The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, over three days: this year, the first round took place on Thursday, April 28, 2011; the second and third rounds took place on Friday, April 29; with the final four rounds on Saturday, April 30, 2011.[1][2] The Carolina Panthers, who had the worst record for the 2010 NFL season at 2–14, had the right to the first selection in the draft, where they selected Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton, who was the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner.[3] The 2011 draft is regarded as one of the most talented draft classes in NFL history, as 12 of the first 16 players have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl.[4]
A second Heisman Trophy winner, running backMark Ingram II from Alabama was selected by New Orleans late in the first round. This was the eleventh draft which included multiple Heisman winners, and the first time ever that it has occurred in consecutive drafts (Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow in 2010).[5] Five of the first six picks played college football in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[6] For the second consecutive year—and the third time in NFL history—the top two selections of the draft won Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.[7] The top two picks in the draft, Cam Newton and Denver linebacker Von Miller, played against each other in Super Bowl 50 on the teams that drafted them. This marked the first time that the top two picks in a single draft faced each other in the Super Bowl.[8] The Broncos won, with Miller winning Super Bowl MVP.
Despite an ongoing labor dispute between league owners and players over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a provision in the expired CBA ensured that this draft would still take place, despite the fact that the owners had imposed a lockout to prevent the start of the league year.[10] Fans in attendance at the draft expressed their displeasure with the lockout by booing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the event and chanting "We want football."[11]
Due to the labor situation and the lockout, franchises were not able to trade players for draft selections (trades involving only selections were permitted), and were unable to sign or even contact drafted or undrafted players until the lockout was lifted. Because of the lockout, the Panthers could not sign or even negotiate with their first draft pick before the draft began, as other teams have done in years past.[12][13]
The restriction on trading players extended to players selected in this draft—teams were unable to swap any player once selected, e.g. as happened in 2004 when the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants completed a draft day trade involving Eli Manning and Philip Rivers who had been selected first and fourth respectively.[14] In addition, with no agreement in place between owners and players mandating future drafts, teams were advised by the league that any trades involving future draft picks would be made at the teams' "own risk".[15] This warning did not dissuade several teams from making trades involving future selections.
The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) considered plans to dissuade potential prospects from attending the draft,[16] but a record 25 potential draftees attended the event, including Von Miller, who was one of the named plaintiffs in the players' antitrust lawsuit against the league.[17][18]
The 2011 CBA reduced salaries for first-round picks by implementing a rookie wage scale. The rookie contracts for first round picks were set for four years each, with a fifth-year option available after the 2013 season.[19]
A record 56 underclassmen announced their intention to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility and declare themselves eligible to be selected in the draft.[20] Of the 56 eligible underclassmen, 43 (or 76.8%) were drafted.[21][22]
The selection of Newton, a junior, marked the third straight draft where the first overall selection was an underclassman. Since non-seniors were first eligible to be drafted in 1990, fourteen first overall picks (including six of the last seven) have been players who have entered the draft early.[23] Eight of the first ten players chosen in this draft were non-seniors, which broke the record of six set in 1997 and matched in 2006. Jake Locker and Von Miller were the only two seniors among the first ten draftees.[23]
The draft order is based generally on each team's record from the previous season, with teams which qualified for the postseason selecting after those which failed to make the playoffs.
A supplemental draft was held on August 22, 2011. For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the team forfeits its pick in that round in the draft of the following season. Six players were available in the supplemental draft, but only one was selected.
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round one
^#6: Cleveland → Atlanta. (D) Cleveland traded this pick to Atlanta for Atlanta's first (27th overall, which later became #26), second (59th) and fourth-rounder (124th) and also Atlanta's first- and fourth-round selections in 2012.[source 2]
^#10: Washington → Jacksonville. (D) Jacksonville acquired this pick from Washington for Jacksonville's first- (16th overall) and second-round (49th) selections.[source 3]
^#17: Oakland → New England (PD). Oakland traded this selection to New England for defensive lineman Richard Seymour.[source 4]
^#21: Kansas City → Cleveland. (D) Cleveland acquired this pick from Kansas City for a first-round pick Cleveland got in an earlier trade with Atlanta (27th overall, which later became #26) and Cleveland's third-rounder (70th overall).[source 2]
#26: Baltimore Ravens (time expired). This selection initially belonged to Baltimore, but their ten-minute time allotment expired while they were working out a trade, which allowed Kansas City to jump ahead of Baltimore and make this selection.[source 1]
^#28: New England → New Orleans (D). New England traded this selection to New Orleans for New Orleans' second-round selection in 2011 (56th overall) and first-round selection in 2012.[source 5]
Round two
^#33: Carolina → New England (PD). Carolina traded this selection to New England for a 2010 third-round selection (89th overall; Carolina selected Armanti Edwards).[source 6]
^#36: Denver → San Francisco (D). San Francisco acquired this selection from Denver in exchange for San Francisco's second- (#45), fourth- (#108) and fifth-round (#141) picks.[source 7]
#49: Washington → Indianapolis. (D) Washington traded this selection to Indianapolis in exchange for Indianapolis' second- (#53) and fifth-round (#152) selections.[source 9]
^#57: Seattle → Detroit (D). Detroit acquired this pick from Seattle in exchange for Detroit's third- (#75) and fourth-round (#107) selections. In addition the clubs swapped fifth- and seventh-round picks, with Detroit getting pick 157 and pick 209 and Seattle receiving pick 154 and pick 205.[source 11]
#62: Washington → Miami. (D) Miami acquired this pick from Washington for Miami's third- (#79) fifth- (#146) and seventh-round picks (#217).[source 14]
^#72: Washington → New Orleans (PD). Washington traded this selection and a conditional 2012 sixth-round selection to New Orleans for offensive tackle Jammal Brown and a fifth-round selection.[source 15]
^#74: Minnesota → New England (PD). Minnesota traded this selection to New England for wide receiver Randy Moss and a 2012 seventh-round selection.[source 16]
^#76: San Francisco → Jacksonville (D). Jacksonville obtained this pick from San Francisco for Jacksonville's third- (#80) and sixth-round (#182) selections.[source 17]
^#85: Philadelphia → Baltimore (D). Philadelphia traded this pick to Baltimore for Baltimore's third- (#90) and sixth-round (#191) selections.[source 18]
^#89: Seattle → San Diego (PD). Seattle traded this selection and a 2010 second-round selection (40th overall; traded to Miami, who selected Koa Misi) to San Diego for quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and a 2010 second-round selection (60th overall; Seattle selected Golden Tate).[source 19]
^#92: New England → Oakland (D). New England traded this pick along with a fourth-rounder (#125) to Oakland for Oakland's second-rounder in 2012 and a seventh-round selection (#219) in this draft.[source 20]
#104: Washington → Philadelphia (PD). Washington traded this selection and a 2010 second-round selection (37th overall; Philadelphia selected Nate Allen) to Philadelphia for quarterback Donovan McNabb.[source 23]
#104: Philadelphia → Tampa Bay (D). Tampa Bay acquired this selection from Philadelphia for Tampa Bay's fourth-round selection in this draft (#116) and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in 2012.[source 24]
^#105: Houston → Washington (D). Washington acquired this selection along with a sixth-rounder (#178) from Houston for a fourth-round (#127) and two fifth-round picks(#144 and #152).[source 25]
^#115: San Diego → San Francisco (PD). San Diego traded this selection, a 2010 third-round selection (91st overall; San Francisco selected NaVorro Bowman), and a 2010 sixth-round selection it acquired from Miami (173rd overall; San Francisco selected Anthony Dixon) to San Francisco for a 2010 third-round selection (79th overall; San Diego selected Donald Butler).[source 26]
^#121: New Orleans → Jacksonville (PD). New Orleans traded this selection to Jacksonville for a 2010 fifth-round selection it acquired from Oakland (158th overall; New Orleans selected Matt Tennant).[source 27]
^#122: Seattle → Buffalo (PD). Seattle traded this selection and a conditional 2012 selection to Buffalo for running back Marshawn Lynch.[source 28]
^#129: Green Bay → Denver (D). Denver acquired this selection along with a seventh-rounder (#204) from Green Bay for Denver's fifth- (#141) and sixth-round (#186) picks.[source 29]
#135: Tampa Bay → Kansas City (PD). Tampa Bay traded this selection to Kansas City for Kansas City's 6th round selection (#187) and defensive tackle Alex Magee.[source 31]
^#140: Detroit/Kansas City swap. As a penalty for tampering with Kansas City players, Detroit was forced to swap its fifth-round selection with Kansas City's, and to forfeit its 2012 seventh-round selection, or sixth round if they make the playoffs.[source 32]
^#145: St. Louis → Atlanta (D). Atlanta acquired this pick from St. Louis in exchange for fifth- (#158) and seventh-round (#229) selections.[source 33]
^#149: San Diego → Philadelphia (PD). San Diego traded this selection and a 2010 fifth-round selection (159th overall; Philadelphia selected Riley Cooper) to Philadelphia for a 2010 fifth-round selection it acquired from Cleveland (146th overall; San Diego selected Cam Thomas).[source 34]
#150: New York Giants → Minnesota (PD). The New York Giants traded this selection and a conditional 2012 selection to Minnesota for running back Darius Reynaud and quarterback Sage Rosenfels.[source 35]
#150: Minnesota → Cleveland. (D) Minnesota traded this selection to Cleveland for two sixth-round picks (#168 and #170)[source 36]
^#153: Philadelphia → New York Jets (D). The New York Jets acquired this selection along with a seventh-round pick (#227) from Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth- (#161) and a sixth-round (#194) selection.[source 37]
^#163: Green Bay → San Francisco (D). San Francisco acquired this pick from Green Bay for a sixth- (#174) and a seventh-round (#231) selection.[source 39]
#168: Denver → Cleveland (PD). Denver traded this selection, a conditional 2012 selection, and running back Peyton Hillis to Cleveland for quarterback Brady Quinn.[source 40]
#174: Green Bay → Miami (D). Miami acquired this pick from Green Bay in a swap of the teams' sixth- and seventh-round selections. Green Bay received pick 179 and pick 218, while Miami got this pick and pick 231.[source 42]
^#180: St. Louis → Baltimore (PD). St. Louis traded this selection to Baltimore for Baltimore's seventh-round selection (#228) and wide receiver Mark Clayton.[source 43]
#186: Philadelphia → Detroit (PD). Philadelphia traded this selection to Detroit for a 2010 seventh-round selection it had acquired from Denver (220th overall; Philadelphia selected Jamar Chaney).[source 46]
#186: Detroit → Denver (PD). Denver received this selection and tight end Dan Gronkowski from Detroit in exchange for cornerback Alphonso Smith and the Broncos' 2011 seventh round selection (#205).[source 47]
^#193: New England → Philadelphia (D). New England traded this selection to Philadelphia for pick 194. The trade, which has little significance as it involves swapping consecutive picks, was reportedly made "just for fun".[source 50]
^#208: Arizona → New York Jets (PD). Arizona traded this selection and a 2010 fourth-round selection (124th overall; traded to Carolina, who selected Eric Norwood) to the New York Jets for safety Kerry Rhodes.[source 53]
^#210: Detroit → Atlanta (PD). Detroit traded this conditional selection and a 2010 sixth-round selection (171st overall; Atlanta selected Shann Schillinger) to Atlanta for cornerback Chris Houston.[source 55]
Mr. Irrelevant – last overall National Football League draft picks
References
Notes
^Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
^Cam Newton was the 2010 winner of the Heisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football.[24]
^#27: Baltimore Ravens (time expired). Baltimore originally held the 26th pick, but they did not submit their pick in the allotted ten minutes which allowed Kansas City to jump in front of them. Baltimore had an agreement to trade the 26th pick to Chicago in exchange for pick #29 and Chicago's fourth-round selection. However, Chicago failed to call in the trade to the league office and thus the trade was not completed. Baltimore recovered to make this selection after Kansas City submitted its pick.[source 1]
^Mark Ingram was the 2009 winner of the Heisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football.[25]