Another Successful Draft For Senior Bowl

83 All-Stars were taken in 2011 NFL Draft.

Randy Patrick

MOBILE, Alabama - From the second pick of the first round to the second to last pick of the seventh and final round, the Under Armour Senior Bowl had a strong presence in the 2011 NFL Draft. In all, 83 former Senior Bowl players were selected over the three day event, a number that represents 12 first round picks and 33 percent of all 254 players drafted.

For the seventh consecutive year the nation’s premier senior showcase event had at least 10 first round selections, with 12 former Senior Bowl players getting the much anticipated call on Thursday night. When the Denver Broncos chose Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller with the second overall pick, it marked the 15th straight year the game has featured a top ten selection. Miller, the Under Armour Defensive Player of the Game this year, is the first Senior Bowler to be chosen in the top five since 2007 and the highest pick in the game’s history in eight years (Carson Palmer, 1st overall in 2003).
Since 1999, the Senior Bowl has produced 144 first round selections and 1,130 draftees overall.
Joining Miller in the first round was fellow top ten pick Jake Locker. Locker, who went eighth to the Tennessee Titans, was one of two Senior Bowl quarterbacks to be chosen in the first round. Minnesota selected Senior Bowl MVP Christian Ponder of Florida State with the twelfth overall pick. It was the first time since 2008 that the Senior Bowl has had two top ten picks and first time since 2004 that two Senior Bowl quarterbacks have been chosen in the first round.
“The whole week was done right and I really enjoyed working with an NFL staff—the Bills—and I had a good time, really took advantage of the opportunity,” Ponder said of the Senior Bowl. “It was really good for me to help rocket, propel myself to continue on to the pre-draft process.”

The Senior Bowl featured the first senior player at 12 different positions (OLB, ILB, QB, DE, DT, OG, OT, WR, TE, S, K, FB) and the first overall player at five different positions (OLB, ILB, OG, K, FB). What makes the first round numbers so impressive is that nearly half (15) of the first round draftees were underclassmen.
“We are once again very pleased with the results of the NFL Draft and excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for our former players,” Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. “It’s rewarding for us as an organization to see these players achieve their ultimate goal of playing in the National Football League after maximizing their value here in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.”
Twenty six more Senior Bowl players were drafted on day two of the NFL Draft, which consisted of rounds two and three. The second round saw 11 Senior Bowl players get drafted, highlighted by a pair of quarterbacks going back to back with the fourth and fifth picks of the round. Cincinnati selected TCU signal caller Andy Dalton with the 35th pick overall just before the San Francisco 49ers chose Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick 36th overall. This marked the first year that the Senior Bowl has ever had four quarterbacks taken in the first 36 picks of the NFL draft.