2011 NFL Draft Big Board
For our final big board I wanted to get the input for all of the writers. I had all of the writers email me their list out to 50 and put it into an excel spreadsheet assigning a value to each pick. The first 67 players are all players who appeared on the big board and this is a consensus big board from our writers. All of the players listed after 67 are at my discretion, which will be based on my own beliefs as well as conversations I’ve had with everyone this whole process.
Let us know what you think. Who’s the player most missed. I figured I’d go out to 100 because that’s a nice number, if anyone wants to see what it would look like or what we think of players not on the big board leave a comment and we’ll let you know.
1. Patrick Peterson CB LSU-
Peterson was the person who appeared at #1 on the most of our writers big boards with good reason. Tremendous upside. I wouldn’t draft him first , but that doesn’t mean he’s not the best player.
2. Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
This is IF his knee is ok. Tremendous pass rusher, with great talent. Was absolutely a monster this past season.
3. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia-Haven’t seen anyone who doesn’t like him as a prospect and it’s hard to find something not to like. I think Julio Jones could be the first WR off the board though and is a better fit for short passing games because of his exceptional Y.A.C. ability, but for most teams Green is the superior prospect.
4. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn-Explosive pass rusher as an interior 4-3 DT, not as versatile as Dareus though and might be a dirty player.
5. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A & M-Explosive first step. Ideally suited as a 3-4 OLB who comes off the edge a lot and doesn’t have to do other things.
6. Marcel Dareus, DT, Alabama-Dareus has been the #1 tackle on mine and Sayre’s Big Board all draft season, but became the #2 DT when we added the other writers.
7. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska-Amukamara quieted concerns about his speed at the combine, the last thing he had to do be considered a top 10 prospect.
8. Julio Jones, WR, Georgia-Great Yards after the catch ability. Good player, #1 WR prospect in a lot of draft classes, just not this one.
9. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn-Tremendous upside. All the physical tools. Does he have “It?”
10. Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina-Quinn was considered a top 5 prospect before being suspended for the year. I get a little worried when a player doesn’t have a few years of good production under his belt. Check out the scouting report too, and you’ll see Quinn didn’t do much against top teams.
11. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri-Despite all the negative talk swirling around Blaine Gabbert he’s still high on a lot of boards for whatever reason. I had him in the 40’s pre-draft and have moved him into the top 20 as he’s shown me something. Gabbert’s big board ranking is I think relative to the QB class and positional value, even though that’s not what a big board always is.
12. J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin-He’s not this high on my big board and I prefer Jordan by a decent margin. But if you’re going to invest millions of dollars into a person, you could do worse than a hard working, solid all around prospect like J.J. Watt.
13. Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal-Reminds me of Justin Tuck with his potential as a dominant run stopping LDE with pass rushing ability. He could also move inside on passing downs (like Justin Tuck).
14. Tyron Smith, OT, USC-Tremendous upside. Has Gorilla sized arms, quick feet, and good functional strength. He’s up to 307 pounds now, but can he maintain that weight during the rigor of an N.F.L. season
15. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama-I think he’s a good prospect because he reaches his top end speed very quickly even if he lacks the top end of speed as many others who are considered first round prospect. Could thrive with a team like the Patriots, Giants, or Saints.
16.Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue-a high effort player with a good first step. Should be at worst a solid pass rusher in the league.
17. Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri-Smith isn’t as talented as J.P.P was but similar in ways and is much more polished entering the draft.
18. Anthony Castanzo, OT, Boston College-Castanzo’s made a big rise in our draft boards this off-season. He’s showed much better athleticism than I expected and might be the safest prospect in this class. Would be a great fit with the Colts.
19. Nate Solder, OT, Colorado-Really high-upside because he has great size (maybe too much size), and showed off great athletic ability.
20. Justin Houston, DE, Georgia-Explosive first step. Getting consideration as a 4-3 DE and a 3-4 OLB. I prefer him as a 4-3 DE.
21. Gabe Carimi, DE, Wisconsin-A good prospect at RT who might be able to play LT in some schemes (the Giants comes to mind). Though he’s best suited as a RT for a run oriented team where he could really shine.
22. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa-A player that is still pretty high on our board when he’s down on most.
23. Mike Pouncey, G, Florida-I don’ t get it. I think he’s a good 2nd round prospect. Not nearly as good as his brother. not as good as Iupati last year. Why is he getting play in the top 20? He’s not a great center and won’t be a tackle. Guards shouldn’t go in the top 20 if they can’t do either of those things.
24. Brandon Harris, CB, The U-I like Harris a lot. Good speed, decent size. Great fluidity in his hips. Will be a steal if he lasts until the second round.
25. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas-Rocket for an arm. Will have to answer questions from teams about maturity, extra-curricular activities and leadership abilities. Dolphins seem very interested in him.
26. Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple-Wilkerson will go in the first round the question is where. I wish I saw him play more in full game scenarios to get a better feel for him.
27. Mike LeShoure, RB, Illinois-A first round talent. A powerful RB with some finesse ability.
28. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado-Physically gifted. Skipping off-season workouts, comparing himself to Nnamdi Asmougha with better ball skills and running teams the wrong way are all things that have pushed him down the boards (reportedly).
29. Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor-If you read mock drafts seems a lock as 21 for the Chiefs. Best NT in the class, but that’s not saying much.
30. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA-Plays faster than he timed. Can play OLB in the 3-4 or 4-3. Versatile. A cautious LB in the run game who can help out in all areas. Lon g arms, could still go as high as 19 to the Giants.
31. Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois-Might go in the top 20. I would prefer him right in this range early 2nd round.
32. Jake Locker, QB, Washington-apparently the Titans are considering him at 8th overall. Very high on some big boards very low on others. Might range further on big boards than Cam Newton.
33. Cameron Heyward, DL, Ohio State-Was a lock for the first round after last college football season, this year is a borderline first round pick.
34. Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois-High upside player who was out of position at Illinois. I dont’ like him as a 4-3 ILB, but do like him outside in 4-3 or 3-4.
35. Derrick Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State-Sherrod is the 2nd safest tackle of the first round in my opinion as a LT.
36. Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland-He’s better than Darrius Heyward Bey was despite the comparison.
37. Aaron Williams, CB, Texas-Mike Mayock loves this guy as a CB or Safety.
38. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Norte Dame-Another player I think I had higher on my big board then the rest of the writers. Rudolphs down fall will be is inability to stay healthy. Otherwise he’d be a first round talent.
39. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State-I like Paea a lot especially depending on the team and system. Perfect fit at NT for a team like the Texans.
40. Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh-Very talented. Not as productive as you would like. Was that because of the QB play or Baldwin himself?
41. Christian Ponder, QB, FSU-He’s not a first round QB, but when he was healthy he was pretty good. Shoulders have to be a concern.
42. Jaball Sheard, DE/OLB, Pittsburgh-I’ve been talking about Sheard as a potential first round pick. I’m glad to see our writers are almost on board.
43. Titus Young, WR, Boise State-Not DeSean Jackson, but the best deep threat in this class. Reportedly moving down draft boards for reasons not dealing with his ability on the field.
44. Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona-Great first step, a little overrated for my tastes.
45. Ryan Williams, RB, VA, Tech. I wouldn’t hesitate to take him anywhere in the 2nd round.
46. Christian Ballard, DL, Iowa-I was tweeting with Chris Stueber and he said he sees a lot of Tyson Alualu in Ballard
47. Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina-Super talented, coming off a bad knee injury. Reportedly ran a 4.39 40 yard dash when he was healthy, which is insane for a Linebacker
48. Rahim Moore, S, UCLA-A ball hawk safety. Routinely see him listed as a 3rd round prospect by scouts, I’m not sure why yet.
49. Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina-no one denies his physical talent and ability. Wish we knew him personally, have to rely on information released about him.
50. Leonard Hankerson, WR, The U-Based on multiple mock drafts of where he’s landed (early in the 2nd round) I thought he’d be higher cumulatively.
51. Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor-Good player. But he should be downgraded because of his age, as much as that sucks. He’ll be more than 30 years old before his rookie contract ends.
52. Stefen Wisnewski, OG, Penn State-I think he’s worth a first round pick personally. He wont’ get past the Giants in the 2nd round (assuming they don’t draft Pouncey in the first), and this is about where they pick in the 2nd round.
53. Sam Acho, OLB, Texas-top 40 on one of our writers big boards, which pushed him up.
54. Davon House, CB, New Mexico State-Great speed to height ratio and enough fluidity to be an intriguing prospect. Didn’t have great INT numbers, but neither does Prince Amukamara.
55. Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy-underrated WR prospect and will be good value for a team if he’s drafted in the middle of the 2nd round or later.
56. Allen Bailey, DL, The U-He isn’t heavy enough to play inside and will have to play outside in a 4-3 in the N.F.L. Physically gifted though.
57. Kenrdick Ellis, NT, Hampton-Talented for sure. But he has the dreaded character concerns’ label, which is never a positive.
58. Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky-This year’s Dexter McCluster.
59. Rodney Hudson, G, FSU-Sneaking into the first round conversation and a possible center candidate. Good player, but doesn’t fit every line scheme, which is why he is downgraded a bit.
60. Mason Foster, LB, Washington-I like him. There are whispers that he could go in the 4th round. But you don’t get a 162 tackles if you can’t play football.
61. Drake Nevis, DT, LSU-Isn’t as physically gifted as Linval Joseph was last year as a 2nd round tackle, but a safe pick who’ll contribute something to a N.F.L. team.
62. Marcus Cannon, OL, Florida-A massive tackle prospect with good upside.
63. DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma-I like Murray’s versatility and dynamic ability.
64. Chimidi Chekewa, CB, Ohio State-Not a personal favorite, but was on one of the writers top 50 big board.
65. D.J. Williams, TE, Arkansas-There are only three TE in this draft class I’d draft in the first three rounds and Williams is one of them.
66. Kendall Hunter, RB-Good size to speed ratio and very productive all around RB. This RB class may lack the speed and horses at the top of the draft, but I think it’s getting a bad rap over all.
67. Ras-I Dowling, CB, UVA-Height: Check. Speed: Check. Production: check. Down year: Check. Dowling was a potential 1st rounder before season.
68. Shane Vareen, CB, Cal-a shifty runner who can catch the ball out of the backfield and has the strength to run in between tackles.
69. Brandon Burton, CB, Utah-Burton is good value in the 2nd round and if this CB class wasn’t so good would be getting more buzz.
70. Kelvin Sheppard, ILB, LSU-I think a perfect fit would be with the Buffalo Bills. Maybe the best 3-4 ILB in the class.
71. Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson-Could go somewhere in the 2nd round. I like him better very early 3rd round.
72. Luke Stocker, TE, Tennessee-can block and can catch. The TE class as a whole is uninspiring.
73. Jordan Todman, RB, UConn-I’ve seen some suggesting that Todman is actually a better football player than Donald Brown, but Brown hasn’t done anything in the N.F.L. Giants fans count their blessings that Colts went with Brown and not Hakeem Nicks
74. Jason Pinkston, G, Pittsburgh-Only as a guard. I don’t see him as a tackle in the N.F.L.
75. Robert Sands-S, WVU. He’s here because of his tremendous upside. He’s still raw though.
76. Marcus Gilbert, T, Florida-Good upside with Marcus Gilbert, some are higher on him than others.
77. Quan Sturidvant, LB, North Carolina-I like Martez Wilson on the outside in a 4-3 so Sturdivant might be the top ILB. Will get some looks at weakside linebacker as well.
78. Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville-“character concerns” but talented. 2nd to 3rd round value.
79. Mark Herlizch, LB, Boston College-I’d have Herzlich higher if I knew whether or not he was healthy.
80. Colin Kaperneick, QB, Nevada-Good upside is worth the risk with this pick which would be late 3rd round
81. Greg jones, LB, Michigan State-when you’re making a big board, there’s always a player you wish you found a spot higher for Greg Jones is mine right now.
82. Greg Romerus, DE, Pittsburgh-At one time was considered a first round prospect, still has upside here a this point
83. Markus White, DE, Florida State-Mackneize, one of the writers is very high on him, so I have solidly in the top 100.
84. Parnell Mcphee, DE, Mississippi State-A solid all around player who should come off the board sometime in the 3rd round
85. Jaiwann Jarett, S, Temple-He’s really grown on me and I have ahead of Deandre McDaniel now.
86. Andy Dalton, QB, TCU-it’s crazy to me that he’s being talked about as a late 1st round prospect.
87. Terrance Toliver, WR, LSU-lacked the production you want, but ideal physical ability at this point
88. DeAndre McDaniel S, Clemson-He’s really fallen off since the college football season
89. Curtis Brown, CB, Texas-Overshadowed by Aaron Williams, but solid value in the 3rd round.
90. Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh-I’ve taken into consideration some positional value. Hynoski one of the best FB prospects in awhile, but his positional value is not great
91. Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa-if Sayre had his druthers Stanzi would probably be higher.
92. Kenrdric Bruney-CB, North Carolina-Much much higher on my big board. He’s like Asante Samuel with his anticipation and ability to get his hands on the football. I don’t care that he times slow and is undersized.
93. Deunta Williams, S, North Carolina-A lot of North Carolina players are devalued because of the whole situation.
94. Joseph Barksdale, T, LSU-a solid player with underrated athletic ability, technique, and ability.
95. Marcus Gilchrist, S/CB/Return man Clemson-another player that has grown on me with his versatility and physical abilities (26 reps on the bench press, 4.45 40 yard dash)
96. Da’rel Scott, RB, Maryland-speed to burn. Had one great year and a few down years, but his production was not much different than Jahvid Best or C.J. Spiller and he has that same kind of speed, but is much bigger. Very high upside. Could be a surprise high 2nd round pick. Down here because of injury and fumbling concerns
97. Curtis Marsh, CB, Utah State
98. Jerrell Powe, NT, Ole Miss-because I can’t interview him personally to get to know him left him on my big board, pushed him down though.
99. James Carpenter, OL, Alabama
100. Tandon Doss, WR, Indiana-another 2nd round talent that has injury concerns
Leave your thoughts.
Follow us on twitter @NFLmocks