Super Bowl class: Newton vs. Miller matchup highlights 2011 NFL draft talent
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Super Bowl class: Newton vs. Miller matchup highlights 2011 NFL draft talent
Looking back to the draft Class of 2011, it appears as a buffet of talent. Cam Newton went first overall and is the MVP frontrunner on the eve of his first Super Bowl appearance with the Carolina Panthers. Von Miller is his foe in the game, Miller’s second Super Bowl. Beyond that, the next five picks all became Pro Bowlers: Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones and Aldon Smith. Tyron Smith went ninth to Dallas and J.J. Watt went two picks later. Five of the top 11 from that 2011 draft took part in this season’s playoffs, and three made championship games.
It was a lot of special guys, man. J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Julio Jones, A.J. Green. Sheesh, that’s amazing. We are all impacting the game in some shape or form.
Cam Newton
The draft itself was unique even before the first pick took place. A labor dispute between the players’ union and the league imperiled the upcoming season. Trades of players for picks were forbidden, and even Miller was named as a plaintiff in an antitrust lawsuit against the league. Despite the tumult, the players at the top of the class excelled almost immediately. Newton, who was compared to fellow first-rounders Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker, became Rookie of the Year, and Miller battled with Smith for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors (which Miller won).
