to me, at either CB or S. Mouton was a 5th rounder, IMO. Vincent Brown was a round overdraft also. Shareece Wright pick is OK, but I thought Marsh, Curtis Brown, Davon House, and Brandon Burton were better CBs still on the board.

 

Oakland- Wisnewski is an OK pick. But they had pretty good play at C last year. And if they are using Wis to replace Gallery at LG, I don't think that's a good fit. His best position is at C and he's about 1/2 the size of Gallery so there's some adjustment needing to be done there if they want to run to the left side. Van Dy-ke is another Raiders speed pick. He can run, but he won't tackle anyone, and isn't physical enough to handle Bowe, Demaryius Thomas, or the 6'5" guys in SD. Barksdale is boom/bust pick that I don't like personally.

 

Detroit- like Minnesota, they got some players I like. This is probably a little stretch as I couldn't really find a 5th draft that I completely didn't like. But their biggest needs are CB, LB (probably 2 of each), OT, and FS. They didn't fill any of those positions. CB is now depleted. OTs left are late round projects. The FS class was thin to begin with. Sure, Fairley and Suh will be tough to block. Sure, Titus Young may be a beast along side Calvin. Sure, LeShoure could be the next Steven Jackson. But it doesn't do any good that when they don't get a sack, their DBs and LBs can't cover anyone, when they can't run block or stop someone from driving Stafford's shoulder in the turf again.

 

Honorable mention- Tennessee, Seattle

[javy knows my name]

I can't believe Ballard has fallen to the 4th, I would love to see the Vikings grab him if he's there in 9 picks. Before it came out that he tested positive for pot at the combine he was a late 1st, 2nd round guy. That was incredibly dumb but he's a pretty smart kid who isn't a character concern. He plays the [expletive] cello for crying out loud. I think he's going to be a really good NFL player though and is flexible.

 

Absolutely. And Bears don't pick this round. Eff

[hawkeyecub]

 

Minnesota- I actually really like the players they picked. But seriously? TE was not a major need. Though they got the best in the draft, it wasn't some kind of steal that they couldn't pass up. And Ponder is actually my favorite QB in the draft. But 12th? They had a shot to go up 2-3 picks to get Gabbert. They had a shot to trade down and still get Ponder. They did neither.

 

The only thing I'll take issue with is your suggestion of how they could have moved. You say they had a shot to trade down and still get Ponder but Spielman said there was NO ONE willing to trade up to 12 and that was going all the way down to 32. Ponder was the guy they wanted but they took 9 minutes before turning the pick in. Schefter, Mort, LaCanfora were all saying the Lions were really trying to trade down at 13 and they couldn't do it either.

 

As far as trading up to 9 or 10, they don't have a 3rd rounder because of the Moss trade. It was either give up a 2 to match Jax or probably something like this year's 4 and next year's 3.

 

I'm a little meh on Rudolph for the same reason as you but I can't be too critical when I'm always wanting BPA and they said it wasn't even close, he was too high on their board to pass up. I wish we had addressed the defense or OL but TE was going to be an enormous need in a year and if Rudolph solidifies that spot for 8-10 years and is a security blanket for Ponder...

[Guest]

When do we start up again?

[Guest]

I can't believe Ballard has fallen to the 4th, I would love to see the Vikings grab him if he's there in 9 picks. Before it came out that he tested positive for pot at the combine he was a late 1st, 2nd round guy. That was incredibly dumb but he's a pretty smart kid who isn't a character concern. He plays the [expletive] cello for crying out loud. I think he's going to be a really good NFL player though and is flexible.

 

Absolutely. And Bears don't pick this round. Eff

 

Would rather have had Ballard than Conte. Or Marcus Cannon.

[hawkeyecub]

[expletive] yes, the Vikings got Ballard at 106. 9th pick in the 4th round. That's great value right there and fits perfectly with the Vikings needs. Makes up for passing on defense in the 2nd when they took BPA with Rudolph.

[Flames24Rulz]

Green Bay is having an awesome draft this weekend.

[Guest]

Green Bay is having an awesome draft this weekend.

 

The last pick was good value. I also liked the Ballard pick for the Vikings.

[Warpticon]

Of course the Raiders took Taiwan Jones.

[Andy]

Of the four Panthers' picks since Newton, I have heard of zero, but two are coming off recent very bad knee injuries. That's just wonderful.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I like all of the Cowboys picks except for Murray.

 

I'm hoping for two of Duenta Williams, Jerrel Powe, or Terrance Tolliver in rounds 6/7.

[hawkeyecub]

I like that the Vikings picks are all favorites of Wes Bunting and the National Football Post because he's probably my favorite draft guy. He had Ponder as the #1 QB (Pete Prisco too), like everyone else he had Randolph #1 TE and top 30, Ballard (4th round pick) as the #11 DE and Burton (5th rounder) as the #8 CB.

 

Burton came out early because he was given a 2nd round grade by the Draft Advisory Council. Ouch

[hawkeyecub]

Bears took QB Nate Enderle in the 5th. I know the Vikings liked him a ton. Big and slow but has a quick release.

[WrigleyField 22]

Heh, Patriots and Eagles make useless trade to keep silly streak alive. Nice.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

DeMarcus Love finally comes off the board in the sixth.

[erik316wttn]

DeMarcus Love finally comes off the board in the sixth.

 

Which is good for Ponder, although he still most likely will get the crap murdered out of him with the D-lines in the NFC North.

[Guest]

The Vikings have been killing it since the Ponder pick.

[hawkeyecub]

The Vikings have been killing it since the Ponder pick.

 

Anything you guys can tell me on Love?

 

I agree, I'm pleased but I liked Ponder a lot also. Like it much better than last year's draft.