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2011 NFL Draft Round 1 Picks (Player/Agent)

Round 1

1. Carolina (2-14) – QB Cam Newton ~ Auburn – Agent: Bus Cook, Tony Paige, Chitta Mallik (B.C. Sports/Perennial Sports)

2. Denver (4-12) – LB Von Miller ~ Texas A&M – Agent: Athletes First

3. Buffalo (4-12) – DT Marcell Dareus ~ Alabama – Agent: Todd France

4. Cincinnati (4-12) – WR A.J. Green ~ Georgia – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

5. Arizona (5-11) – CB Patrick Peterson ~ LSU – Agent: Patrick Lawlor (Galaxy Sports)

6. Atlanta (13-3) [via trade with Cleveland] – WR Julio Jones ~ Alabama – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

7. San Francisco (6-10) – DE/OLB Aldon Smith ~ Missouri – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

8. Tennessee (6-10) – QB Jake Locker ~ Washington – Agent: Athletes First

9. Dallas (6-10) – OT Tyron Smith ~ USC – Agent: Lock, Metz, and Malinovic

10. Jacksonville (8-8) [via trade with Washington] – QB Blaine Gabbert ~ Missouri – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

11. Houston (6-10) – DE J.J. Watt ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

12. Minnesota (6-10) – QB Christian Ponder ~ Florida State – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

13. Detroit (6-10) – DT Nick Fairley ~ Auburn – Agent: Brian Overstreet (E. Overstreet Sports Management)

14. St. Louis (7-9) – DE Robert Quinn ~ North Carolina – Agent: Carl Carey (Champion Pro Consulting)

15. Miami (7-9) – OG/C Mike Pouncey ~ Florida – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

16. Washington (6-10) – DE Ryan Kerrigan ~ Purdue – Agent: Athletes First

17. New England – from Oakland (8-8) – OT Nate Solder ~ Colorado – Agent: Athletes First

18. San Diego (9-7) – DT Cory Liuget ~ Illinois – Agent: Tony Fleming (Impact Sports)

19. New York Giants (10-6) – CB Prince Amukamara ~ Nebraska – Agent: Todd France

20. Tampa Bay (10-6) – DE Adrian Clayborn ~ Iowa – Agent: Blake Baratz (The Institute for Athletes)

21. Cleveland (5-11) [via trade with Kansas City] – DT Phil Taylor ~ Baylor – Agent: Peter Schaffer (All-Pro Sports)

22. Indianapolis (10-6) – OT Anthony Castonzo ~ Boston College – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

23. Philadelphia (10-6) – OL Danny Watkins ~ Baylor – Agent: Lock, Metz, Malinovic

24. New Orleans (11-5) – DE Cameron Jordan ~ Cal – Agent: Octagon

25. Seattle (7-9) – OT James Carpenter ~Alabama – Agent: Priority Sports

26. Baltimore (12-4) – CB Jimmy Smith ~ Colorado – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

27. Kansas City (10-6) – WR Jonathan Baldwin ~ Pittsburgh – Agent: Priority Sports

28. New Orleans (11-5) – RB Mark Ingram ~ Alabama – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

29. Chicago (11-5) – OT Gabe Carimi ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Gary Uberstine (Premier Sports)

30. New York Jets (11-5) – DE Muhammad Wilkerson ~ Temple – Agent: Chad Wiestling (Integrated Sports Management)

31. Pittsburgh (12-4) – DE Cameron Heyward ~ Ohio State – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

32. Green Bay (10-6) – OT Derek Sherrod ~ Mississippi State – Agent: Bus Cook

Notes

  • Creative Artists Agency (Tom Condon and Ben Dogra) led all agencies with 5 players selected in the first round.  Most impressive about that fact is that all 5 players were selected before pick 24.  4 of those players were selected before pick 12.  In 2010, CAA represented 6 first round players on Day 1 of the Draft.
  • Athletes First had the 2nd most picks with 4 players going in the first round.  Their drafted players were also selected in the top portion of the first round.  All 4 of their clients selected in the first round were taken before pick 18.
  • SportsTrust Advisors, the new company created out of the merger of Pat Dye, Jr.’s ProFiles Sports Inc. and Jimmy Sexton’s Athletic Resource Management (ARM) had the 3rd most players drafted in the first round.  Julio Jones, and especially Christian Ponder, went higher than many had expected.
  • A lot of familiar names on the list.  This year, the coming out party is for Patrick Lawlor of Galaxy Sports (representing Patrick Peterson).  Last year, Joe Haden was selected two spots later than Patrick Peterson was drafted this year.  Haden’s representative, Malik Hafeez Shareef, was also a brand new competitor for the large agencies to follow.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.