The 2011 UFL Draft was the third and final draft of the United Football League. The draft took place on Monday, May 2, 2011. The draft was held over a period of 10 rounds during which each of the five UFL teams was allowed one pick per round, in reverse order of 2010 finish, with the last-place Hartford Colonials picking first and the champion Las Vegas Locomotives picking last in each round. The expansion Virginia Destroyers took the place of the defunct Florida Tuskers, from whom the Destroyers inherited their staff, in the draft order; the Destroyers also received a "bonus selection" at both the end of the fourth round and the end of the draft, respectively. During rounds one and two, each team had five minutes to make their selection of a player. During rounds three through ten, each team had three minutes to make their selection of a player. The round by round results were announced via the Twitter feeds of each individual coach, as well as through commissioner Michael Huyghue's Twitter feed.

The UFL moved its draft up to May 2, two days after the end of the 2011 NFL Draft, in part to accommodate the UFL's proposed earlier start in August (since abandoned) for the 2011 season, and also to take advantage of the lockout in the National Football League. Players who went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft could not sign with NFL teams because of the lockout. As a result, the UFL made efforts to draft and sign those players before the lockout was lifted.[1] Pat Devlin, the former Delaware quarterback and one of the higher rated undrafted prospects, was given an offer to be the first overall draft pick, but because the Hartford Colonials also requested he sign a UFL contract as a condition of being picked, Devlin declined.[2] As in previous UFL drafts, players with professional experience were also eligible to be drafted. Overall, 24 undrafted rookies and 28 professional veterans were selected in the draft.[2]

First overall draft pick Jerrod Johnson defected from the UFL to the Philadelphia Eagles in late July 2011,[3] amid rumors that the Colonials were to be contracted.[4] He returned to the UFL for the 2012 season, this time with the Sacramento Mountain Lions.

Players selected in the draft remain on each team's reserve/unsigned list until the player signs the league's standard form contract and is added to the roster.[5]

Trades

Draft results

Round one

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 1 Hartford QB Jerrod Johnson** Texas A&M
2 2 Omaha CB Reynaldo Hill* Florida
3 3 Sacramento QB Ryan Colburn* Fresno State
4 4 Virginia DE Martail Burnett* Utah
5 5 Las Vegas OT Joel Bell* Furman

Round two

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 6 Hartford OG Kurt Quarterman* Louisville
2 7 Omaha DE Jamie Cumbie* Clemson
3 8 Sacramento DE Ugo Chinasa Oklahoma State
4 9 Virginia DT Ryan Sims** North Carolina
5 10 Las Vegas DE Lawrence Wilson* Ohio State

Round three

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 11 Hartford C Cecil Newton** Tennessee State
2 12 Omaha OT Joe Toledo* Washington
3 13 Sacramento CB Derrick Roberson Rutgers
4 14 Virginia RB Adrian N. Peterson* Georgia Southern
5 15 Las Vegas WR Eric Peterman* Northwestern

Round four

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 16 Hartford OG Ricky Henry Nebraska
2 17 Omaha CB Chris Smith* Northern Illinois
3 18 Sacramento DE Roberto Davis* NW Missouri State
4 19 Virginia WR Aundrae Allison* East Carolina
5 20 Hartford OL Brad Thorson Kansas
B 21 Virginia LB Clint Ingram** Oklahoma

Round five

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 22 Hartford RB Philip Tanner* Middle Tennessee State
2 23 Omaha OT Mike Smith Nebraska
3 24 Sacramento LB Spencer Paysinger Oregon
4 25 Virginia DT Trevor Anderson* Albany
5 26 Las Vegas FB Kennedy Tinsley* (later released) North Carolina

Round six

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 27 Hartford DE Ervin Baldwin* Michigan State
2 28 Omaha OT D. J. Jones* Nebraska
3 29 Sacramento WR Jamel Hamler Fresno State
4 30 Virginia DT Ian Scott Florida
5 31 Las Vegas QB Mike Tyson Rutgers

Round seven

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 32 Hartford TE Greg Smith Texas
2 33 Omaha TE Kyle Nelson New Mexico State
3 34 Sacramento OT Kainoa LaCount* Hawaii
4 35 Virginia TE Joe Monteverde* Richmond
5 36 Las Vegas LB Dave Philistin* Maryland

Round eight

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 37 Hartford DT Colby Whitlock Texas Tech
2 38 Omaha QB Jeremiah Masoli* Mississippi
3 39 Omaha DE Brian Johnston Gardner–Webb
4 40 Virginia RB Wynel Seldon* Wyoming
5 41 Las Vegas WR Cameron Colvin* Oregon

Round nine

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 42 Hartford DT Jonathan Lewis* Virginia Tech
2 43 Omaha RB Derrick Locke Kentucky
3 44 Sacramento CB Josh Gatlin* North Dakota State
4 45 Virginia QB Derek Devine* Marshall
5 46 Las Vegas RB Mario Fannin Auburn

Round ten

Pick Overall Team Position Name School
1 47 Hartford DE Keith Grennan* Eastern Washington
2 48 Omaha DT Akiem Hicks University of Regina
3 49 Sacramento S Keanemana Silva Hawaii
4 50 Virginia DB Jahi Word-Daniels* Georgia Tech
5 51 Omaha LB Mark Herzlich Boston College
B 52 Virginia WR Jeff Maehl Oregon

[6]

Notes

(* indicates signed for 2011 season) (** indicates signed, but defected to the NFL)

References

  1. ^ Prospects such as Burney and Herzlich must make decision. NFL.com. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  2. ^ a b Jerrod Johnson No. 1 pick in UFL draft; LB Mark Herzlich among 52 players taken in UFL Draft. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  3. ^ 'Human Highlight Reel,' Punter Among 11 Eagles Rookie Signees. WCAU. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Hartford Colonials could fold as part of UFL contraction. Associated Press. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "United Football League Announces Plans for June 2 Draft". United Football League. 2010-05-28. Archived from the original on 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  6. ^ UFL Press. "2011 ufl draft". UFL. Retrieved 3 May 2011.

External links

2011 UFL season
United Football League (2009–2012)
Categories