The second quarterback off the board was not Blaine Gabbert, in one of the bigger draft-day surprises. Washington quarterback Jake Locker was taken with the No. 8 pick as the Tennessee Titans scooped him up early in the first round. Locker leaped over Blaine Gabbert, who is still on the board, and was the second quarterback taken after Cam Newton, who went No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers.
The Titans had been connected to Locker during the draft process, but with Gabbert on the board, few expected Tennessee to snag him. But Locker, who had seen his draft stock fall during his senior year, was vindicated in the 2011 NFL Draft, going in the top-10 after falling from many draft boards.
We’ll be back with more on Locker, including reaction from Tennessee and the Washington quarterback himself.
We’ll be covering the latest news and rumors ahead of Thursday’s first round in our 2011 NFL Draft StoryStream. Stay with us throughout the day for more on the draft as it becomes available. Check out our 2011 NFL mock draft StoryStream and our Jake Locker StoryStream for even more predictions and projections.