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The 2011 NFL draft didn’t lack star power. Cam Newton, Von Miller, J.J. Watt, and Julio Jones all came out of the draft that year. Eight of the first 10 players selected in 2011 morphed into Pro Bowlers, and some went on to win league MVPs.
Some of the top-notch pass rushers started their NFL careers in 2011. Along with superb edge rushers like Watt and Miller, players like Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith, Cameron Jordan, and Justin Houston were selected in this draft as well.
Offensively, Dallas had a successful draft. The Cowboys selected offensive tackle Tyron Smith in the first round and running back DeMarco Murray in the third. Smith is now the anchor of Dallas’ potent offensive line and has started 92 out of 96 possible games in his career. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro.
Whenever then-Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo couldn't move the sticks through the air, he handed the ball off to Murray, who consistently shredded defenses in Dallas. Murray’s rare blend of speed and power, along with Dallas’ talented offensive line, was too much for opposing defenses. In four seasons with the Cowboys, he ran for 4,526 yards and 28 touchdowns. Murray also went to two Pro Bowls as a member of the Cowboys.
However, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a huge mistake by using their first-round selection on quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert never found his footing in Jacksonville. He was a turnover machine who couldn't make big plays. The Jaguars were 5-22 with Gabbert under center and ended up trading him to the San Francisco 49ers in 2014.
Overall, the 2011 draft featured a lot of soon-to-be NFL stars. Here are all the picks from that draft:
2011 NFL Draft Picks Rounds 1-7
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 1 | Carolina Panthers | Cam Newton | QB | Auburn |
| 1 | 2 | Denver Broncos | Von Miller | LB | Texas A&M |
| 1 | 3 | Buffalo Bills | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama |
| 1 | 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia |
| 1 | 5 | Arizona Cardinals | Patrick Peterson | DB | LSU |
| 1 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama |
| 1 | 7 | San Francisco 49ers | Aldon Smith | DE | Missouri |
| 1 | 8 | Tennessee Titans | Jake Locker | QB | Washington |
| 1 | 9 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyron Smith | T | USC |
| 1 | 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Blaine Gabbert | QB | Missouri |
| 1 | 11 | Houston Texans | J.J. Watt | DE | Wisconsin |
| 1 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings | Christian Ponder | QB | Florida St. |
| 1 | 13 | Detriot Lions | Nick Fairley | DT | Auburn |
| 1 | 14 | St. Louis Rams | Robert Quinn | DE | North Carolina |
| 1 | 15 | Miami Dolphins | Mike Pouncey | G | Florida |
| 1 | 16 | Washington | Ryan Kerrigan | DE | Purdue |
| 1 | 17 | New England Patriots | Nate Solder | T | Colorado |
| 1 | 18 | San Diego Chargers | Corey Liuget | DT | Illinois |
| 1 | 19 | New York Giants | Prince Amukamara | DB | Nebraska |
| 1 | 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Adrian Clayborn | DE | Iowa |
| 1 | 21 | Cleveland Browns | Phil Taylor | DT | Baylor |
| 1 | 22 | Indianapolis Colts | Anthony Castonzo | T | Boston Col. |
| 1 | 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | Danny Watkins | G | Baylor |
| 1 | 24 | New Orleans Saints | Cameron Jordan | DE | California |
| 1 | 25 | Seattle Seahawks | James Carpenter | T | Alabama |
| 1 | 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jonathan Baldwin | WR | Pittsburgh |
| 1 | 27 | Baltimore Ravens | Jimmy Smith | DB | Colorado |
| 1 | 28 | New Orleans Saints | Mark Ingram | RB | Alabama |
| 1 | 29 | Chicago Bears | Gabe Carimi | T | Wisconsin |
| 1 | 30 | New York Jets | Muhammad Wilkerson | DT | Temple |
| 1 | 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cameron Heyward | DE | Ohio St. |
| 1 | 32 | Green Bay Packers | Derek Sherrod | T | Mississippi St. |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 2 | 33 | New England Patriots | Ras-I Dowling | DB | Virginia |
| 2 | 34 | Buffalo Bills | Aaron Williams | DB | Texas |
| 2 | 35 | Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | QB | TCU |
| 2 | 36 | San Francisco 49ers | Colin Kaepernick | QB | Nevada |
| 2 | 37 | Cleveland Browns | Jabaal Sheard | DE | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | 38 | Arizona Cardinals | Ryan Williams | RB | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | 39 | Tennessee Titans | Akeem Ayers | LB | UCLA |
| 2 | 40 | Dallas Cowboys | Bruce Carter | LB | North Carolina |
| 2 | 41 | Washington | Jarvis Jenkins | DT | Clemson |
| 2 | 42 | Houston Texans | Brooks Reed | LB | Arizona |
| 2 | 43 | Minnesota Vikings | Kyle Rudolph | TE | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 44 | Detriot Lions | Titus Young | WR | Boise St. |
| 2 | 45 | Denver Broncos | Rahim Moore | DB | UCLA |
| 2 | 46 | Denver Broncos | Orlando Franklin | T | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 47 | St. Louis Rams | Lance Kendricks | TE | Wisconsin |
| 2 | 48 | Oakland Raiders | Stefen Wisniewski | C | Penn St. |
| 2 | 49 | Indianapolis Colts | Ben Ijalana | T | Villanova |
| 2 | 50 | San Diego Chargers | Marcus Gilchrist | DB | Clemson |
| 2 | 51 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson |
| 2 | 52 | New York Giants | Marvin Austin | DT | North Carolina |
| 2 | 53 | Chicago Bears | Stephen Paea | DT | Oregon St. |
| 2 | 54 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jaiquawn Jarrett | DB | Temple |
| 2 | 55 | Kansas City Chiefs | Rodney Hudson | C | Florida St. |
| 2 | 56 | New England Patriots | Shane Vereen | RB | California |
| 2 | 57 | Detriot Lions | Mikel Leshoure | RB | Illinois |
| 2 | 58 | Baltimore Ravens | Torrey Smith | WR | Maryland |
| 2 | 59 | Cleveland Browns | Greg Little | WR | North Carolina |
| 2 | 60 | Houston Texans | Brandon Harris | DB | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 61 | San Diego Chargers | Jonas Mouton | LB | Michigan |
| 2 | 62 | Miami Dolphins | Daniel Thomas | RB | Kansas St. |
| 2 | 63 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Marcus Gilbert | T | Florida |
| 2 | 64 | Green Bay Packers | Randall Cobb | WR | Kentucky |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 3 | 65 | Carolina Panthers | Terrell McClain | DT | South Florida |
| 3 | 66 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dontay Moch | LB | Nevada |
| 3 | 67 | Denver Broncos | Nate Irving | LB | North Carolina St. |
| 3 | 68 | Buffalo Bills | Kelvin Sheppard | LB | LSU |
| 3 | 69 | Arizona Cardinals | Rob Housler | TE | Florida Atlantic |
| 3 | 70 | Kansas City Chiefs | Justin Houston | LB | Georgia |
| 3 | 71 | Dallas Cowboys | DeMarco Murray | RB | Oklahoma |
| 3 | 72 | New Orleans Saints | Martez Wilson | LB | Illinois |
| 3 | 73 | New England Patriots | Stevan Ridley | RB | LSU |
| 3 | 74 | New England Patriots | Ryan Mallett | QB | Arkansas |
| 3 | 75 | Seattle Seahawks | John Moffitt | G | Wisconsin |
| 3 | 76 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Will Rackley | G | Lehigh |
| 3 | 77 | Tennessee Titans | Jurrell Casey | DT | USC |
| 3 | 78 | St. Louis Rams | Austin Pettis | WR | Boise St. |
| 3 | 79 | Washington | Leonard Hankerson | WR | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 80 | San Francisco 49ers | Chris Culliver | DB | South Carolina |
| 3 | 81 | Oakland Raiders | DeMarcus Van Dyke | DB | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 82 | San Diego Chargers | Vincent Brown | WR | San Diego St. |
| 3 | 83 | New York Giants | Jerrel Jernigan | WR | Troy |
| 3 | 84 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mason Foster | LB | Washington |
| 3 | 85 | Baltimore Ravens | Jah Reid | T | Central Florida |
| 3 | 86 | Kansas City Chiefs | Allen Bailey | DE | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 87 | Indianapolis Colts | Drake Nevis | DT | LSU |
| 3 | 88 | New Orleans Saints | Johnny Patrick | DB | Louisville |
| 3 | 89 | San Diego Chargers | Shareece Wright | DB | USC |
| 3 | 90 | Philadelphia Eagles | Curtis Marsh | DB | Utah St. |
| 3 | 91 | Atlanta Falcons | Akeem Dent | LB | Georgia |
| 3 | 92 | Oakland Raiders | Joe Barksdale | T | LSU |
| 3 | 93 | Chicago Bears | Chris Conte | DB | California |
| 3 | 94 | New York Jets | Kenrick Ellis | DT | Hampton |
| 3 | 95 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Curtis Brown | DB | Texas |
| 3 | 96 | Green Bay Packers | Alex Green | RB | Hawaii |
| 3 | 97 | Carolina Panthers | Sione Fua | DT | Stanford |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 4 | 98 | Carolina Panthers | Brandon Hogan | DB | West Virginia |
| 4 | 99 | Seattle Seahawks | K.J. Wright | LB | Mississippi St. |
| 4 | 100 | Buffalo Bills | Da'Norris Searcy | DB | North Carolina |
| 4 | 101 | Cincinnati Bengals | Clint Boling | G | Georgia |
| 4 | 102 | Cleveland Browns | Jordan Cameron | TE | USC |
| 4 | 103 | Arizona Cardinals | Sam Acho | DE | Texas |
| 4 | 104 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Luke Stocker | TE | Tennessee |
| 4 | 105 | Washington | Roy Helu | RB | Nebraska |
| 4 | 106 | Minnesota Vikings | Christian Ballard | DT | Iowa |
| 4 | 107 | Seattle Seahawks | Kris Durham | WR | Georgia |
| 4 | 108 | Denver Broncos | Quinton Carter | DB | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 109 | Tennessee Titans | Colin McCarthy | LB | Miami (FL) |
| 4 | 110 | Dallas Cowboys | David Arkin | G | Missouri State |
| 4 | 111 | Miami Dolphins | Clyde Gates | WR | Abilene Christian |
| 4 | 112 | St. Louis Rams | Greg Salas | WR | Hawaii |
| 4 | 113 | Oakland Raiders | Chimdi Chekwa | DB | Ohio St. |
| 4 | 114 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cecil Shorts | WR | Mount Union |
| 4 | 115 | San Francisco 49ers | Kendall Hunter | RB | Oklahoma St. |
| 4 | 116 | Philadelphia Eagles | Casey Matthews | LB | Oregon |
| 4 | 117 | New York Giants | James Brewer | T | Indiana |
| 4 | 118 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jalil Brown | DB | Colorado |
| 4 | 119 | Indianapolis Colts | Delone Carter | RB | Syracuse |
| 4 | 120 | Philadelphia Eagles | Alex Henery | K | Nebraska |
| 4 | 121 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Chris Prosinski | DB | Wyoming |
| 4 | 122 | Buffalo Bills | Chris Hairston | T | Clemson |
| 4 | 123 | Baltimore Ravens | Tandon Doss | WR | Indiana |
| 4 | 124 | Cleveland Browns | Owen Marecic | RB | Stanford |
| 4 | 125 | Oakland Raiders | Taiwan Jones | RB | East. Washington |
| 4 | 126 | New York Jets | Bilal Powell | RB | Louisville |
| 4 | 127 | Houston Texans | Roc Carmichael | DB | Virginia Tech |
| 4 | 128 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cortez Allen | DB | The Citadel |
| 4 | 129 | Denver Broncos | Julius Thomas | TE | Portland St. |
| 4 | 130 | Tennessee Titans | Jamie Harper | RB | Clemson |
| 4 | 131 | Green Bay Packers | Davon House | DB | New Mexico St. |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 5 | 132 | Carolina Panthers | Kealoha Pilares | WR | Hawaii |
| 5 | 133 | Buffalo Bills | Johnny White | RB | North Carolina |
| 5 | 134 | Cincinnati Bengals | Robert Sands | DB | West Virginia |
| 5 | 135 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ricky Stanzi | QB | Iowa |
| 5 | 136 | Arizona Cardinals | Anthony Sherman | RB | Connecticut |
| 5 | 137 | Cleveland Browns | Buster Skrine | DB | Tenn-Chattanooga |
| 5 | 138 | New England Patriots | Marcus Cannon | T | TCU |
| 5 | 139 | Minnesota Vikings | Brandon Burton | DB | Southern Utah |
| 5 | 140 | Kansas City Chiefs | Gabe Miller | LB | Oregon St. |
| 5 | 141 | Green Bay Packers | D.J. Williams | TE | Arkansas |
| 5 | 142 | Tennessee Titans | Karl Klug | DT | Iowa |
| 5 | 143 | Dallas Cowboys | Josh Thomas | DB | Buffalo |
| 5 | 144 | Houston Texans | Shiloh Keo | DB | Idaho |
| 5 | 145 | Atlanta Falcons | Jacquizz Rodgers | RB | Oregon St. |
| 5 | 146 | Washington | DeJon Gomes | DB | Nebraska |
| 5 | 147 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Rod Issac | DB | Middle Tenn. St. |
| 5 | 148 | Oakland Raiders | Denarius Moore | WR | Tennessee |
| 5 | 149 | Philadelphia Eagles | Dion Lewis | RB | Pittsburgh |
| 5 | 150 | Cleveland Browns | Jason Pinkston | T | Pittsburgh |
| 5 | 151 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ahmad Black | DB | Florida |
| 5 | 152 | Houston Texans | T.J. Yates | QB | North Carolina |
| 5 | 153 | New York Jets | Jeremy Kerley | WR | TCU |
| 5 | 154 | Seattle Seahawks | Richard Sherman | DB | Stanford |
| 5 | 155 | Washington | Niles Paul | WR | Nebraska |
| 5 | 156 | Seattle Seahawks | Mark LeGree | DB | Appalachian St. |
| 5 | 157 | Detriot Lions | Doug Hogue | LB | Syracuse |
| 5 | 158 | St. Louis Rams | Jermale Hines | DB | Ohio St. |
| 5 | 159 | New England Patriots | Lee Smith | TE | Tennessee |
| 5 | 160 | Chicago Bears | Nathan Enderle | QB | Idaho |
| 5 | 161 | Philadelphia Eagles | Julian Vandervelde | G | Iowa |
| 5 | 162 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Chris Carter | LB | Fresno St. |
| 5 | 163 | San Francisco 49ers | Daniel Kilgore | G | Appalachian St. |
| 5 | 164 | Baltimore Ravens | Chykie Brown | DB | Texas |
| 5 | 165 | Baltimore Ravens | Pernell McPhee | DE | Mississippi St. |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 6 | 166 | Carolina Panthers | Lawrence Wilson | LB | Central Connecticut St. |
| 6 | 167 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ryan Whalen | WR | Stanford |
| 6 | 168 | Minnesota Vikings | Demarcus Love | OL | Arkansas |
| 6 | 169 | Buffalo Bills | Chris White | LB | Mississippi St. |
| 6 | 170 | Minnesota Vikings | Mistral Raymond | DB | South Florida |
| 6 | 171 | Arizona Cardinals | Quan Sturdivant | LB | North Carolina |
| 6 | 172 | Minnesota Vikings | Brandon Fusco | C | Slippery Rock |
| 6 | 173 | Seattle Seahawks | Byron Maxwell | DB | Clemson |
| 6 | 174 | Miami Dolphins | Charles Clay | TE | Tulsa |
| 6 | 175 | Tennessee Titans | Byron Stingily | T | Louisville |
| 6 | 176 | Dallas Cowboys | Dwayne Harris | WR | East Carolina |
| 6 | 177 | Washington | Evan Royster | RB | Penn St. |
| 6 | 178 | Washington | Aldrick Robinson | WR | SMU |
| 6 | 179 | Green Bay Packers | Caleb Schlauderaff | G | Southern Utah |
| 6 | 180 | Baltimore Ravens | Tyrod Taylor | QB | Virginia Tech |
| 6 | 181 | Oakland Raiders | Richard Gordon | TE | Miami (FL) |
| 6 | 182 | San Francisco 49ers | Ronald Johnson | WR | USC |
| 6 | 183 | San Diego Chargers | Jordan Todman | RB | Connecticut |
| 6 | 184 | Arizona Cardinals | David Carter | DT | UCLA |
| 6 | 185 | New York Giants | Greg Jones | LB | Michigan St. |
| 6 | 186 | Green Bay Packers | D.J. Smith | LB | Appalachian St. |
| 6 | 187 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Allen Bradford | RB | USC |
| 6 | 188 | Indianapolis Colts | Chris Rucker | DB | Michigan St. |
| 6 | 189 | Denver Broncos | Mike Mohamed | LB | California |
| 6 | 190 | San Francisco 49ers | Colin Jones | DB | TCU |
| 6 | 191 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jason Kelce | C | Cincinnati |
| 6 | 192 | Atlanta Falcons | Matthew Bosher | K | Miami (FL) |
| 6 | 193 | Philadelphia Eagles | Brian Rolle | LB | Ohio St. |
| 6 | 194 | New England Patriots | Markell Carter | LB | Central Arkansas |
| 6 | 195 | Chicago Bears | J.T. Thomas | LB | West Virginia |
| 6 | 196 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Keith Williams | G | Nebraska |
| 6 | 197 | Green Bay Packers | Ricky Elmore | DL | Arizona |
| 6 | 198 | New York Giants | Tyler Sash | DB | Iowa |
| 6 | 199 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jerrell Powe | DT | Mississippi |
| 6 | 200 | Minnesota Vikings | Ross Homan | LB | Ohio St. |
| 6 | 201 | San Diego Chargers | Stephen Schilling | G | Michigan |
| 6 | 202 | New York Giants | Jacquian Williams | LB | South Florida |
| 6 | 203 | Carolina Panthers | Zachary Williams | OL | Washington St. |
| Round | Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 7 | 204 | Denver Broncos | Virgil Green | TE | Nevada |
| 7 | 205 | Seattle Seahawks | Lazarius Levingston | DL | LSU |
| 7 | 206 | Buffalo Bills | Justin Rogers | DB | Richmond |
| 7 | 207 | Cincinnati Bengals | Korey Lindsey | DB | Southern Illinois |
| 7 | 208 | New York Jets | Greg McElroy | QB | Alabama |
| 7 | 209 | Detriot Lions | Johnny Culbreath | OL | South Carolina St. |
| 7 | 210 | Atlanta Falcons | Andrew Jackson | OL | Fresno St. |
| 7 | 211 | San Francisco 49ers | Bruce Miller | DE | Central Florida |
| 7 | 212 | Tennessee Titans | Zach Clayton | DT | Auburn |
| 7 | 213 | Washington | Brandyn Thompson | DB | Boise St. |
| 7 | 214 | Houston Texans | Derek Newton | T | Arkansas St. |
| 7 | 215 | Minnesota Vikings | D'Aundre Reed | DE | Arizona |
| 7 | 216 | St. Louis Rams | Mikail Baker | DB | Baylor |
| 7 | 217 | Washington | Maurice Hurt | G | Florida |
| 7 | 218 | Green Bay Packers | Ryan Taylor | TE | North Carolina |
| 7 | 219 | New England Patriots | Malcolm Williams | DB | TCU |
| 7 | 220 | Dallas Cowboys | Shaun Chapas | RB | Georgia |
| 7 | 221 | New York Giants | Da'Rel Scott | RB | Maryland |
| 7 | 222 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Anthony Gaitor | DB | Florida International |
| 7 | 223 | Kansas City Chiefs | Shane Bannon | RB | Yale |
| 7 | 224 | Washington | Markus White | DE | Florida St. |
| 7 | 225 | Baltimore Ravens | Anthony Allen | RB | Georgia Tech |
| 7 | 226 | New Orleans Saints | Greg Romeus | DL | Pittsburgh |
| 7 | 227 | New York Jets | Scotty McKnight | WR | Colorado |
| 7 | 228 | St. Louis Rams | Jabara Williams | LB | S.F. Austin |
| 7 | 229 | St. Louis Rams | Jonathan Nelson | DB | Oklahoma |
| 7 | 230 | Atlanta Falcons | Cliff Matthews | DE | South Carolina |
| 7 | 231 | Miami Dolphins | Frank Kearse | DT | Alabama A&M |
| 7 | 232 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Baron Batch | RB | Texas Tech |
| 7 | 233 | Green Bay Packers | Lawrence Guy | DT | Arizona St. |
| 7 | 234 | San Diego Chargers | Andrew Gachkar | LB | Missouri |
| 7 | 235 | Miami Dolphins | Jimmy Wilson | DB | Montana |
| 7 | 236 | Minnesota Vikings | Stephen Burton | WR | Long Beach CC |
| 7 | 237 | Philadelphia Eagles | Greg Lloyd | LB | Connecticut |
| 7 | 238 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Daniel Hardy | TE | Idaho |
| 7 | 239 | San Francisco 49ers | Michael Person | G | Montana St. |
| 7 | 240 | Philadelphia Eagles | Stanley Havili | RB | USC |
| 7 | 241 | Oakland Raiders | David Ausberry | WR | USC |
| 7 | 242 | Seattle Seahawks | Malcolm Smith | LB | USC |
| 7 | 243 | New Orleans Saints | Nate Bussey | LB | Illinois |
| 7 | 244 | Carolina Panthers | Lee Ziemba | T | Auburn |
| 7 | 245 | Buffalo Bills | Michael Jasper | DT | |
| 7 | 246 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jay Finley | RB | Baylor |
| 7 | 247 | Denver Broncos | Jeremy Beal | DL | Oklahoma |
| 7 | 248 | Cleveland Browns | Eric Hagg | DB | Nebraska |
| 7 | 249 | Arizona Cardinals | DeMarco Sampson | WR | San Diego St. |
| 7 | 250 | San Francisco 49ers | Curtis Holcomb | DB | Florida A&M |
| 7 | 251 | Tennessee Titans | Tommie Campbell | DB | Pittsburgh |
| 7 | 252 | Dallas Cowboys | Bill Nagy | G | Wisconsin |
| 7 | 253 | Washington | Chris Neild | DT | West Virginia |
| 7 | 254 | Houston Texans | Cheta Ozougwu | DE | Rice |