Shortly before announcing new Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton as this year’s first overall pick, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the stage at Radio City Music Hall and heard a lusty chorus of boos from the fans in attendance.
“We want football!” they chanted, in apparent protest of the NFL-imposed lockout of its players.
“I hear you,” Goodell replied.
It was an awkward way to begin the NFL’s annual celebration of its newest young stars, but the attention soon turned to the rookies, beginning with Newton. Around 8:15 pm ET, Goodell made the long-expected announcement that the Panthers had selected Newton, the former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner and national champion, with the draft’s first pick.
“I’m ready to change this whole organization around,” the supremely confident Newton said. “Ready to go from worst to first.”
After Newton, the next few picks went largely as expected, with the Denver Broncos taking Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller second, the Buffalo Bills picking Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus third, the Cincinnati Bengals selecting Georgia receiver A.J. Green at No. 4 and the Arizona Cardinals taking LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson with the fifth pick.
Miller in particular was very emotional and shared a long hug with Goodell — an odd scene considering that Miller is one of the named plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL antitrust suit.
“I don’t have anything against Roger Goodell,” Miller said. “I just wanted to make sure football got played.”
Thanks to an injunction issued earlier this week by Judge Susan Nelson, who’s hearing the Brady case, the players drafted Thursday night will be able to go to their new teams’ facilities, meet their new coaches and start discussing the new offenses and defenses in which they will find themselves. The NFL announced Thursday that it would open for regular off-season business at 8 am ET on Friday while it continues to hope an appeals court allows it to reinstate the lockout.
Meanwhile, the middle of the second round brought a couple of surprises. The Tennessee Titans picked Washington quarterback Jake Locker with the No. 8 pick, and the quarterback-needy Washington Redskins traded out of the No. 10 pick, allowing Jacksonville to move up to that spot and select Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert. The Minnesota Vikings made it four quarterbacks in the first round when they took Florida State’s Christian Ponder at No. 12, but teams like Arizona, Washington and San Francisco decided to wait until later in the draft (or, perhaps, the trade and free agent season) to address their need for a quarterback.
The night’s most emotional moment belonged to Alabama running back Mark Ingram. After the New Orleans Saints traded with the Patriots and moved up to select Ingram with the 28th pick, ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber read Ingram an e-mail from his incarcerated father, a former New York Giants wide receiver. Ingram broke down in tears as he looked into the camera and told his father he loved him and “we did it!”
The first round was done in about three and a half hours, and the second and third rounds will be held in prime time Friday night. And with quarterbacks Ryan Mallet, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick still on the board, the Patriots, who hold the next pick and love to trade down, should be fielding offers all day.
Here’s the complete list of the draft’s first round:
1. Carolina: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn.
2. Denver: Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
3. Buffalo: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
4. Cincinnati: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5. Arizona: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6. Atlanta (from Cleveland): Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
7. San Francisco: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
8. Tennessee: Jake Locker, QB, Washington
9. Dallas: Tyron Smith, OT, USC
10. Jacksonville (from Washington): Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
11. Houston: J.J Watt, DE, Wisconsin
12. Minnesota: Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
13. Detroit: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
14. St. Louis: Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
15. Miami: Mike Pouncey, C, Florida
16. Washington (from Jacksonville): Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
17. New England: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
18. San Diego: Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
19. New York Giants: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
20. Tampa Bay: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
21. Cleveland (from Kansas City): Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor
22. Indianapolis: Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
23. Philadelphia: Danny Watkins, G, Baylor
24. New Orleans: Cameron Jordan, DE, California
25. Seattle: James Carpenter, OT, Alabama
26. Kansas City: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
27*: Baltimore: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
28. New Orleans (from New England): Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
29. Chicago: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
30. New York Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple
31. Pittsburgh: Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State
32. Green Bay: Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
*- Baltimore had the 26th pick but did not select before the 10-minute time limit expired, so Kansas City moved into the Ravens’ slot.
