The top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft will likely come down to whether the team selecting first* would rather pick up a can't-miss stud or a potential franchise quarterback. Mocking The Draft, SB Nation's NFL Draft community, has published its latest top-200 list of 2011 draft prospects, with Georgia Bulldogs WR A.J. Green taking the top spot over Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck. Didn't we just go through this earlier this year?
2011 NFL Draft: Sure-Thing A.J. Green Or Franchise QB Andrew Luck No. 1?
This year's draft featured all-planet Nebraska Cornhuskers DT Ndamukong Suh, the people's Heisman Trophy winner and consensus best amateur football player alive. But he was taken second behind Oklahoma Sooners QB Sam Bradford, which has actually worked out pretty well for both teams. Bradford has the St. Louis Rams in the playoff hunt -- the NFC West is miserable, but that's not his fault -- and Suh leads all defensive tackles in sacks, with eight.
On the other hand, we have 2007.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets WR Calvin Johnson, a Heisman finalist despite digging out grounders from the worst four-year starting quarterback in NCAA history, was a clear instant game-changer. LSU Tigers QB JaMarcus Russell was enormous and ... well, try to find anything written about his draft prospects at the time that wasn't pretty much strictly about his immensity. Al Davis boggled, like the board game invented in 1972 when Davis was 43 years old, at the thought of Russell's big arm heaving deep to a fleet of receivers, and the rest is history.
Johnson led the league in touchdowns while playing for an 0-16 team, while Russell went on to become even bigger, prompting draft writers to fall even more in love.
While Luck will almost certainly be more of a Bradford than a Russell, if only because of the sparse purple drank outlets in Santa Clara County, it goes to show how important quarterbacks have become when teams are willing to pass up sure shots for a chance at a long-term quarterback.
* Likely the Carolina Panthers -- see our draft order projection here.
For more NFL Draft, roll up on Mocking The Draft. To scout Luck, join Rule Of Tree and SB Nation Bay Area. And for more on Green, join Dawg Sports and SB Nation Atlanta.
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