The2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annualNFL draft, where the franchises of theNational Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held atRadio City Music Hall inNew York City,New York, over three days: this year, the first round took place on Thursday, April 28, 2011; the second and third rounds took place on Friday, April 29; with the final four rounds on Saturday, April 30, 2011.[1][2] TheCarolina Panthers, who had the worst record for the2010 NFL season at 2–14, had the right to the first selection in the draft, where they selectedAuburn University quarterbackCam Newton, who was the 2010Heisman Trophy winner.[3] The 2011 draft is regarded as one of the most talented draft classes in NFL history, as 12 of the first 16 players have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl.[4]
A second Heisman Trophy winner,running backMark Ingram II fromAlabama was selected byNew Orleans late in the first round. This was the eleventh draft which included multiple Heisman winners, and the first time ever that it has occurred in consecutive drafts (Sam Bradford andTim Tebow in2010).[5] Five of the first six picks played college football in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC).[6] For the second consecutive year—and the third time in NFL history—the top two selections of the draft wonOffensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.[7] The top two picks in the draft, Cam Newton and Denver linebackerVon Miller, played against each other inSuper Bowl 50 on the teams that drafted them. This marked the first time that the top two picks in a single draft faced each other in theSuper Bowl.[8] The Broncos won, with Miller winningSuper Bowl MVP.
As of 2025, the only remaining active players from the 2011 class in the NFL are the aforementioned Miller, Jordan, and Heyward, as well as Panthers quarterbackAndy Dalton and Jets quarterbackTyrod Taylor.
The following is the breakdown of the 254 players selected byposition:
Despite an ongoing labor dispute between league owners and players over a newcollective 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.[10] Fans in attendance at the draft expressed their displeasure with the lockout by booing NFL commissionerRoger Goodell during the event and chanting "We want football."[11]
Due to the labor situation and the lockout, franchises were not able to trade players for draft selections (trades involvingonly 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.[12][13]
The restriction on trading players extended to players selected in this draft—teams were unable to swapany player once selected, e.g. as happened in2004 when theSan Diego Chargers andNew York Giants completed a draft day trade involvingEli Manning andPhilip Rivers who had been selected first and fourth respectively.[14] In addition, with no agreement in place between owners and players mandating future drafts, teams were advised by the league that any trades involvingfuture draft picks would be made at the teams' "own risk".[15] This warning did not dissuade several teams from making trades involving future selections.
TheNational Football League Players Association (NFLPA) considered plans to dissuade potential prospects from attending the draft,[16] but a record 25 potential draftees attended the event, includingVon Miller, who was one of the named plaintiffs in the players' antitrust lawsuit against the league.[17][18]
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.[19]
A record 56 underclassmen announced their intention to forgo their remainingNCAA eligibility and declare themselves eligible to be selected in the draft.[20] Of the 56 eligible underclassmen, 43 (or 76.8%) were drafted.[21][22]
The selection of Newton, ajunior, marked the third straight draft where the first overall selection was an underclassman. Since non-seniors were first eligible to be drafted in1990, fourteenfirst overall picks (including six of the last seven) have been players who have entered the draft early.[23] Eight of the first ten players chosen in this draft werenon-seniors, which broke the record of six set in1997 and matched in2006.Jake Locker andVon Miller were the only two seniors among the first ten draftees.[23]
The draft order is based generally on each team'srecord from the previous season, with teams which qualified for thepostseason selecting after those which failed to make the playoffs.
The 2015 MVPCam Newton was drafted first overall by the Carolina Panthers.Super Bowl 50 MVPVon Miller, who also led all players in sacks during the 2010s, was drafted secondJulio Jones led the league in receiving yards twice and was selected to seven Pro Bowls.Drafted in the fifth round,Richard Sherman was an integral member of theSeattle Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary that contributed to theirSuper Bowl XLVIII victoryJ. J. Watt was drafted by theHouston Texans and was named Defensive Player of the Year three times in his careerPatrick Peterson made 8 straight Pro-Bowls and was considered a top cornerback in the NFL during that timeA. J. Green, drafted 4th overall by theCincinnati Bengals, made 7 straightPro-Bowls since being drafted.
Asupplemental 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.
In the explanations below,(D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while(PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round one
^#6: Cleveland → Atlanta. (D) Cleveland traded this pick to Atlanta for Atlanta's first (27th overall, which laterbecame #26), second (59th) and fourth-rounder (124th) and also Atlanta's first- and fourth-round selections in 2012.[source 2]
^#10: Washington → Jacksonville. (D) Jacksonville acquired this pick from Washington for Jacksonville's first- (16th overall) and second-round (49th) selections.[source 3]
^#17: Oakland → New England (PD). Oakland traded this selection to New England for defensive linemanRichard Seymour.[source 4]
^#21: Kansas City → Cleveland. (D) Cleveland acquired this pick from Kansas City for a first-round pick Cleveland got in an earlier trade withAtlanta (27th overall, which laterbecame #26) and Cleveland's third-rounder (70th overall).[source 2]
#26: Baltimore Ravens (time expired). This selection initially belonged toBaltimore, 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.[source 1]
^#28: New England → New Orleans (D). New England traded this selection to New Orleans for New Orleans' second-round selection in 2011 (56th overall) and first-round selection in2012.[source 5]
Round two
^#33: Carolina → New England (PD). Carolina traded this selection to New England for a 2010 third-round selection (89th overall; Carolina selectedArmanti Edwards).[source 6]
^#36: Denver → San Francisco (D). San Francisco acquired this selection from Denver in exchange for San Francisco's second- (#45), fourth- (#108) and fifth-round (#141) picks.[source 7]
#49: Washington → Indianapolis. (D) Washington traded this selection to Indianapolis in exchange for Indianapolis' second- (#53) and fifth-round (#152) selections.[source 9]
^#57: Seattle → Detroit (D). Detroit acquired this pick from Seattle in exchange for Detroit's third- (#75) and fourth-round (#107) selections. In addition the clubs swapped fifth- and seventh-round picks, with Detroit gettingpick 157 andpick 209 and Seattle receivingpick 154 andpick 205.[source 11]
#62: Washington → Miami. (D) Miami acquired this pick from Washington for Miami's third- (#79) fifth- (#146) and seventh-round picks (#217).[source 14]
^#72: Washington → New Orleans (PD). Washington traded this selection and a conditional 2012 sixth-round selection to New Orleans for offensive tackleJammal Brown and a fifth-round selection.[source 15]
^#74: Minnesota → New England (PD). Minnesota traded this selection to New England for wide receiverRandy Moss and a 2012 seventh-round selection.[source 16]
^#76: San Francisco → Jacksonville (D). Jacksonville obtained this pick from San Francisco for Jacksonville's third- (#80) and sixth-round (#182) selections.[source 17]
^#85: Philadelphia → Baltimore (D). Philadelphia traded this pick to Baltimore for Baltimore's third- (#90) and sixth-round (#191) selections.[source 18]
^#89: Seattle → San Diego (PD). Seattle traded this selection and a 2010 second-round selection (40th overall;traded to Miami, who selectedKoa Misi) to San Diego for quarterbackCharlie Whitehurst and a 2010 second-round selection (60th overall; Seattle selectedGolden Tate).[source 19]
^#92: New England → Oakland (D). New England traded this pick along with a fourth-rounder (#125) to Oakland for Oakland's second-rounder in2012 and a seventh-round selection (#219) in this draft.[source 20]
#104: Washington → Philadelphia (PD). Washington traded this selection and a 2010 second-round selection (37th overall; Philadelphia selectedNate Allen) to Philadelphia for quarterbackDonovan McNabb.[source 23]
#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 in2012.[source 24]
^#105: Houston → Washington (D). Washington acquired this selection along with a sixth-rounder (#178) from Houston for a fourth-round (#127) and two fifth-round picks(#144 and#152).[source 25]
^#115: San Diego → San Francisco (PD). San Diego traded this selection, a 2010 third-round selection (91st overall; San Francisco selectedNaVorro Bowman), and a 2010 sixth-round selection itacquired from Miami (173rd overall; San Francisco selectedAnthony Dixon) to San Francisco for a 2010 third-round selection (79th overall; San Diego selectedDonald Butler).[source 26]
^#121: New Orleans → Jacksonville (PD). New Orleans traded this selection to Jacksonville for a 2010 fifth-round selection itacquired from Oakland (158th overall; New Orleans selectedMatt Tennant).[source 27]
^#122: Seattle → Buffalo (PD). Seattle traded this selection and a conditional 2012 selection to Buffalo for running backMarshawn Lynch.[source 28]
^#129: Green Bay → Denver (D). Denver acquired this selection along with a seventh-rounder (#204) from Green Bay for Denver's fifth- (#141) and sixth-round (#186) picks.[source 29]
#135: Tampa Bay → Kansas City (PD). Tampa Bay traded this selection to Kansas City for Kansas City's 6th round selection (#187) and defensive tackleAlex Magee.[source 31]
^#140: Detroit/Kansas City swap. As a penalty for tampering with Kansas City players, Detroit was forced to swap its fifth-round selection with Kansas City's, and to forfeit its 2012 seventh-round selection, or sixth round if they make the playoffs.[source 32]
^#145: St. Louis → Atlanta (D). Atlanta acquired this pick from St. Louis in exchange for fifth- (#158) and seventh-round (#229) selections.[source 33]
^#149: San Diego → Philadelphia (PD). San Diego traded this selection and a 2010 fifth-round selection (159th overall; Philadelphia selectedRiley Cooper) to Philadelphia for a 2010 fifth-round selection itacquired from Cleveland (146th overall; San Diego selectedCam Thomas).[source 34]
#150: New York Giants → Minnesota (PD). The New York Giants traded this selection and a conditional 2012 selection to Minnesota for running backDarius Reynaud and quarterbackSage Rosenfels.[source 35]
#150: Minnesota → Cleveland. (D) Minnesota traded this selection to Cleveland for two sixth-round picks (#168 and#170)[source 36]
^#153: Philadelphia → New York Jets (D). The New York Jets acquired this selection along with a seventh-round pick (#227) from Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth- (#161) and a sixth-round (#194) selection.[source 37]
^#163: Green Bay → San Francisco (D). San Francisco acquired this pick from Green Bay for a sixth- (#174) and a seventh-round (#231) selection.[source 39]
#168: Denver → Cleveland (PD). Denver traded this selection, a conditional 2012 selection, and running backPeyton Hillis to Cleveland for quarterbackBrady Quinn.[source 40]
#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 receivedpick 179 andpick 218, while Miami got this pick andpick 231.[source 42]
^#180: St. Louis → Baltimore (PD). St. Louis traded this selection to Baltimore for Baltimore's seventh-round selection (#228) and wide receiverMark Clayton.[source 43]
#186: Philadelphia → Detroit (PD). Philadelphia traded this selection to Detroit for a 2010 seventh-round selection it hadacquired from Denver (220th overall; Philadelphia selectedJamar Chaney).[source 46]
#186: Detroit → Denver (PD). Denver received this selection and tight endDan Gronkowski from Detroit in exchange for cornerbackAlphonso Smith and the Broncos' 2011 seventh round selection (#205).[source 47]
^#193: New England → Philadelphia (D). New England traded this selection to Philadelphia forpick 194. The trade, which has little significance as it involves swapping consecutive picks, was reportedly made "just for fun".[source 50]
^#208: Arizona → New York Jets (PD). Arizona traded this selection and a 2010 fourth-round selection (124th overall;traded to Carolina, who selectedEric Norwood) to the New York Jets for safetyKerry Rhodes.[source 53]
^#210: Detroit → Atlanta (PD). Detroit traded this conditional selection and a 2010 sixth-round selection (171st overall; Atlanta selectedShann Schillinger) to Atlanta for cornerbackChris Houston.[source 55]
^Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
^Cam Newton was the 2010 winner of theHeisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football.[24]
^#27: Baltimore Ravens (time expired). Baltimore originally held the26th pick, but they did not submit their pick in the allotted ten minutes which allowedKansas City to jump in front of them. Baltimore had an agreement to trade the 26th pick to Chicago in exchange forpick #29 and Chicago's fourth-round selection. However, Chicago failed to call in the trade to the league office and thus the trade was not completed. Baltimore recovered to make this selection after Kansas City submitted its pick.[source 1]
^Mark Ingram was the 2009 winner of theHeisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football.[25]
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