Day 1 of the 2011 NFL Draft has come and gone leaving many fans happy, sad, mad or stunned. Plenty of surprises from last night's draft rolled out but one thing that wasn't a surprise was the boos commissioner Roger Goodell received last night, although he did handle it rather well. With that said let's get this recap started.
Shockers
Jake Locker - I didn't doubt that Locker would be a first round pick, I did however doubt that he'd be a Top 10 pick. If you missed it last night, this move was so shocking that Denver Bronco fans were seen saying, "wow" over and over. It's rather ironic that they would question this move after last year's move of boldly taking Tim Tebow in the first round. Locker has the tools and the talent to be a good QB, but he needs to work on his accuracy and pocket skills. I'd be surprised if he takes the field next year beyond mop up duty of some blowouts.
Christian Ponder - If the Jake Locker picked shocked you, this one blew your mind out. There's no doubt that the Vikings need a quarterback and maybe they underestimated teams trading up to snatch Blaine Gabbert in the two picks before them. Ponder is a talented kid who was probably the most ready for the NFL, but he was by no means a first round QB. Ponder now has added pressure to be successful because of how high he was drafted. Although the good news for him is he's surrounded by a talented running back (Adrian Peterson) and receivers (Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin).
Baltimore Ravens - The Baltimore Ravens missed their pick last night which allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to move ahead of them. So what happened you may be asking. Well the Ravens believed they had a deal worked out with the Chicago Bears to swap picks. The Ravens thought the Bears would announce it, the Bear thought the Ravens would announce and it turns out the Bears dropped the ball. The Ravens could get a small compensation from the Bears for this.
Surprises
Da'Quan Bowers - You have to feel bad for the kid who was predicted by many as the first overall draft pick in January. Then he started sliding a bit to somewhere Top 10. And then came the news of his knee and possible microfracture surgery looming. He slid out of the Top 10 last night and all the way out of the first round. Someone will draft him, whether it be Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft and he'll make that team very happy once he's healthy.
Nick Fairley - Fairley once was rated the best defensive tackle, then he and Marcell Dareus switched spots but he was still believed to be a Top 10 pick. Fairley fell all the way to the Detroit Lions at 13 where he'll get to team up with Ndamukong Suh, who he sought of before the draft for advice. Now Suh will get to give him all the advice he'll want and need. The Lions have created one beast of a defensive line.
Patrick Peterson - It was no surprise that Peterson was drafted fifth let alone inside the Top 10 but what was surprising was the team who drafted him. The Arizona Cardinals had more glaring needs than drafting a corner back, like finding a quarterback to throw to Larry Fitzgerald. But adding Peterson to their team solidifies their secondary which in turns strengthens their defense as a whole.
Winners
Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons made a huge splash to get Julio Jones, but it was a move they needed to make to give Matt Ryan better options to throw to. They swapped first round picks with Cleveland and gave up their second, fourth and next year's first round pick. If Jones pans out and works well opposite of Roddy White, the Falcons could be unstoppable for years to come.
New England Patriots - The Patriots went into Day 1 with two picks and they came out of it making one pick and trading the other. They traded the 28th overall pick to New Orleans, missing out on Mark Ingram but they got back the 56th overall pick and the Saints' first round pick in 2012. The Pats can still bolster their defense in Day 2 while stocking up for the future like they did yesterday.
New Orleans Saints - The Saints took care of both sides of the ball last night, first drafting defensive end Cameron Jordan 24th overall and then trading up to take running back Mark Ingram 28th overall. Besides the other three teams in the NFC South, the only other person who didn't like this draft was Reggie Bush who has tweeted he's out of New Orleans.
Losers
The NFL - Usually the one boos heard at the draft come from Giants', Jets' and Eagles' fans when they hear the name of their draft pick. However, all of Day 1 was marred by boos and chants of "WE WANT FOOTBALL". The fans let both sides know they aren't happy with this lockout and their patience is running thin.
Jimmy Clausen - The reigning Carolina Panthers starting QB might be reduced to a clipboard holder once the season finally starts. While Clausen had every right to be upset, he wasn't. He sent Cam Newton a text welcoming and congratulating him and he followed that up be being the first person in the building for the Panthers today. Got to hand it to him, he's not just going to roll over and accept his fate, he's going to fight to preserve it.
The Draft Picks' Fashion Sense - Last night was a weird night with the boos and lockout pending, but it was even weirder thanks to the fashion the picks wore up on stage. The bow-ties, the thick lense glasses and other questionable items. For a good look, check out this article. Props to Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner for the find.
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