NFL Draft Review:
2011 First-Round Picks
Guide:
Snaps: Here you will find the number of snaps the player has actually taken in the league. How do you judge a player on the field? By the number of snaps he takes. If he doesn't play, he's hard to judge.
PFF Grade: PFF Grade is short for ProFootballFocus Grade. ProFootballFocus.com is the best website for tracking how each individual football player contributes on the field. The experts at PFF keep track of literally EVERYTHING that happens on the football field and their grades are top-notch. The grading system is pretty easy to figure out to. If a player gets a negative grade (basically anywhere from, -0.01 to -50) than they haven't been playing that well. If the player doesn't have a negative sign in front of their grade, than they have been playing some fantastic football. And I shouldn't have to tell you that the higher the positive number, the better the player has been.
Overall Grade: How good has this guy been as a professional? Now that they have at least four seasons under their belts, they had better be making a significant impact on their teams. This overall grade lets you know how good they've been.
1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton (QB) Auburn
2011 Snaps: 1,061
2012 Snaps: 1,042
2013 Snaps: 1,082
2014 Snaps: 1,097
2011 PFF Grade: 5.4
2012 PFF Grade: 19.5
2013 PFF Grade: 11.7
2014 PFF Grade: 14.3
Overall Grade: B+
Brief Synopsis: Cam Newton has been a fine player since arriving in the NFL in 2011. He's more than met my expectations as I was expecting him to seriously flop in the league. Now, there are still some concerns with Newton's play on-the-field as he has been a little inconsistent at times, but over the course of the last four seasons, he's been one of the best playmakers in the NFL at the QB position. I think it's safe to say that as long as Newton can stay healthy, he will continue to play like a capable NFL QB. Just imagine what this kid could become if he had a great offensive mind like Chip Kelly on his team.....
2. Denver Broncos: Von Miller (LB) Texas A&M
2011 Snaps: 1,016
2012 Snaps: 1,072
2013 Snaps: 552
2014 Snaps: 991
2011 PFF Grade: 51.1
2012 PFF Grade: 88.8
2013 PFF Grade: 42.8
2014 PFF Grade: 58.4
Overall Grade: A+
Brief Synopsis: Since entering the league in 2011, Von Miller has transformed into one of the best defensive players I've ever seen. From the moment he stepped on a field in the National Football League, he was a bonafied stud. Even though his 2013 season was cut short by injury, Miller showed this last season that he still is one of the scariest defenders in the NFL. When you draft a guy with a top 3 pick in the NFL draft, this is exactly the kind of player everyone is trying to get. A guy who can be elite for 10+ seasons at his position. Miller is well on his way to being that guy and if he doesn't slow down....he could end up a first ballot hall-of-famer.
3. Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus (DE) Alabama
2011 Snaps: 750
2012 Snaps: 809
2013 Snaps: 841
2014 Snaps: 708
2011 PFF Grade: 7.0
2012 PFF Grade: 3.9
2013 PFF Grade: 25.0
2014 PFF Grade: 25.6
Overall Grade: A
Brief Synopsis: Even though he struggled a bit in his first two seasons in the league (albeit still posting a positive PFF grade), Dareus has been an absolute beast the past two years. Sometimes it can take a young lineman time to find his footing in the NFL and once Marcell Dareus found his...it was on like Donkey Kong. Dareus is one of the reason the Bills defense has blossomed into one of the best units in the NFL and I'm sure he will only continue to improve once new head coach Rex Ryan gets his hands on him. Yikes.....
4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green (WR) Georgia
2011 Snaps: 981
2012 Snaps: 1,032
2013 Snaps: 1,155
2014 Snaps: 666
2011 PFF Grade: -4.1
2012 PFF Grade: 17.4
2013 PFF Grade: 8.4
2014 PFF Grade: 8.3
Overall Grade: A-
Brief Synopsis: After struggling a little bit in his rookie year, A.J. Green has turned into one of the NFL's best wide receivers. Even though there were some skeptics that thought the Bengals may have drafted Green a little too high following his mediocre rookie year, he really came on during his second-year in the league. This last season he was injured and didn't have a GREAT year, but he was still good enough to be considered an "elite" player in the league. Now, Green is a little abysmal when asked to block, but the guy is one of the best pass catching wideout's by far and could potentially improve even more if his team had a better quarterback.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson (CB) LSU
2011 Snaps: 1,138
2012 Snaps: 1,071
2013 Snaps: 1,103
2014 Snaps: 1,069
2011 PFF Grade: -9.5
2012 PFF Grade: 10.5
2013 PFF Grade: 9.6
2014 PFF Grade: -6.3
Overall Grade: B+
Brief Synopsis: Patrick Peterson is the pure definition of "inconsistency". There are some people who will go out and say that Peterson is the best cornerback in the NFL. I'm here to tell you that he's not. Sure, he played like one of the best CB's in the NFL during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but he regressed this last season and his play on-the-field resembled that of his mediocre rookie season. I still think Peterson is a fantastic player and is very capable of playing like he did in 2012 and 2013, I just think the Cardinals defense as a whole was hurt by the abysmal performance of their offense at times last season. The Cardinals should still be happy with Peterson, even if he is wildly inconsistent, because when he's on.....he's on.
6. Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones (WR) Alabama
2011 Snaps: 779
2012 Snaps: 968
2013 Snaps: 298
2014 Snaps: 887
2011 PFF Grade: -2.2
2012 PFF Grade: 13.9
2013 PFF Grade: 6.3
2014 PFF Grade: 17.0
Overall Grade: A-
Brief Synopsis: Julio Jones has been a good player since arriving in the NFL in 2011. Has he been good enough to trade five draft picks to move up in a draft to get him? No. There aren't a whole lot of players in the NFL (outside of a guy like Andrew Luck) who are though. Still, that's what the Falcons did and even though they would probably take the trade back if they could....they have to be happy with what they've seen from Jones on-the-field so far. Outside of struggling a bit in his rookie season and having an injury-plagued year last year, Jones has been one of the best wide receivers in the league and that's exactly what the Falcons were hoping for when they decided to part ways with five draft picks in order to move up and grab him.
7. San Francisco 49ers: Aldon Smith (LB) Missouri
2011 Snaps: 616
2012 Snaps: 1,223
2013 Snaps: 736
2014 Snaps: 426
2011 PFF Grade: 40.4
2012 PFF Grade: 26.0
2013 PFF Grade: 28.0
2014 PFF Grade: 5.8
Overall Grade: A
Brief Synopsis: When Aldon Smith is on a football field in the NFL, he's one of the best players in the league. The only problem is, you have to keep Smith on the football field and that's not an easy task considering he's kind of a troubled young man. Perhaps with a new head football coach (well, not really THAT new) coming into San Francisco, Smith will get his life turned around and will finally turn into the consistent dangerous threat (think something along the lines of J.J. Watt) we all know he can be. He just needs someone to get through to him and convince him to stay out of trouble off-the-field. If that happens, watch out.
8. Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker (QB) Washington
2011 Snaps: 99
2012 Snaps: 610
2013 Snaps: 401
2014 Snaps: 309
2011 PFF Grade: -1.2
2012 PFF Grade: 5.2
2013 PFF Grade: 0.9
2014 PFF Grade: -16.7
Overall Grade: D
Brief Synopsis: Jake Locker sucks, but you would know that if you've been listening to me evaluate quarterbacks the last few seasons. I wasn't high on Locker coming out of Washington. Even though I thought he was a good playmaker with his feet and had a strong arm, he struggled consistently with his accuracy, and that's one of the most important traits an NFL QB can have. I shook my head when the Titans took Locker with a top-10 pick in the draft (I had him pegged as a second-third round pick myself) and you could say that one of the biggest reasons that Tennessee has become a joke in the NFL over the last few seasons is because of horrendous draft decisions like this one. Locker will likely find himself on a different NFL team next season and you won't hear Titans fans complaining.
9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith (OT) USC
2011 Snaps: 1,074
2012 Snaps: 979
2013 Snaps: 1,023
2014 Snaps: 1,201
2011 PFF Grade: 19.8
2012 PFF Grade: -0.9
2013 PFF Grade: 22.5
2014 PFF Grade: 23.1
Overall Grade: A
Brief Synopsis: The Dallas Cowboys were probably the most surprising team of 2014. No one expected the Cowboys to be as good as they were last season. But how did Dallas sneak up and become one of the NFL's top teams? It all started when they decided to start taking offensive lineman in the first-round of the draft in order to build arguably the best o-line in the league. For those who watched Cowboys' games this last season, you could see why they were so good. The offensive line created holes for DeMarco Murray to run all over the NFL's defenses and they also gave Tony Romo HOURS to throw the ball. It's amazing what a guy like Romo can do when he's actually protected and given sometime to make good decisions. For the Cowboys, it all started with the selection of Tyron Smith who has blossomed into a star on the offensive line. I know offensive lineman aren't exactly "sexy picks" when it comes to the draft, but the Cowboys have shown that sexy isn't always the best way to go. Sometimes, boring can lead to tremendous results. Especially on the football field.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert (QB) Missouri
2011 Snaps: 927
2012 Snaps: 525
2013 Snaps: 161
2014 Snaps: 9
2011 PFF Grade: -47.0
2012 PFF Grade: -2.8
2013 PFF Grade: -10.7
2014 PFF Grade: -0.4
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: Blaine Gabbert was not only one of the worst draft picks in the 2011 NFL Draft, he was one of the worst draft picks of ALL-TIME in my opinion. Here's a guy who the Jaguars took with the 10th pick in the draft with the hopes that he would turn into a franchise QB behind center for the troubled NFL franchise. Unfortunately somethings just aren't in the cards and not only is Gabbert not even on the Jaguars anymore, I'd be shocked if he's even playing in the league still next season. He's not even good enough to be an NFL back-up and that's being honest with you guys. You want to know why Jacksonville has been a dumpster fire for so long? Here you go.....
11. Houston Texans: J.J. Watt (DE) Wisconsin
2011 Snaps: 911
2012 Snaps: 1,071
2013 Snaps: 998
2014 Snaps: 1,069
2011 PFF Grade: 24.6
2012 PFF Grade: 97.4
2013 PFF Grade: 99.8
2014 PFF Grade: 107.5
Overall Grade: A+
Brief Synopsis: One of (if not THE) best players in the league, bar none. If we re-did the 2011 NFL Draft knowing what we know now, the Carolina Panthers would happily take J.J. Watt with the first-overall pick and be happy with it (Carolina still could have grabbed either Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick in the second-round to shore up their QB issue). Watt has gotten better every single year he's been in the league, which means by the time he's a ten-year veteran, a defensive coordinator could probably just put him on the field and no one would be able to move the ball. As long as he remains healthy, Watt is a surefire first ballot hall-of-famer and could end up as the best defensive player we've ever seen. And I'm not joking in the slightest guys.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Christian Ponder (QB) Florida State
2011 Snaps: 585
2012 Snaps: 1,053
2013 Snaps: 520
2014 Snaps: 91
2011 PFF Grade: -12.6
2012 PFF Grade: -12.8
2013 PFF Grade: -9.0
2014 PFF Grade: -4.4
Overall Grade: D-
Brief Synopsis: Christian Ponder is awful. I knew he was going to be awful when he was coming into the league, which is why I was scratching my head when the Vikings reached for him with the 12th overall pick four years ago. Ponder has shown that he doesn't have what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and I'm not sure I would even want the guy as a back-up because I don't think you can rely on him to have any success in that role either. Just a waste of a draft pick by Minnesota.
13. Detroit Lions: Nick Fairley (DT) Auburn
2011 Snaps: 274
2012 Snaps: 511
2013 Snaps: 693
2014 Snaps: 297
2011 PFF Grade: 4.5
2012 PFF Grade: 15.1
2013 PFF Grade: 0.4
2014 PFF Grade: 9.8
Overall Grade: C+
Brief Synopsis: Imagine what the Detroit Lions defense would look like if Nick Fairley could consistently play like the player he was in 2012. Unfortunately for Lions fans, he can't. The good news with Fairley is, he showed signs last year of potentially turning into a consistently good defensive tackle, but then he got hurt and missed half the season. Fairley is definitely a risk going forward as he has yet to see more than 700 snaps a year in his career, but he is still young (27 years old) so there's time for him to develop into a consistenly good NFL player....but time is running short. Fairley is a free agent so it will be interesting to see what Detroit does with him. I think if they lose Ndamukong Suh in free agency, they will re-sign Fairley for sure, but if Suh comes back, there's a good chance they let Fairley walk to another team. It's going to be an interesting next few months for this guy.
14. St. Louis Rams: Robert Quinn (DE) North Carolina
2011 Snaps: 584
2012 Snaps: 849
2013 Snaps: 849
2014 Snaps: 809
2011 PFF Grade: -10.0
2012 PFF Grade: -14.9
2013 PFF Grade: 74.6
2014 PFF Grade: 14.4
Overall Grade: B
Brief Synopsis: After a rough two year start to his career, Robert Quinn really turned things around in his third-season. I don't really know how to explain it, but at some point Quinn figured it out and eventually blossomed into one of the best defensive end's in the NFL in 2013. Of course, he saw his play fall off a little this last season, but he was still one of the best defensive players in the league. Either way, if I was a defensive coordinator in the NFL, I would love to have this kid of my team. He's still young and there's plenty of time for him to get consistently better. He's one of the many reasons I would be excited as a Rams fan going forward.
2011 Snaps: 1,025
2012 Snaps: 1,053
2013 Snaps: 908
2014 Snaps: 792
2011 PFF Grade: 3.1
2012 PFF Grade: 20.6
2013 PFF Grade: 8.2
2014 PFF Grade: -17.6
Overall Grade: C+
Brief Synopsis: Mike Pouncey's career in Miami has resembled a bug infestation. It's been all over the place. After a decent rookie season, Pouncey seemed to really have found his footing in the NFL in his second-year. He posted a 20.6 PFF grade that year which is extremely good for an offensive lineman, especially one in only his second-year in the league. He was turning into a decent pass blocking center who would really excel when asked to run block. And then it happened. The drama. First you had the whole "Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying" scandal that went down that Pouncey was reportedly apart of, but that's not the worst thing. Pouncey (who is a longtime friend of former New England Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez) was subpoenaed for the Hernandez murder case for questions surrounding the case. Since then, it seems like Pouncey's career has taken a turn for the worse. Last year was easily his worst season yet and it was likely bad enough for the Dolphins to consider not moving forward with him. Do you really want to take a chance on this guy considering his background thus far since he entered the NFL? Yikes.
2011 Snaps: 1,056
2012 Snaps: 1,177
2013 Snaps: 988
2014 Snaps: 1,000
2011 PFF Grade: -0.2
2012 PFF Grade: 5.5
2013 PFF Grade: -0.6
2014 PFF Grade: 19.3
Overall Grade: B+
Brief Synopsis: Ryan Kerrigan was well on his way to earning a "C" grade here for the first three seasons of his NFL career. Then, he had what was easily the best season of his career this last year and he has seen his grade move up one whole point. Even though Kerrigan has been wildly inconsistent since arriving in the NFL, if he continues to play like he did in 2014, I think most teams will take his inconsistencies and live with them. The area in which Kerrigan really showed improvement in 2014 was his pass-rushing skills. He managed to post his best sack total numbers in 2014 and much like his 2012 season, Kerrigan showed that he's a much better NFL defender when he's asked to pressure the quarterback more often. I know it's popular to bag on the Redskins' draft picks, but Kerrigan was actually a solid one by Dan Snyder and company.
2011 Snaps: 1,044
2012 Snaps: 1,401
2013 Snaps: 1,237
2014 Snaps: 1,282
2011 PFF Grade: 1.8
2012 PFF Grade: 23.7
2013 PFF Grade: 23.5
2014 PFF Grade: -3.9
Overall Grade: B-
Brief Synopsis: Nate Solder has been a solid pick-up for the New England Patriots so far in his short career. After going through some bumps and bruises during a mediocre rookie year, Solder burst onto the scene with two outstanding seasons in 2012 and 2013. You may not have noticed it this year because the Patriots were hoisting the Lombardi trophy at the end of the year, but Solder's play actually regressed this season on-the-field. He posted his first ever negative PFF number, as he really struggled at times, especially when protecting the passer. Like I said though, it may be kind of hard to notice any dip in production from Solder when the team is hoisting the trophy at the end of the year, but it was there. Hopefully for the Patriots sake, it was just a phase he was going through. Otherwise Solder could become the next surprising cut by Bill Belichick, who has a reputation for making them.
2011 Snaps: 461
2012 Snaps: 733
2013 Snaps: 848
2014 Snaps: 798
2011 PFF Grade: -15.3
2012 PFF Grade: 4.0
2013 PFF Grade: -11.4
2014 PFF Grade: 1.1
Overall Grade: C-
Brief Synopsis: Corey Liuget has been an overall disappointment since the Chargers took him with the 18th pick four years ago. He's had two really bad seasons and two decent ones. He's extremely inconsistent, but a lot of that can be blamed on the fact that he really has no help on the Chargers defensive line. He's still a young versatile athlete who could see his career get kick-started by the Chargers getting him some help. Next year is a big one for Liuget as the Chargers are going to have to decide if they would like to re-sign him to a long-term deal or let him walk. Get this guy some help in free agency and sign him long-term and I'd bet that San Diego fans would be pleased with the results.
2011 Snaps: 204
2012 Snaps: 741
2013 Snaps: 1,108
2014 Snaps: 464
2011 PFF Grade: -1.4
2012 PFF Grade: 1.0
2013 PFF Grade: 4.6
2014 PFF Grade: 4.7
Overall Grade: B
Brief Synopsis: Prince Amukamara has had a very up-and-down career so far in New York. His rookie season was disappointing in the fact that he was injured at the beginning of the season and his season was cut short. He really started finding his groove as a corner in the NFL during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and that continued into 2014 until it happened again! Amukamara was injured in the Giants week 9 game against the Colts and he ended up missing half of the season. Devastating injuries aside, Amukamara is has turned into a decent NFL defensive back (when he's actually healthy) and he's also been one of the most entertaining people to follow on Twitter. That has to count for something right?
2011 Snaps: 874
2012 Snaps: 187
2013 Snaps: 955
2014 Snaps: 52
2011 PFF Grade: -4.9
2012 PFF Grade: -6.2
2013 PFF Grade: -18.1
2014 PFF Grade: -0.1
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: One of the reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have turned into one of the biggest laughing stocks of the NFL is atrocious draft picks like this one. Adrian Clayborn is one of the biggest busts of the 2011 draft. The guy's had two injury-plagued seasons and the other two seasons that he actually played....he was absolutely awful. The Bucs announced that they are not picking the option up on Clayborn's contract which makes him a free agent when free agency kicks off next month. Something tells me that NFL teams won't exactly be lining up in droves to sign this guy.
2011 Snaps: 742
2012 Snaps: 273
2013 Snaps: 555
2014 Snaps: 133
2011 PFF Grade: -15.8
2012 PFF Grade: -0.1
2013 PFF Grade: 3.1
2014 PFF Grade: -6.5
Overall Grade: C
Brief Synopsis: A Cleveland Browns first-round draft pick has been an overall giant bowl of disappointment. Stop me if you've heard that one before. I don't know what it is about the Browns franchise that attracts crappy first-rounders (for the most part anyway...) but Phil Taylor is the latest in a line of prospects that never reached their full potential in Cleveland. Even though Taylor had a decent year in 2013, he was unable to follow it up this season as he missed the majority of the year with an injury. I'm not sure what the future holds for Taylor, but the Browns recently exercised his option which means that we'll get at least one more year of Taylor in Cleveland. Contain your excitement Browns fans.
2011 Snaps: 713
2012 Snaps: 1,283
2013 Snaps: 1,221
2014 Snaps: 1,400
2011 PFF Grade: -2.8
2012 PFF Grade: 3.3
2013 PFF Grade: 3.9
2014 PFF Grade: 18.5
Overall Grade: B
Brief Synopsis: Anthony Castonzo has been everything you would want out of a first-round left tackle prospect. He's improved every year he's been in the league and this last season, he showed that he's well on his way to becoming a franchise tackle for the Indianapolis Colts. That's important for a team like the Colts considering they have a franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck and they will need to keep him upright and healthy if they want to win football games. The Colts would be wise to re-sign Castonzo to a long-term deal and surround him and Luck with some more help. That could really help this team take that next step into the upper echelon of the NFL.
2011 Snaps: 807
2012 Snaps: 461
2013 Snaps: 6
2014 Snaps: 0
2011 PFF Grade: -3.5
2012 PFF Grade: -3.9
2013 PFF Grade: -0.3
2014 PFF Grade: 0
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: Boy, did this one ever turn into a wasted pick for the Philadelphia Eagles or what? Can you imagine how good the already fantastic Eagles offensive line would be if Danny Watkins had panned out like Philly fans were hoping for? It would have been ridiculous. Instead, Eagles fans were left thinking "What could have been?" with Watkins. The only thing Danny Watkins ever did that was any good, was inspire a column from MMQB about how fucked up his career was. Way to go buddy!
2011 Snaps: 664
2012 Snaps: 1,059
2013 Snaps: 1,030
2014 Snaps: 1,018
2011 PFF Grade: -5.1
2012 PFF Grade: -4.9
2013 PFF Grade: 34.1
2014 PFF Grade: -1.0
Overall Grade: C+
Brief Synopsis: Cameron Jordan's career to this point is kind of a tough one to evaluate. The guy has been all over the charts with his inconsistency. As a matter of fact, if you take out his ridiculously good 2013 season, it would be safe to assume that Jordan's career has been a bust up to this point. Sure, he made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after having an insane season, but having one good year in the NFL doesn't make you a legit superstar. It makes you an anomaly. Why? Because now your team is wondering why you can't play like that every time you step on a football field. The Saints have him under contract for one more season, so it's pretty self-explanatory that the 2015 NFL season is going to be a huge one as far as Jordan's future in the NFL is concerned. He really needs to start playing with some more consistency if he's going to be rewarded with a lucrative second NFL contract.
2011 Snaps: 602
2012 Snaps: 352
2013 Snaps: 844
2014 Snaps: 1,028
2011 PFF Grade: -22.0
2012 PFF Grade: -7.1
2013 PFF Grade: -10.5
2014 PFF Grade: -12.0
Overall Grade: D-
Brief Synopsis: James Carpenter has been a disappointment for the Seahawks since they selected him in 2011. He's yet to have a season where he's graded out positively and sometimes when he's on-the-field, he's absolutely atrocious. This last season he saw his snap numbers go past the 1,000 mark for the first time, and he also posted the second worst PFF grade of his short career. The good news for Seahawks fans is, Carpenter is set to become a free agent after the Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract, so you'll probably never see him in a Seattle uniform again. The bad news is, he is a wasted first-round draft pick on a Seahawks team that would been even more ridiculous than they already are had they nailed this one.....
2011 Snaps: 404
2012 Snaps: 558
2013 Snaps: 107
2014 Snaps: Didn't play in NFL in 2014
2011 PFF Grade: -7.7
2012 PFF Grade: -4.2
2013 PFF Grade: -2.2
2014 PFF Grade: Didn't play in NFL in 2014
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: I don't want to talk about Jonathan Baldwin. He's one of the biggest busts in Kansas City Chiefs history. Can you imagine what the Chiefs offense (an offense that is severely lacking wide receivers at the moment) would look like had Jonathan Baldwin actually panned out? Unfortunately, he came into the league unmotivated and uninterested in having a successful NFL career. Three years later, he's out of the league and is likely working at a Wendy's drive-thru near you. Give the guy a $5 tip if you see him, he probably needs it.
2011 Snaps: 337
2012 Snaps: 530
2013 Snaps: 1,068
2014 Snaps: 476
2011 PFF Grade: 7.4
2012 PFF Grade: -10.3
2013 PFF Grade: 4.1
2014 PFF Grade: 6.6
Overall Grade: B-
Brief Synopsis: The Ravens have a history of drafting good defensive players and Jimmy Smith is another one of them. The only complaint about Smith would be that he was a little inconsistent to start his career, but he had a break-out year in 2013 and was well on his way to another solid season this year before an injury took him down and he ended up missing half the season. Injury-issues aside, the Ravens have to please with what they've seen from Smith so far and if he can stay healthy in 2015, something tells me he'll be in for a big pay day come the 2016 season.
2011 Snaps: 219
2012 Snaps: 268
2013 Snaps: 234
2014 Snaps: 476
2011 PFF Grade: 0.0
2012 PFF Grade: 0.7
2013 PFF Grade: 5.2
2014 PFF Grade: 1.3
Overall Grade: C+
Brief Synopsis: The Saints use of Mark Ingram has been puzzling. In my opinion, you don't draft a running back in the first-round of the draft if you are planning on giving him 200-400 snaps a year. Ideally, you want a young guy with fresh legs running over 600 snaps a year in order to get value out of the pick. Now, it can't all be blamed on the Saints though. They obviously see something they don't like in Ingram, which was evident when they refused to pick up the option on his contract making him a free agent next month. Whoever gets Ingram is going to get a running back that had a lot of hype surrounding him coming into the league, but has been very underwhelming thus far. The good news is, he's still young and doesn't have a lot of miles on his legs, so someone might end up getting themselves a gem in free agency.
2011 Snaps: 100
2012 Snaps: 941
2013 Snaps: 218
2014 Snaps: 597
2011 PFF Grade: 0.1
2012 PFF Grade: -12.5
2013 PFF Grade: -2.4
2014 PFF Grade: -10.7
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: Gabe Carimi is a pretty big disappointment for Chicago Bears fans. I'm sorry to bring him up, but I have to. He's one of the only guys in this column that's so bad that he's already been on THREE DIFFERENT NFL ROSTERS! He's currently on the Atlanta Falcons, but he's set to be a free agent when free agency starts next month. Look for this guy to either be on a practice squad somewhere or perhaps playing football in Canada. If he's on an NFL roster, I'll be shocked.
2011 Snaps: 608
2012 Snaps: 930
2013 Snaps: 1,067
2014 Snaps: 739
2011 PFF Grade: -3.5
2012 PFF Grade: 37.2
2013 PFF Grade: 7.5
2014 PFF Grade: 33.7
Overall Grade: A-
Brief Synopsis: Muhmmad Wilkerson has been a stud since arriving in the NFL. Even though the Jets are the butt of a lot of jokes in the NFL, their defense has been solid the last few seasons and guys like Wilkerson are a big reason why. Wilkerson's contract has been a bit a little bit of a scuttlebutt in the New York area right now, but the Jets would be stupid to not re-sign Wilkerson to a long-term big money deal as guys like him don't come around very often. Can you tell I'm a fan of this guy yet? It's just too bad the Jets offensive draft picks don't turn out as good as their defensive ones. If that was the case, Rex Ryan would probably still have a job here.
2011 Snaps: 247
2012 Snaps: 267
2013 Snaps: 845
2014 Snaps: 929
2011 PFF Grade: -3.6
2012 PFF Grade: 3.7
2013 PFF Grade: 4.4
2014 PFF Grade: 28.0
Overall Grade: A-
Brief Synopsis: Cameron Heyward has been pretty much exactly what you ask for out of a first-round NFL draft prospect. He struggled out of the gate in his rookie season, but he has steadily improved every season since. Every year he has seen his snap count go up and we have seen his progress on-the-field improve since. This last season he had an absolute break-out year and that will likely result in him getting a massive contract, especially if he comes out and plays even better in 2015. Considering how his career has gone so far, I'd say that is a safe bet.
2011 Snaps: 115
2012 Snaps: Didn't play in NFL in 2012
2013 Snaps: 6
2014 Snaps: 142
2011 PFF Grade: -4.3
2012 PFF Grade: Didn't play in NFL in 2012
2013 PFF Grade: -0.3
2014 PFF Grade: -10.1
Overall Grade: F
Brief Synopsis: It's not often the Packers miss on a first-round pick, but they whiffed with Derek Sherrod. Sherrod has barely seen the field and when he has, he's been garbage. He was so bad that the Packers ended up releasing him halfway through this season before the Kansas City Chiefs decided to pick him up. I don't have a whole lot of hope for Sherrod's future in the NFL and if you do, I'm sorry.
The Late-Rounders
Believe it or not, not every gem in the NFL Draft is found in the first-round. NFL teams can find hidden gems anywhere in the draft, that's just how big of a crap shoot the whole thing is. Here are the hidden gems (guys that have made a Pro Bowl) of the 2011 NFL Draft:
Second-Round Gems:
Andy Dalton - QB (Cincinnati Bengals)
Kyle Rudolph - TE (Minnesota Vikings)
Randall Cobb - WR (Green Bay Packers)
Third-Round Gems:
Justin Houston - LB (Kansas City Chiefs)
DeMarco Murray - RB (Dallas Cowboys)
Fourth-Round Gems:
Jordan Cameron - TE (Cleveland Browns)
Julius Thomas - TE (Denver Broncos)
Fifth-Round Gems:
Richard Sherman - CB (Seattle Seahawks)
Sixth-Round Gems:
Jason Kelce - C (Philadelphia Eagles)
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