2011 NFL DRAFT ROUND 1 NOTES - Ingles

RECORD NUMBER OF PLAYERS ATTEND 2011 NFL DRAFT

25 NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS were in attendance tonight at Radio City Music Hall for Round 1 of the 2011 NFL Draft – the most in history. This year’s total eclipses last year’s record of 17 players.

HEISMAN TO FIRST OVERALL
Carolina selected QB CAM NEWTON of Auburn at the top of Round 1, marking the first time Heisman-winning quarterbacks have been chosen No. 1 overall in consecutive years since the inception of the common NFL Draft in 1967. Newton follows St. Louis QB SAM BRADFORD, who won the 2008 Heisman Trophy and was chosen first by the Rams in last year’s NFL Draft.

Newton, the 2010 Heisman winner, became the 10th recipient of the award to be selected first overall since 1967.

HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS SELECTED FIRST OVERALL (SINCE 1967)

In addition to Newton, 2009 Heisman Trophy-winning RB MARK INGRAM was chosen No. 28 overall by New Orleans, marking the second consecutive year and fourth time since 1990 that two Heisman Trophy winners were selected in the same draft.

Last year, Bradford and TIM TEBOW (No. 25 overall, Denver), who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking the Florida Gators, were both chosen in Round 1.

HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS SELECTED IN SAME DRAFT (SINCE 1990)

QBs DOMINATE 1ST DOZEN
Four quarterbacks – Newton, JAKE LOCKER (No. 8, Tennessee), BLAINE GABBERT (No. 10, Jacksonville) and CHRISTIAN PONDER (No. 12, Minnesota) – were among the first 12 players selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, the second-most since 1970.

Quarterbacks represented five of the first 12 picks in 1999, the most during that span.

MOST QUARTERBACKS AMONG FIRST 12 OVERALL SELECTIONS (SINCE 1970)

BRONCO ’BACKER
Texas A&M LB VON MILLER (No. 2 overall, Denver) became the fourth linebacker to be selected in the top five since 2000. The most recent top-five selection at the linebacker position was AARON CURRY in 2009.

LINEBACKERS SELECTED IN TOP FIVE SINCE 2000

BACK-TO-BACK QBs
With tonight’s selection of Cam Newton, Carolina became the first team since 1967 to select a quarterback with its top draft choice in consecutive years. In Round 2 of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Panthers chose JIMMY CLAUSEN of Notre Dame.

Note: Carolina did not have a first-round draft pick in 2010.

HUSKY GOES HIGH
At No. 8 overall, Jake Locker became the first quarterback in Washington history to be selected in Round 1 of an NFL Draft. DON HEINRICH, who was taken in the third round by New York Giants in 1952 (No. 35 overall), previously had been the highest-drafted QB in school history.

BAYLOR DUO
College teammates PHIL TAYLOR (No. 21 overall, Cleveland) and DANNY WATKINS (No. 23, Philadelphia) became the first pair of Baylor players to be selected in Round 1 of an NFL Draft.

Including Taylor and Watkins, Baylor has had eight first-round picks since the inception of the common draft in 1967.

BAYLOR PLAYERS SELECTED IN THE FIRST ROUND (Since 1967)

Watkins, a Canadian native and firefighter, was drafted fourth overall in the 2010 CFL Draft by his hometown British Columbia Lions, but opted to return to Baylor for his senior season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Six defensive ends – J.J. WATT (No. 11 overall, Houston), ROBERT QUINN (No. 14, St. Louis), COREY LIUGET (No. 18, San Diego), ADRIAN CLAYBORN (No. 20, Tampa Bay), CAMERON JORDAN (No. 24, New Orleans) and CAMERON HEYWARD (No. 31, Pittsburgh) – were selected in tonight’s first round, tied for the most in NFL Draft history.

The 1992 NFL Draft also featured six first-round defensive ends: