NFL Draft Round 1 Recap

The 1st round of the 2011 NFL Draft is in the books.  There was plenty of excitement, from the Falcons' big trade to the Ravens late pick.  We saw guys fall and guys come off much earlier than expected.  It's always a moot point to grade draft choices until five years down the road, but where's the fun in that.  I'll try to keep it short and sweet, so here's my winner, loser, sleeper, and bust of round one.

Winner

New Orleans Saints - Cameron Jordan/Mark Ingram: It may be unfair because the Saints ended getting a couple guys, but who they got and where is why they are my top winner of the 1st round.  First, they managed to have a solid defensive end in Cameron Jordan fall to them at the 24th spot.  Getting him alone would have been a success for the Saints, but they took advantage of the Patriots trade-happy draft day strategy.  Perhaps the Patriots are starting to overdo it and likely they regret some of those trades (see Clay Matthews III).  This year may be no different, as they passed on the Mark Ingram, the top running back in this year's draft, and a player that they could have used as well.  Regardless of what the Saints do the rest of the weekend, they will end up being a winner in this year's draft.

Loser

Minnesota Vikings - Christian Ponder: If you ask anyone, they'll tell you I believe Christian Ponder can be a good NFL quarterback.  What I don't believe is that the Vikings took him with the 12th pick.  When Tennessee took Jake Locker, the Vikings likely had to rethink their draft strategy.  Unfortunately, while they tried to trade down to get in position to take Ponder later in round one, nobody was willing to deal.  Vikings fans likely will watch all the elite defensive lineman that they passed up on carefully in the next few years.  If Ponder turns out to have a decent career, they will simply look back and wonder what they could have gotten with the second or third round pick they likely lost out on.

Steal

New York Jets - Muhammad Wilkerson: The Jets always enter the draft with extra pressure, but this year they managed to get a top-12 talent with the the 30th pick.  Wilkerson is a versatile defensive lineman that will fit into Rex Ryan's game plan perfectly.  He can stop the run and rush the passer.  The Jets likely had this position targeted, but never would have expected Wilkerson to be there.  Jets fans were excited about this choice as well, but don't worry, they'll boo a pick sometime this weekend.

Bust

Jacksonville Jaguars - Blaine Gabbert: If you are laughing at my choice for bust, please send me your name and email, I will be glad to email you 5 years from now.  Now the Vikings maybe failed to maximize their draft value, but I believe they actually got a better prospect than the Jaguars traded up to get with Gabbert.  I don't believe in Gabbert's ability to materialize into a solid starting quarterback in the NFL, it's as simple as that.  If he doesn't lead the Jags (or whatever they may be named in a few years) to an AFC championship game, you can count this as a fail.