Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, right, holds up a jersey with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the NFL football draft at Radio City Music Hall Thursday, April 28, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)The Southeastern Conference, which has an unprecedented stranglehold on college football with five consecutive national championships, didn’t shy away from Thursday night’s NFL draft.
Five of the top six selections were from the SEC, including Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who went No. 1 to Carolina, and the dynamic receiver duo of Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones. Green went fourth to Cincinnati and Jones went sixth to Atlanta, which moved up 21 spots in a trade with Cleveland.
New Panthers coach Ron Rivera said they selected Newton after “several things” were investigated and after talking to numerous people. Rivera then took some pressure off the 6-foot-5, 248-pounder, who led the Tigers to their first national title since 1957.
“He’s not drafted to be a franchise savior,” Rivera said. “He’s drafted to be a part of what we do and how we do it. If this football team is going to win a championship, we’re going to get back to running the football the way this team did and the way this team can.”
Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller briefly interrupted the SEC showcase by going second overall to Denver, but then Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus went third to Buffalo. Sandwiched between Green and Jones was LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, who went fifth to Arizona.