Ten Years Gone: The Story of the 2011 QB Draft Class in Anticipation For This Year (First Round)

This neat little adventure into memory lane will feature all the QB’s from the 2011 draft, explain how their rookie season went, and how they fared overall. Shall we get started?

First Round: 1. Cam Newton, Panthers Drafted by Carolina after a period of inconsistent QB play (insert Jimmy Clausen joke here) Newton had a bit of a sluggish start, throwing 21 TDs and 17 INTS as Carolina finished 6-10. He had his best season in 2015, throwing 35 TDs and sending the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

In 2020 he signed with the Patriots, replacing Tom Brady, and had one of the worst seasons of his career, throwing 8 touchdowns in 15 games, but will start in 2021

1. Jake Locker, Titans The former Washington Husky was drafted 8th overall by the Titans, he spent the 2011 season as a backup before becoming the starter the following year. In 11 games with Tennessee, he threw 10 TDs and 11 picks, and struggled with injuries.

Following the 2014 season, Locker announced his retirement from the league.

1. Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars The 10th overall pick in the draft, Gabbert was chosen to be the face of Duval County. The football gods thought otherwise, as he threw only 12 TDs and 11 picks in 15 games. By 2013 he was no longer on team, having been traded to the 49ers.

Gabbert went on to play short stints with Arizona and Tennessee, before signing with Tampa Bay. In 2020, he started the second half of a demolition of Detroit, throwing two touchdowns and no picks in a 47-7 nail biter. The 31 year old Gabbert finally won a super bowl, following the Bucs win over the Chiefs

1. Christian Ponder, Vikings The 12th overall pick, Ponder was selected as a long term replacement for Brett Favre, who had just retired for the 17th time. Like those drafted ahead of him, he had an unexceptional rookie season. Ponder’s second season was better, but by 2014 he was off the Vikings, and by 2016 had retired from the league after stints with Denver, Oakland, and San Francisco.

This post is getting kind of long, but if people seem to enjoy this I’ll do the rest of the class. Have a nice day! 😁