Selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback was never able to live up his high expectations.
After Brett Favre officially retired from the NFL for good following the 2010 season, the Minnesota Vikings were in need of finding a new quarterback to build their offense around.
The Vikings ended up trading for veteran Donovan McNabb and then selecting Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder with their first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Minnesota quickly realized that McNabb’s time in the league was over shortly after he hit the field and the team had to use Ponder as their starter for more than half of his rookie season. He had some promising moments, but he pretty much performed how a rookie quarterback normally does during their first year in the NFL.
Ponder only spent three more seasons with the Vikings as he was never able to evolve into the franchise signal-caller that the team hoped he would become when they drafted him with a first-round pick.
Minnesota picking the former Florida State quarterback is considered to be one of the franchise’s biggest draft blunders ever. In addition, the Vikings’ selection of Ponder was recently included in a list of the biggest busts from the entire 2011 NFL Draft.
The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid recently listed four players who he considers to be the biggest draft busts from 2011 and Ponder was among those selected.
"“A team that was desperately searching for a long-term answer under center made a massive reach on what many considered to be a second-round prospect. His MVP performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl is what enticed the franchise the most prior to selecting the former Seminole QB.Ponder had his fair share of highlight moments during his time in Purple, but it ultimately only lasted for four seasons in the Twin Cities.”"
Reid seems to believe that the Vikings were more at fault for Ponder’s disappointing career due to them drafting him as early as they did. Some considered the Florida State quarterback to be worth a pick in the second or third round in 2011, so Minnesota grabbing him early in the first round was a bit of a surprise.
But the Vikings felt they needed to add a new signal-caller with their first selection in 2011 and they obviously felt Ponder was the best passer left on the board.
Still available when it was Minnesota’s turn to pick in the first round that year were guys like Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, and Tyrod Taylor. The Vikings also passed on a handful of talented non-quarterbacks in 2011 with their first-round selection including Mike Pouncey, Cameron Jordan, Robert Quinn, Nate Solder, and Cameron Heyward.
So based on how Ponder’s career turned out with Minnesota and how some of the guys who were drafted after him are still playing in the league, it’s pretty fair to call the former quarterback one of the biggest draft busts from 2011.