2011 NFL draft

Impact of labor situation

Main article: 2011 NFL lockout

Despite an ongoing labor dispute between league owners and players over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a provision in the expired CBA ensured that this draft would still take place, despite the fact that the owners had imposed a lockout to prevent the start of the league year. Fans in attendance at the draft expressed their displeasure with the lockout by booing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the event and chanting "We want football."

Due to the labor situation and the lockout, franchises were not able to trade players for draft selections (trades involving only selections were permitted), and were unable to sign or even contact drafted or undrafted players until the lockout was lifted. Because of the lockout, the Panthers could not sign or even negotiate with their first draft pick before the draft began, as other teams have done in years past.

The restriction on trading players extended to players selected in this draft—teams were unable to swap any player once selected, e.g. as happened in 2004 when the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants completed a draft day trade involving Eli Manning and Philip Rivers who had been selected first and fourth respectively. In addition, with no agreement in place between owners and players mandating future drafts, teams were advised by the league that any trades involving future draft picks would be made at the teams' "own risk". This warning did not dissuade several teams from making trades involving future selections.

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) considered plans to dissuade potential prospects from attending the draft, but a record 25 potential draftees attended the event, including Von Miller, who was one of the named plaintiffs in the players' antitrust lawsuit against the league.

The 2011 CBA reduced salaries for first-round picks by implementing a rookie wage scale. The rookie contracts for first round picks were set for four years each, with a fifth-year option available after the 2013 season.

Early entrants

Main article: List of 2011 NFL draft early entrants

A record 56 underclassmen announced their intention to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility and declare themselves eligible to be selected in the draft. Of the 56 eligible underclassmen, 43 (or 76.8%) were drafted.

The selection of Newton, a junior, marked the third straight draft where the first overall selection was an underclassman. Since non-seniors were first eligible to be drafted in 1990, fourteen first overall picks (including six of the last seven) have been players who have entered the draft early. Eight of the first ten players chosen in this draft were non-seniors, which broke the record of six set in 1997 and matched in 2006. Jake Locker and Von Miller were the only two seniors among the first ten draftees.

Determination of draft order

The draft order is based generally on each team's record from the previous season, with teams which qualified for the postseason selecting after those which failed to make the playoffs.

Player selections

|}

times in his career]]

:JonBaldwin1**#26: Atlanta → Cleveland. (D)** see #6: Cleveland → Atlanta. :JonBaldwin2**#26: Cleveland → Kansas City. (D)** see #21: Kansas City → Cleveland. :RavensSNAFU**#26: Baltimore Ravens** (time expired). This selection initially belonged to Baltimore, but their ten-minute time allotment expired while they were working out a trade, which allowed Kansas City to jump ahead of Baltimore and make this selection. |group="R1 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

                  - Round 2   ************

--

:Pick49Trade1**#49: Jacksonville → Washington. (D)** see #10: Washington → Jacksonville. :Pick49Trade2**#49: Washington → Indianapolis. (D)** Washington traded this selection to Indianapolis in exchange for Indianapolis' second- (#53) and fifth-round (#152) selections. |group="R2 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick53Trade1**#53: Indianapolis → Washington. (D)** see #49: Washington → Indianapolis. :Pick53Trade2**#53: Washington → Chicago. (D)** Washington traded this selection to Chicago for Chicago's second- (#62) and fourth-round (#127) selections. |group="R2 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick62Trade1**#62: Chicago → Washington. (D)** see '#53: Washington → Chicago. :Pick62Trade2**#62: Washington → Miami. (D)** Miami acquired this pick from Washington for Miami's third- (#79) fifth- (#146) and seventh-round picks (#217). |group="R2 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

                  - Round 3   ************

--

                  - Round 4   ************

--

:Maroney**#99: Denver → New England (PD).** Denver traded this selection to New England for a sixth-round selection and running back Laurence Maroney. :Branch**#99: New England → Seattle (PD).** New England traded this selection it acquired from Denver to Seattle for wide receiver Deion Branch.|group="R4 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:McNabb**#104: Washington → Philadelphia (PD).** Washington traded this selection and a 2010 second-round selection (37th overall; Philadelphia selected Nate Allen) to Philadelphia for quarterback Donovan McNabb. :LukeStocker**#104: Philadelphia → Tampa Bay (D).** Tampa Bay acquired this selection from Philadelphia for Tampa Bay's fourth-round selection in this draft (#116) and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in 2012. |group="R4 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick127Trade1**#127: Chicago → Washington. (D)** see '#53: Washington → Chicago. :Pick127Trade2**#127: Washington → Houston. (D)** see #105: Houston → Washington. |group="R4 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

                  - Round 5   ************

--

:Thompson**#135: Denver → Tampa Bay (PD).** Denver traded this selection to Tampa Bay for a 2010 seventh-round selection it acquired from Pittsburgh (225th overall; Denver selected Syd'Quan Thompson) and a 2010 seventh-round selection it acquired from Baltimore (232nd overall; Denver selected Jammie Kirlew). :Magee**#135: Tampa Bay → Kansas City (PD).** Tampa Bay traded this selection to Kansas City for Kansas City's 6th round selection (#187) and defensive tackle Alex Magee.|group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:D.J.Williams1**#141: San Francisco → Denver (D).** see #36: Denver → San Francisco. :D.J.Williams2**#141: Denver → Green Bay (D).** see #129: Green Bay → Denver. |group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Rosenfels**#150: New York Giants → Minnesota (PD).** The New York Giants traded this selection and a conditional 2012 selection to Minnesota for running back Darius Reynaud and quarterback Sage Rosenfels. :JasonPinkston**#150: Minnesota → Cleveland. (D)** Minnesota traded this selection to Cleveland for two sixth-round picks (#168 and #170) |group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick152Trade1**#152: Indianapolis → Washington. (D)** see #49: Washington → Indianapolis. :Pick152Trade2**#152: Washington → Houston. (D)** see #105: Houston → Washington. |group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick152Trade1**#154: Kansas City/Detroit swap.** see #140: Detroit/Kansas City swap. :Pick152Trade2**#154: Detroit → Seattle (D).** see #57: Seattle → Detroit. |group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:JoshWilson**#157: Baltimore → Seattle (PD).** Baltimore traded this conditional selection to Seattle for cornerback Josh Wilson. :Pick157Trade2**#157: Seattle → Detroit (D).** see #57: Seattle → Detroit. |group="R5 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

                  - Round 6   ************

--

:BradyQuinn**#168: Denver → Cleveland (PD).** Denver traded this selection, a conditional 2012 selection, and running back Peyton Hillis to Cleveland for quarterback Brady Quinn. :JasonPinkston**#168: Cleveland → Minnesota. (D)** see #150: Minnesota → Cleveland. |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick174Trade1**#174: San Francisco → Green Bay (D).** see #163: Green Bay → San Francisco. :CharlesClay**#174: Green Bay → Miami (D).** Miami acquired this pick from Green Bay in a swap of the teams' sixth- and seventh-round selections. Green Bay received pick 179 and pick 218, while Miami got this pick and pick 231. |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:ReggieBrown**#184: Tampa Bay → Philadelphia (PD).** Tampa Bay traded this selection to Philadelphia for wide receiver Reggie Brown. :Wells**#184: Philadelphia → Arizona (PD).** Philadelphia traded this selection to Arizona for guard Reggie Wells. |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Chaney**#186: Philadelphia → Detroit (PD).** Philadelphia traded this selection to Detroit for a 2010 seventh-round selection it had acquired from Denver (220th overall; Philadelphia selected Jamar Chaney). :AlphonsoSmith**#186: Detroit → Denver (PD).** Denver received this selection and tight end Dan Gronkowski from Detroit in exchange for cornerback Alphonso Smith and the Broncos' 2011 seventh round selection (#205). :AlphonsoSmith**#186: Denver → Green Bay (D).** see #129: Green Bay → Denver |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:DavidThomas**#189: New Orleans → New England (PD).** New Orleans traded this selection to New England for tight end David Thomas. :#189: New England → Denver (PD). see #99: Denver → New England. |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:MarkellCarter1**#194: New York Jets → Philadelphia (D).** see #153: Philadelphia → New York Jets. :MarkellCarter2**#194: Philadelphia → New England (D).** see #193: New England → Philadelphia. |group="R6 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

                  - Round 7   ************

-- :Jansen**#204: Carolina → Green Bay (PD).** Carolina traded this conditional selection to Green Bay for long snapper J. J. Jansen. :Pick204Trade2**#204: Green Bay → Denver (D).** see #129: Green Bay → Denver. |group="R7 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Pick205**#205: Denver → Detroit (PD).** see #186: Detroit → Denver (PD). :Pick205Trade2**#205: Detroit → Seattle (D).** see #57: Seattle → Detroit. |group="R7 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Wallace**#209: Cleveland → Seattle (PD).** Cleveland traded this conditional selection to Seattle for quarterback Seneca Wallace. :Pick209Trade2**#209: Seattle → Detroit (D).** see #57: Seattle → Detroit. |group="R7 -"}} | playerpageexists=yes |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Smiley**#218: Jacksonville → Miami.** Jacksonville traded this conditional selection to Miami for guard Justin Smiley. :Pick218Trade2**#218: Miami → Green Bay (D).** see #174: Green Bay → Miami. |group="R7 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:Andrews**#227: Seattle → Philadelphia (PD).** Seattle traded this selection to Philadelphia for offensive lineman Stacy Andrews. :ScottyMcKnight**#227: Philadelphia → New York Jets (D).** see #153: Philadelphia → New York Jets. |group="R7 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

:OConnell**#231: New York Jets → Detroit (PD).** The New York Jets traded this selection to Detroit for quarterback Kevin O'Connell. :ShaunHill**#231: Detroit → San Francisco (PD).** Detroit traded this selection to San Francisco for quarterback Shaun Hill. :Pick231Trade3**#231: San Francisco → Green Bay (D).** see #163: Green Bay → San Francisco. :Pick231Trade4**#231: Green Bay → Miami (D).** see #174: Green Bay → Miami. |group="R7 -"}} |cfb page exists=yes }}

Supplemental draft

A supplemental draft was held on August 22, 2011. For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the team forfeits its pick in that round in the draft of the following season. Six players were available in the supplemental draft, but only one was selected.

Notable undrafted players

Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

;Round one

;Round two

;Round three

;Round four

;Round five

;Round six

;Round seven

Forfeited picks

Two picks in the 2011 draft were forfeited:

Selections by college conference

The players selected in this draft played in the following college football athletic conferences (Division I FBS or FCS unless otherwise indicated):

References

;Notes

;General references

• {{cite web | access-date =May 3, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110502122957/http://www.nfl.com//draft//2011//tracker| archive-date= May 2, 2011 | url-status= live}}
• {{cite web |access-date=May 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026213359/http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d81f8c45e/article/falconsbrowns-blockbuster-set-tone-for-bevy-of-draft-deals |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |url-status=live
• {{cite web | access-date =May 3, 2011}}
• {{cite web |access-date=May 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024161513/http://www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Years/2011.htm |archive-date=October 24, 2011 |url-status=live

;Trade references

;Specific references

References

1. . (October 2, 2014). ["NFL Draft Locations"](http://www.footballgeography.com/nfl-draft-sites/).
2. (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". [[New York Giants]].
3. "2010 – 76th Award Cam Newton Auburn University". [[Heisman Trophy.
4. Schmeelk, John. (2015-12-15). "The 2011 NFL Draft Class Might Be The Best Ever".
5. "Nine Interesting Facts About Heisman Trophy Award Winners In The NFL Draft". IQFB.com.
6. (April 29, 2011). "NFL Draft Notebook". [[Salisbury Post]].
7. The other two times this occurred were [[1981 NFL draft. 1981]] and [[2010 NFL draft. 2010]].
8. "How 2011 NFL Draft set stage for Super Bowl 50 matchup". National Football League.
9. (April 28, 2011). "Watch NFL Draft Online – Live NFL Draft 2011 Streaming Football Games in High Quality". [[Vocus (software).
10. Maske, Mark. (December 15, 2010). "Time is short for NFL, players". [[The Washington Post]].
11. Corbett, Jim. (May 2, 2011). "Risk takers: Will bold moves in NFL draft pay off this season?". [[USA Today]].
12. Cranston, Mike. (April 27, 2011). "No. 1, with a question". [[The Charlotte Post]].
13. Smola, Jared. (May 23, 2014). "Lockout Losers". [[Draft Sharks]].
14. Brinson, Will. (December 19, 2010). "Casserly: 'Draft will go on as scheduled'". [[CBS Sports]].
15. Florio, Mike. (March 21, 2011). "Teams may trade future draft picks "at their own risk"".
16. (March 16, 2011). "George Atallah: No draft boycott". [[ESPN]].
17. (April 25, 2011). "League-record 25 players to attend NFL draft at Radio City". [[NFL.com]].
18. Leahy, Sean. (April 28, 2011). "Von Miller greets Roger Goodell after Broncos choose him at No. 2". [[USA Today]].
19. Corry, Joel. (2019-04-24). "Agent's Take: Fixing the rookie wage scale, plus a look at its history and how it works".
20. Struckmeyer, Andrew. (February 9, 2011). "Draft Dose: Underclassmen affected by coaching changes". [[Pro Football Weekly]].
21. Brugler, Dane. (April 27, 2013). "2013 NFL Draft: Top 10 undrafted underclassmen". NFLDraftScout.com.
22. (2011). "Official 2011 National Football League Record & Fact Book". [[National Football League]].
23. Gosselin, Rick. (April 29, 2011). "Commissioner Roger Goodell booed; Cam Newton goes No. 1 to Carolina". [[The Dallas Morning News]].
24. "2010 – 76th Award Cam Newton Auburn University". [[Heisman Trophy.
25. "2009 – 75th Award Mark Ingram University of Alabama Back". [[Heisman Trophy.
26. White, David. (April 30, 2011). "49ers draft Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
27. Ledbetter, D. Orlando. (April 30, 2011). "Falcons select RB Jacquizz Rodgers in the 5th round". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
28. Bunting, Wes. (July 15, 2010). "2010 supplemental draft breakdown". National Football Post.
29. Floyd, Brian. (April 30, 2011). "2011 NFL Draft Results: SEC Tops Picks By Conference List". [[SB Nation]].