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2011 vs. 2013: Comparing two historic drafts headed in opposite directions
Oh what a difference two years makes.
When it comes to NFL Draft "superlatives," the 2011 and 2013 classes stand out for very different reasons. One could be the best of all time, and the other could be just the opposite: the worst in recent memory. And incredibly, they're separated by just two short years.
The 2011 class received a lot of attention in recent weeks given the emergence of Cam Newton and Von Miller -- Super Bowl foes and the top two picks in the draft five years ago. While those two are certainly righteous headliners for the Class of 2011, the group was much deeper than just Newton and Miller -- so deep that it could go down as one of the best ever.
Up to this point, 26 different players from the 2011 class has made at least one Pro Bowl, combining for 59 total appearances. Only 16 from 2013 have made an appearance in the NFL's all-star game.
If that's not staggering enough, here's a more telling statistic. The first five picks of the 2011 draft (Newton, Miller, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson) alone have combined to make 19 Pro Bowls. By comparison, the entire 2013 class has made the same number of Pro Bowls.
The difference between All-Pro selections is even more shocking. Only three players from 2013 have been named first-team All-Pros (Tyrann Mathieu, Le'Veon Bell and Cordarrelle Patterson). The 2011 draft yielded 12 first-team All-Pros, combining for 20 selections altogether.
Obviously, Pro Bowls and All-Pros don't tell the whole story, though they are good measures of individual success for each player. Instead, let's look at some key statistics.
The 2013 class gave way to an emerging pass rusher in Ezekiel Ansah of the Detroit Lions. His 30 career sacks lead all players to enter the league in 2013, but there's a significant drop-off from there. Only five players have double-digit sacks in their career (Ansah, Sheldon Richardson, Kawaan Short, Devin Taylor and Alex Okafor).
On the other hand, a whopping 22 players have eclipsed 10 career sacks from the 2011 class, led by J.J. Watt's 74.5. Miller isn't far behind with 60 of his own, which is double Ansah's total. In order for Ansah to reach Miller's 60 sacks in the same span, he'd have to average 15 sacks in each of the next two seasons -- a tough, but not impossible task.
Where the 2013 class does match the 2011 rookies is in interceptions. Logan Ryan leads the way with 13, followed by a pair of stud LSU alumni: Mathieu and Eric Reid, who have seven apiece. A total of 47 players have recorded an interception, which is the same number for the 2011 class.
Where there's a distinct difference is at the top. Richard Sherman, a fifth-round pick, has 26 career interceptions. Peterson is a close second with 17 as both have turned out to be two of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league.
The guys those cornerbacks are picking off, the quarterbacks, have yielded very different results from each respective year. From 2011, Andy Dalton and Newton were the two best quarterbacks out of the group. Colin Kaepernick also had some success, as has Tyrod Taylor in one year as a starter.
Between Newton, Dalton and Kaepernick, they've made a combined 16 postseason starts (including two Super Bowls), posting a 7-9 record.
The 2013 class hasn't had nearly as much success. Exactly zero quarterbacks from that year's draft are currently starters. Only four have made a single start, with those being Mike Glennon, Geno Smith, EJ Manuel and Landry Jones. None of them, however, have made a single postseason start.
Additionally, as of last year, the entire 2013 class had just five Super Bowl wins combined, compared to 21 for 2011.
The list goes on and on comparing the two classes. It's still too early to call either the best or worst of all time, but they appear to be headed down that road. Miller, Newton, Watt, Sherman and Peterson make 2011 outstanding by themselves, and that's excluding guys like Tyron Smith, Justin Houston and Green.
The 2013 class just doesn't have enough star power with the top 17 picks combining to make just two Pro Bowls. There's still time to improve upon that, but the 2013 class will never match or surpass that of 2011's.
