Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Thoughts on Round One

By Hayden Flanders
And so the 1st round of the NFL Draft came and went.  In a hurry I might add.  Lots of good picks today, and quite a few surprises as well.  Cam Newton, the Quarterback from Auburn going Number One overall to the Carolina Panthers was, of course, the most obvious pick of the night in my opinion.  Everyone knew he was going to go #1, even though there were some thoughts of Marcell Dareus, the Defensive tackle from Alabama jumping him to go First.
My Miami Dolphins let me down, again.  I was hoping and praying for Miami to go quarterback in the 1st round, for the FIRST time since Dan Marino, but instead, the Dolphins chose to go conservative with Florida Offensive lineman, Mike Pouncey, the twin brother of Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pro Bowl Center Maurkice Pouncey.  While Miami did need another offensive lineman, to bolster their running game, and pass protection, the problem is . . . who is that bolstered line going to block for? Miami has no faith in quarterback Chad Henne, and both running backs Ronnie Brown, and Ricky Williams are free agents.  But alas, I’m done ranting now.
There were a few surprises, including four quarterbacks going in the 1st round, which I did not honestly expect, including the Minnesota Vikings taking Florida State product Christian Ponder at #12 overall, which I consider quite a reach, when you could have taken him late 1st – early-mid 2nd round instead.  The Titans taking Jake Locker, the quarterback from Washington also surprised me, I think they could have traded down and taken him later.
The best pick, or picks, in my opinion go to the New Orleans Saints.  They take Cameron Jordan the defensive end from California, and Mark Ingram the running back from Alabama.  Those two picks will have New Orleans either very close to- or right back at Super Bowl contenders again.
The worst pick went to the Seattle Seahawks.  James Carpenter, offensive tackle from Alabama.  No analysts I knew, nor myself (even though I’m not an analyst), didn’t even have Carpenter going until mid-to-late 2nd round.  Quite a shock, at least, to me, seeing the ‘Hawks reach for Carpenter.  My 1st round mock can be seen in my previous story.  I will post the Actual 1st Round below this.
Overall, I had a lot of fun watching this 1st round, and can’t wait to see what rounds 2 through 7 have in store this year!
NFL Draft – Round 1:

Pick #   Teams                 Pick                Position       School
1.
Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton – QB – Auburn
2. Denver Broncos – Von Miller – LB – Texas A&M
3. Buffalo Bills – Marcell Dareus – DT – Alabama
4. Cincinnati Bengals – A.J. Green – WR – Georgia
5. Arizona Cardinals – Patrick Peterson – DB – LSU
6. Atlanta Falcons(From CLE) – Julio Jones – WR – Alabama
7. San Francisco 49ers – Aldon Smith – DE – Missouri
8. Tennessee Titans – Jake Locker – QB – Washington
9. Dallas Cowboys – Tyron Smith – OT – USC
10. Jacksonville Jaguars(From WAS) – Blaine Gabbert – QB – Missouri
11. Houston Texans – J.J. Watt – DE – Wisconsin
12. Minnesota Vikings – Christian Ponder – QB – Florida State
13. Detroit Lions – Nick Fairley – DT – Auburn
14. St. Louis Rams – Robert Quinn – DE – North Carolina
15. Miami Dolphins – Mike Pouncey – OL – Florida
16. Washington Redskins(From JAX) – Ryan Kerrigan – DE – Purdue
17. New England Patriots – Nate Solder – OT – Colorado
18. San Diego Chargers – Corey Liuget – DL – Illinois
19. New York Giants – Prince Amukamara – DB – Nebraska
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Adrian Clayborn – DL – Iowa
21. Cleveland Browns(From KC) – Phil Taylor – DT – Baylor
22. Indianapolis Colts – Anthony Castonzo – OT – Boston College
23. Philadelphia Eagles – Danny Watkins – OL – Baylor
24. New Orleans Saints – Cameron Jordan – DE – California
25. Seattle Seahawks – James Carpenter – OT – Alabama
26. Kansas City Chiefs – Jon Baldwin – WR – Pittsburgh
27. Baltimore Ravens – Jimmy Smith – DB – Colorado
28. New Orleans Saints(From NE) – Mark Ingram – RB – Alabama
29. Chicago Bears – Gabe Carimi – OT – Wisconsin
30. New York Jets – Muhammed Wilkerson – DT – Temple
31. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cameron Heyward – DE – Ohio State
32. Green Bay Packers – Derrek Sherrod – OT – Mississippi State

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