The Best and Worst Classes of the 2011 NFL Draft

Okay, now that we’ve had some time to digest the draft and some of the immediate ramifications, let’s delve into some of the teams I thought best took advantage of their selections. (Not winners and losers per se, since we can’t actually grade these drafts until three years or so elapse.) Still, what’s the NFL without some premature judging?

The Positive

Cincinnati Bengals

Chad Johnson won’t be back? No problem. Draft A.J. Green. Carson Palmer wants out? Who cares? Draft Andy Dalton. Done and done. The Bengals managed to find capable (on paper anyways) replacements for exiting superstars. Green was clearly the top receiver in this draft, so skipping him wasn’t an option for a team with two likely departing receivers. Getting Dalton in the second round was a surprise, seeing how QB’s practically flew off the shelves in round one. What I love about Cincy’s draft is that they prepared for any eventuality with Palmer without stretching their resources. They let Dalton fall to them and then they snapped him up.

Yes, he's a red-headed quarterback. Now let's move on.

I like how they drafted two linemen with their next picks, especially Dontay Moch, who will get in as a pass-rush specialist. They took another young wide-out in the sixth round with Ryan Whalen, and bookended that pick with two additions to their secondary/special teams unit. The Bengals may not recapture the AFC North in the 2011 season, but they’ll get the chance to in the near future.

With only five picks in this year’s draft, the Lions had a lot of holes to fill. Drafting Nick Fairley with pick 13 made the Lion defensive line even more frightening than it already was. Partnering Fairley with Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch will ensure his work ethic won’t slacken as the season draws on, which was the only drawback teams had with Fairley. Detroit took the strength of their team and made it significantly more dynamic and fearsome.

Snagging receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure in the second round just adds to the arsenal of weapons that Jim Schwartz is accumulating for QB Matthew Stafford. Young is comparable to receivers like DeSean Jackson and Santana Moss. He’s not a big-bodied receiver, but he can take the top off the defense on any given play. Leshoure follows up their pick of the explosive Jahvid Best last season with a rugged in-between the tackles runner that can move the sticks. Now perhaps the Lions can find that ever-elusive ground game? Fifth round pick Douglas Hogue should stick on the squad as a back-up linebacker and special teamer.  With a decent free agent class (whenever we have free agency), the Lions could be in for another fantastic offseason.

Under president Mike Holmgren and new head coach Pat Shurmur, the Browns needed a solid draft in order to gain even the tiniest of footing in the rough and tumble AFC North. Probably their best move of the draft? Trading back with Atlanta and gathering a whopping five picks between the 2011 and 2012 drafts. For their one pick (6^th overall) they brought back Atlanta’s first, second and fourth rounds picks in the 2011 draft and their first and fourth-rounders in 2012. That is a win no matter how you’re scoring. That enabled the Browns to trade up a few spots in round one and take defensive tackle Phil Taylor, a load of a man who will instantly replace the oft-unmotivated Shaun Rogers and plug up the middle in the Browns’ new 4-3 scheme.

After drafting Taylor, the Browns stayed on the d-line, picking up pass-rusher Jabaal Sheard to line up on the edge. In a division with emerging (or emerged, in Roethlisberger’s case) quarterbacks and pounding ground attacks, the Browns managed to improve on their pass rush and rush defense with these two defensive line picks.  After solidifying their front, the Browns focused on offense, drafting receiver Greg Little, tight end Jordan Cameron and running back Owen Marecic. Little adds a dynamic weapon to Colt McCoy’s arsenal, giving him a wide-out that can stretch the field. Cameron is a project at tight end, but with his basketball background he could become a playmaker in the next few seasons. Marecic is an interesting pick as he played fullback and linebacker in college. He’ll find a place as a key special teamer for Cleveland.

The Negative

Seattle Seahawks

As much as I don’t believe you need a flashy draft to have good draft, the Seahawks have a problem. Any draft that leaves you with Charlie Whitehurst as your locked-in starting QB is a bad draft. Andy Dalton was there for the taking and Seattle simply passed him over. While I like the positions they aimed at (offensive line, secondary), their player selection left much to be desired. Taking James Carpenter in the first round was a blunder. Though to be fair, it sucks that a 7-9 team is drafting at the 25^th spot, but that’s what happens when you win a crappy division and get to the playoffs.

Okay… I have NO idea what the Patriots were doing in this draft. Nate Solder was a solid pick, if only to develop down the road as the successor to Matt Light at left tackle. I did like the Ras-I Dowling selection, but how young can the Patriot secondary get? From there, they draft two running backs in a row with Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. Vereen will be the speedster and Ridley will serve as the hammer. There might be value with these selections but I think taking two backs this early (and consecutively) was a mistake.

Then in round three the Patriots drafted much-maligned quarterback Ryan Mallett. This is such a Belichick move. If Mallett is still on the team in three years, Bill will already have his heir apparent to Brady on the roster. If Brady is still going strong, Belichick can just dangle Mallett as trade bait and garner a second round pick or two. (Because by 2014 I’m convinced the Patriots will own every pick in the second round.) Sure, the Pats had a few luxury picks in the draft, but I’m not on board with how they used them. There are a few solid players in the lot, but I’m not sure there’s an immediate impact player among them.

Christian Ponder at 12 overall? Really? So you’re saying NO ONE wanted to trade up at all. You couldn’t move up the two spots to get Blaine Gabbert instead? That guy actually deserved to be drafted that high, unlike Ponder, who should have gone 10-15 picks later. This is a classic case of a team draft for need instead of value. And with Joe Webb as the only quarterback on the roster, Ponder is almost certainly the starter. Good luck next year Christian. Let me know if Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers or Ndamukong Suh take you out to dinner before or after they wreck you.

Ponder on the ground. Vikings fan should get used to this image.

I get it. You wanted to trade up for A.J. Green and missed out. But when he went off the board you panicked and traded away five picks (including your first next season) to move up in the first round to get Julio Jones, clearly the second best receiver in the draft. Though what you’ve really done is mortgage both drafts to get a player at a position that is the most difficult to make an impact as a rookie. If Jones isn’t outstanding, he won’t live up to the expectations.

There you have it. The best and worst of the 2011 Draft classes. Now we get to wait and see when these rookies will actually get on the field. Until then, keep checking back for new stories!