NFL Draft 2011, Round 1: Full Rundown Of Every Opening Night Pick

Slam-dunk, sure-fire prospects were few and far between in the 2011 NFL Draft’s first round. As such, we saw a lot of surprising picks last night of a true head-scratching caliber.

Among the many risky picks - starting with Auburn QB Cam Newton at No. 1 overall to Carolina, and ending with Colorado CB Jimmy Smith going to Baltimore at No. 27 - two different names stuck out to me as picks with the greatest chance to yield the dreaded “bust.”

Linemen were the order of the day during the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft as teams scooped up players for the trenches on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. By the time Thursday’s first round was over, a record 12 defensive linemen were taken, thanks to the impressive depth of the position in the 2011 NFL Draft class. As the end of the first round drew near, a sudden run of offensive linemen pushed the total to eight, the second most-drafted position on Thursday.

Even the quarterbacks got in on the action, though Ryan Mallett and Andy Dalton were left on the outside looking in after the mad dash for quarterbacks suddenly ended as the Minnesota Vikings took Christian Ponder at No. 12. All four signal-callers were drafted in the first 12 picks, but the action suddenly stopped as teams quickly shifted focus. It was a round of runs, for the most part, and led to some wild selections as teams were left scrambling.

And it’s hard to blame them. The Seahawks justified the decision by saying Carpenter was a guy they liked and when the opportunity to trade down never came to fruition, they had to pull the trigger. But seeing a player almost every analyst had as as second, or even third, round pick come off the board at No. 25 was quite the surprise, both in New York and back in Seattle.

In fact, even Carpenter was surprised by the pick, though he was grateful.

Two other trades went down, with the Browns dealing with the Chiefs for Phil Taylor and the Pats picking up a haul from the Saints for Mark Ingram.

Round two picks up Friday at 6 pm ET. Here’s the complete list of round one picks:

The Packers hit on a lot of their first round picks so my early prediction would be that Sherrod turns into a solid contributor.

Check out Acme Packing Company for the full run down on Sherrod in Green Bay.

Not surprisingly, the Pittsburgh Steelers went with defense in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. On the surface, Heyward appears to be a solid fit for the Steelers’ defensive scheme and should be able to operate at the end position. At 6-foot-5, 288 pounds, Heyward has the size to fill space, to some extent, but has the speed and agility to get up-field and into the backfield.

Heyward gives the Steelers’ vaunted defense a shot in the arm and a bit of youth, a goal for Pittsburgh heading into the draft. Heyward was a steal for Pittsburgh in the late first round, and should have fans salivating at the thought. Scheme-wise and skill-wise, it’s an all-around match and the fact he fell to Pittsburgh, even with the run on defensive linemen, was surprising.

With the 30th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the New York Jets have taken Temple defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson, buttressing a defensive line that is trying to fight time with youth.

Wilkerson was a very productive defender in his collegiate career, getting 17 sacks in three years at Temple. He uses his size and some impressive quickness to generate pressure up the middle as a rush tackle, but likely needs some conditioning and some time to develop into a dominant NFL defender.

Carimi is considered one of the safer picks in the 2011 NFL draft. He’s a four-year starter from Wisconsin so NFL GMs has plenty of game tape on him. He played left tackle for the Badgers but could project to right tackle, or even guard, in the NFL. He says where he players in the NFL doesn’t matter to him.

He’s seen as a hard-worker who may never go to a Pro Bowl but has a very high floor. He’s one of those guys that won’t get in trouble and should fit in with any team smoothly. Carimi looks ready to step onto the field and play immediately in the NFL, too.

The New Orleans Saints gave up quite the haul, but got the man they were targeting: Alabama Heisman winner Mark Ingram. It took a trade, and the Saints gave up a second round pick and their 2012 first round pick, to snatch Ingram up in an effort to bolster their run game. Ingram was expected to go in the late first round and appeared to be in high-demand as the final picks of the first day approached.

But one has to wonder why New Orleans, which has Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, went with another running back. The Saints backfield is already loaded, but the Ingram selection may point to the end of one of these players’ time in New Orleans. It will be a storyline to keep an eye on in the coming weeks, whenever the NFL offseason truly begins.

With the 27th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens have taken Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. And the rich Ravens defense just got that much richer.

Smith is regarded as one of the better cover corners in this NFL Draft class. He wasn’t much more than a standout on a bad team with Colorado, but he has good size for a cornerback to go with highly regarded coverage skills. And he could make an impact early on for a deep Baltimore defense if any of the older members of Baltimore’s secondary are hampered by injury.

Baldwin has incredible skills and at times a freak athletic ability. Physically, he’s the total package. There are questions, though, of his work ethic and how good he wants to be. That’s why this is a confusing pick for the Chiefs, who highly value character and work ethic.

For more on the Chiefs selection of Jonathan Baldwin, check out Arrowhead Pride.

With the 23rd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have taken Baylor guard Danny Watkins. And, presumably, they believe they have shored up a major weakness in 2010: their offensive line.

Watkins was on a pretty good line at Baylor — Phil Taylor was just selected 21st by the Cleveland Browns — but still played well for a team that surprised some by making a bowl in 2010. And Watkins has a great story, too: the 26-year-old was heading into a career as a firefighter before giving football a try at a junior college and eventually making his way to Baylor. That, juxtaposed with the NFL trotting out servicepeople just before Watkins’ selection, made for great theater at Radio City Music Hall.

The updated draft allotment for the Browns: they now have two second-rounders (No. 37, No. 59), no third, and two fourths (No. 102, No. 124). They also have a fifth, two sixths, and a seventh.

The Chiefs are all mixed up now as well, with a ton of picks on the way. They’re still holding picks No. 27, 55, 70, 86, 118, 135, 140, 199, and 223.

With the 22nd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo. Castonzo will slide-in at left tackle right away, where the Colts need immediately help. At 6-foot-7, 311 pounds, Castonzo has the prototypical left tackle side, and will be called upon to protect franchise quarterback Peyton Manning’s blindside.

Castonzo should be a good fit for the Colts and has more strength as a pass-blocker than in the run game. He has the smarts to handle the Colts’ system, which will be needed with Peyton Manning running the show at the line of scrimmage. And in the pass-happy offense, some of his deficiencies in the run game, however minor they are, can be masked.

Taylor will enter Cleveland and become their nose tackle of the future. The Browns run a 3-4 defense and Taylor was one of the few potential nose tackles in the draft so this makes sense.

The Browns previously held the sixth overall pick but traded it to Atlanta for the 27th overall pick. So the Browns move up six spots, give up their 2011 third round pick to the Chiefs. KC now moves from No. 21 to No. 27 in the first round and picks up an extra third round pick.

With the 20th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn. The young, rising Bucs got a good one in him, too.

Clayborn’s major concern is an injury history and a nerve condition that prevents him from fully extending his right arm. That hasn’t waylaid his football career so far: Clayborn made up for any minor deficiencies with quickness and persistence, starting 30 straight games for Iowa and producing plenty of tackles for loss and sacks.

With the 19th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the New York Giants went with the best available player, snatching up Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara.

Prince Amukamara has all the tools necessary to be a shutdown corner at the NFL level, from excellent instincts to raw, physical skills. Amukamara impressed in workouts ahead of the 2011 NFL Draft, clocking a 4.37-second 40-yard-dash and turning in measurables that alleviated some of the concerns about his ability to play cornerback in the NFL.

For more on Liuget with the Chargers, check out Bolts From The Blue.

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft is underway and SB Nation has everything you need to keep up with it: news, rumors, player profiles, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule, NFL mock drafts, draft projections and more. Check it all out at SB Nation’s NFL Draft hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft.

The New England Patriots always seem to be stockpiling young plug-and-play talent in the NFL Draft. With Nate Solder, a tackle from Colorado selected with the 17th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Patriots have veered a bit more to the potential side.

That’s because Solder is new to the tackle position, and has only played it since heading to Boulder. He has tremendous athleticism and great size for a tackle, but his frame will likely need some strengthening to stand up to NFL defenders. There’s a lot to like about Solder, though, especially if he isn’t required to start from Day 1 with the Patriots; he could be a very good lineman if given time to develop.

Robert Quinn falling to the St. Louis Rams at the 14th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft is good news for both the player and the team. Quinn’s got the speed to be a menace for St. Louis, darting into the backfield for tackles for loss and sacks, and pairs well with Chris Long on the other end.

The 2011 NFL Draft features a bevy of talented defensive lineman and Robert Quinn ranks right up there with the best of them. Quinn possesses an explosive first-step and can get into the backfield at the blink of an eye. Quinn’s character took a hit, however, as he was suspended for the entire 2010 season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. But with undeniable skills, it hasn’t appeared to harm his draft stock too significantly.

Remember when Nick Fairley was the most dominant defensive player in the nation’s toughest conference, even carrying the eventual national champions in games when their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback faltered? The NFL might not.

Fairley got nailed with a dreaded label in pre-draft evaluations: “character risk.” Scouts worried about his dirty play at Auburn and his lack of maturity. That’s all well and good, but that character didn’t seem to impede Fairley at Auburn: he had 12 sacks as a junior in 2010, including three against LSU and two at Alabama. If his talent can outshine whatever dark side he might have, Fairley could be a force inside on the defensive line.

There are some out there who feel Ponder will actually be the best quarterback in this draft class. He has great size at 6’3” and 228 pounds coming from a large school where he faced top competition. He’s a three-year starter so there’s plenty of tape on him and he completed over 60 percent of his passes the last two seasons at Florida State.

For more on the Vikings latest draft pick, check out Daily Norseman.

The first two picks of the 2011 NFL Draft, wearing their new team gear:

Chris Trotman, Getty Images

Smith told our own Mocking The Draft that he thinks of himself as the 2011 draft’s best offensive lineman, and that concerns about his injured knee shouldn’t be an issue. You see, Smith has gained approximately 742 pounds since signing on at USC, having showed up scant and slim. At six-foot-five, he still has room to grow, but has to get stronger and better at run blocking.

The biggest concern with Smith, however? He’s played right tackle. He’s being drafted as a left tackle. That’s a foreboding proposition.