2011 NFL Draft Class Review: Five-Worst Picks

As stacked as the 2011 NFL draft might have been at the top, there were still plenty of misses to go around in the first two rounds of the annual event. For every J.J. Watt there was a Cameron Heyward. For every Colin Kaepernick there were two Blaine Gabbert’s.

Such is the case every single year at draft time. One team hits the draft board hard and comes away on top, while another team struggles throughout the now three-day event.

In yet another feature in this series of articles, today we give you our 2011 NFL Draft Class Review: Five-Worst Picks.

1. Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars (First Round, 10th Pick) 

Count me in as one of those who allowed Gabbert to sell me whatever bridge he listed as being up for sale in Africa. The former Missouri quarterback stood out on tape as someone who had great intermediate accuracy and could make every single throw on the football field. One issue, however. The dude might want to try to keep his eyes open when throwing the ball. Gabbert’s lack of pocket awareness and inability to read defenses is the primary reason that his days as a starting quarterback in the NFL is over.

Through three seasons, the former top-10 pick has won five of 27 starts and possesses a 66.4 quarterback rating. This folks, is how franchises continue down their path towards irrelevance. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, they are still a bottom feeder and this pick likely has a lot to do with that.

Food for thought here. Colin Kaepernick, who was selected 26 picks after Gabbert, has one less playoff win than the Jaguars quarterback has total wins. In addition, the enigmatic San Francisco 49ers quarterback has 18 more touchdowns than Gabbert in about as many NFL starts. Talk about not getting value at a position of need.

Three years later, Jacksonville appears to be back to the drawing board and looking quarterback early in the upcoming draft. For his part, Gabbert will be lucky to be wearing an NFL uniform at some point in the not-so-distant future. For that, he’s No. 1 on our 2011 NFL Draft Class Review of the five-worst picks.

2. Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle, Chicago Bears (First Round, 29th Pick) 

From first-round pick to off the team in two years time. After signing with the Atlanta Falcons last month, Carimi is now on his third team since the Bears made him a first-round selection back in 2011. That’s not good for anyone involved. In two disastrous seasons with Chicago, Carimi started 16 games and allowed nine sacks as well as another 36 quarterback hurries.

At some point during his tenure in the Windy City, we actually felt bad that Jay Cutler had to rely on Carimi for his livelihood. It was THAT bad. There honestly isn’t much more to add to this one outside of “holy Batman bust.”

3. Danny Watkins, Offensive Line, Philadelphia Eagles (First Round, 23rd Pick)

See a theme here? The offensive line was a dumpster fire of epic proportions in the 2011 NFL draft. Watkins started a total of 18 games for Philadelphia in two seasons before the friendly confines of the City of Brotherly Love spit him up like a shark eating human flesh. If you think that’s a bad image, just imagine how Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman must feel about it.

With needs all over the field, Philadelphia exhausted the 23rd overall pick on a guard that only had a negative impact on the team. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Watkins put up a negative 9.0 grade in his short stint with Philadelphia. He also allowed 32 quarterback hits, which is utterly insane considering he was an interior lineman in Philly. To make matters even worse, the New Orleans Saints nabbed Cameron Jordan with the very next pick. The facepalm aspect of this article is getting real, guys and gals.

4. Derek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle, Green Bay Packers (First Round, 32nd Pick)

The third straight offensive linemen on this list, Sherrod is still with his original team. That’s why we can’t put him any higher. With that said, he’s not started a single game in three seasons and could very well be on his way out of Green Bay this offseason. Select a player on Day 1 and he sees the field for a total of under 30 snaps in three seasons. That’s not exactly what we would call winning at life.

Unfortunately for the Packers, there were a ton of players at need positions available after they selected Sherrod at No. 32 overall.

Any of these picks would have turned out better for the Packers than Sherrod. While hindsight is most definitely 20/20 here, Ted Thompson and Co. dropped the ball in a big way coming off a Super Bowl championship. It’s hard to predict just how much selecting someone like Sheard would have impacted Green Bay’s success in 2013, but you’d have to believe it would have finished with more than eight wins.

5. Christian Ponder, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings (First Round, 12th Pick

It was considered a major reach when Roger Goodell went to the podium and announced the selection of Christian Ponder to to the Vikings with the 12th overall pick. Three years later, it’s likely even more of a reach. While the Florida State alum did “lead” Minnesota to a playoff berth back in 2012, it must be noted that Adrian Peterson putting up the best season in the history of the league for a running back had much more to do with it winning double-digit games. Even at his best, which was during said 2012 campaign, Ponder put up just 18 touchdowns with a pedestrian 81.2 rating.

Through three years, Ponder has amassed just 38 touchdowns compared to 34 interceptions and has won 40 percent of his starts.

Nick Fairley, Robert Quinn, Mike Pouncey, Ryan Kerrigan, Nate Solder and Corey Liuget were the next six players off the board after Ponder. In addition, both Kaepernick and Andy Dalton went early in the second round that April.

After retaining Matt Cassel on a two-year contract over the weekend, Ponder’s future with the Vikings is a bit cloudy. They are said to be looking at selecting a quarterback in the top 10 this May, which would push Ponder down to No. 3 on the depth chart. That’s the sad reality of one of the worst picks of the 2011 NFL draft.

Other Notables

James Carpenter, Offensive Tackle, Seattle Seahawks (First Round, 25th Pick)

Cameron Heyward, Defensive End, Pittsburgh Steelers (First Round, 31st Pick)

Ras-I Dowling, Cornerback, New England Patriots (Second Round, 33rd Pick)