2014 NFL Mock Draft w/ Analysis

2014 NFL Mock Draft with Analysis (No Trades):

No.1 Houston Texans – Jadeveon Clowney DE – Can’t miss prospect according to mad athleticism. He projects to be a future NFL Star and even if he comes up a little short, it’s still worth the No.1 pick.

No.2 Saint Louis Rams – Sam Watkins WR – 5 years ago the Rams took an OLine who projected to be one of the safest pick in that year’s draft, they got burned. They won’t make the same mistake twice. They take the next best player available in the entire draft, and give Sam Bradford a new target.

No.3 Jacksonville Jaguars – Johnny Manziel QB – They need a reason for people to come to the games. Taking Manziel is like winning the popularity contest. He’ll attract fans, but also give the Jags a fighting chance, something Blaine Gabbert couldn’t do.

No.4 Cleveland Browns – Khalil Mack OLB – Just don’t see the Browns reaching for a QB at this point (yes, I said reach).  Possibly the best defensive player after Clowney, and definitely graded as a top 5 player for sure. They take Mack with the idea of going QB in the 2nd round.

No.5 Oakland Raiders – Greg Robinson OT – The Raider’s master plan is to bring in a bunch of savvy veterans who’s out to prove people wrong. Matt Schuab is among those and it’s hard to not give him a chance. What better way than to protect him and take the draft’s top OLine. They’ll look to take a QB early in the 2nd.

No.6 Atlanta Falcons – Anthony Barr DE – All this nonsense about the Falcons trading up for Clowney is silenced when the Texans officially pick Clowney. Falcons take the next best pass rusher in the draft and reach for Barr, who has tremendous upside (see Aldon Smith 2011).

No.7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Mike Evans WR – Trading Mike Williams away says they need help at the WR position alongside Vincent Jackson. Evans gives the Bucs a chance to sport a high scoring offense if Josh McCown plays as well as he did with the Bears.

No.8 Minnesota Vikings – Blake Bortles QB – The Vikings say they don’t want to take a QB in the 1st Round. The Vikings really, just don’t want another team to move ahead of them and take away Blake Bortles. He’ll compete for a starting job in Minnesota, but likely will start the season as a backup. Still, for a Vikings team desperate for a franchise QB ( they hadn’t had one since Culpepper, because let’s be honest, Ponder was never really the answer), this will be a good pick, regardless of how highly rated Bortles is.

No.9 Buffalo Bills – Ha-Ha Clinton Dix S – Is a bit of a reach but they fill a need after letting Jarius Byrd leave via Free Agency. The best safety in the draft goes early and shakes up the draft.

No. 10 Detroit Lions – Justin Gilbert CB – In a division full of great WR tandems, the Lions add Gilbert to help cover all of them. They could have also taken Clinton Dix but Bills nabbed him first. This pick will relieve some pressure off of the front 7, who seemingly wore down the stretch.

No.11 Tennessee Titans – Jake Matthews OT – WOW! Who would have thought Jake Matthews would have fallen this far? They take Matthews and he’ll figure to start somewhere on their O Line.

No.12 New York Giants – Aaron Donald DT – After losing so many of their linemen this year, the Giants take Donald and fills one of their biggest need in the front 7. Donald figures to play extensively this upcoming year and they’ll likely figure out if he’s going to be a star or a bust.

No.13 Saint Louis Rams – Calvin Pryor S – The Rams pair Pryor with Watkins and get two skill players to help their team . Pryor figures to start early and could end up being a very good player.

No.14 Chicago Bears – Taylor Lewan OT – What best way to avoid a qb controversy if the starter never gets injured? Yep, The next best OLine can help with that.

No.15  Pittsburg Steelers – CJ Mosely ILB – Pittsburg needs to get younger on defense. They got Jarvis Jones last year , this year they take Mosely. Mosely adds athleticism to their inside linebackers and gives something they hadn’t had in a while, a linebacker that can cover TE’s.

No.16 Dallas Cowboys – Teddy Bridgewater QB – There he is. Two and a half hours into the draft Bridgewater finally gets his name called. But what is Jerry Jones thinking? It must be time for a change. With so much controversy surrounding Tony Romo’s late game decisions, this move puts the pressure on Romo.

No.17 Baltimore Ravens – Zach Martin OT – This pick fills a huge hole at the tackle position. Zach Martin could become a better pro than the draft’s top 2 picks last year.

No.18 New York Jets – Eric Ebron TE – New York will like to give whoever starts at QB for them a pass catching TE who will have Vernon Davis type athletic ability, something neither their WRs or TEs have right now. Ebron could become a pro bowler within his first few years if injuries don’t slow him. Yeah, he could be that good.

No.19 Miami Dolphins – Xavier Su’a-Filo G – No one took as many sacks as Tannehill did last year. This means that this year, they need to upgrade, and they take Su’a Filo and shore up the interior. They’ll likely pick up a Tackle in the second round, depending on how they resolve the situation with Richie Incognito.

No.20 Arizona Cardinals – Ra-Shede Hageman DT – I could see them taking an O Line at this spot, potentially making this year’s draft very OLine heavy, but the cardinals make a luxury pick and take one of the most underrated Dline in this year’s draft. Hageman has the potential to become one of the best DT or could end up becoming a very non effective rotational player. It is up to him, he has that kind of talent.

No.21 Green Bay Packers – Marquise Lee WR – Not too sure the Packers think they can handle losing 2 of the teams top 5 receiving options from last year and not struggle offensively. This pick adds depth and Lee could potentially challenge for a starting spot alongside Randle Cobb and Jordy Nelson. Lee fits the mold of a Green Bay Packers WR that can run after the catch.

No.22 Philadelphia Eagles – Timmy Jernigan NT – Instead of opting for a replacement for the displaced Desean Jackson, the Eagles go for beef up front. Jernigan provides the Eagles with depth up front on the line and can become a very good rotational player in his first year.

No.23 Kansas City Chiefs – Brandin Cooks WR – The Chiefs has the option between Cooks and Odell Beckham, and they take the speedier Cooks. This pick gives the chiefs a good prospect to work with who could potentially end up as a starter down the line.

No.24 Cincinnati Bengals – Bradley Roby CB – They need help on the backend with Leon Hall returning from injury and a rather disappointing rookie year from Dre Kirkpatrick. In order to contend in the AFC, the Bengals must be able to defend passive from Brady, Luck, Manning, Big Ben, and Philip Rivers (who tore up their D in the playoffs).  Roby has speed, size, and looks the part of a big league corner.

No.25 San Diego Chargers – Kelvin Benjamin WR – The tallest WR in this year’s draft goes to the Chargers and gives them another weapon along with Keenan Allen. With Antonio Gates getting older and not much depth elsewhere, this pick could help solidify the WR position for a very long time in San Diego.

No. 26 Cleveland Browns – Derek Carr QB – The Browns liked Derek Carr so much they use the pick from the Trent Richardson trade to take him. This pick will have Brandon Weeden written all over it but I think Carr will be a lot better. Coming out of college he is a superior prospect that will make better reads in the NFL, something that Weeden seemed to lack.

No.27 New Orleans Saints – Dee Ford DE – Saints grab the draft’s next best pass rusher. He’ll likely become an outside rusher in the 3-4 and could excel in his first year, potentially reaching double digit sacks if he pans out as a first rounder. Pretty big upside playing on a playoff contender and it will help him develop. Should be a solid pick for the Saints.

No.28 Carolina Panthers – Odell Beckham WR – The draft’s 6th WR in the first round goes to the Panthers. This move practicially saves the Panthers some face after letting go almost all of their WRs this off season, including long time veteran Steve Smith. Beckham should help shore up the depth and give Cam Newton a new Steve Smith type WR.

No. 29 New England Patriots – Kony Ealy DE/OLB – A good way to defend Peyton Manning is to take him to the ground. Kony Ealy can provide solid pass rush from the edge if he earns playing time. Looks like a solid pro prospect and can potentially become a starter sooner than expected.  

No.30 San Francisco 49ers – Kyle Fuller CB – This pick adds depth to the Niners in the backend. They could opt for a pass rusher given Aldon Smith’s legal woes, but they will go with Fuller who will help them out late in the season.

No.31 Denver Broncos – Ryan Shazier ILB – Shazier can probably come in and start right away for the Broncos. With Peyton Manning and the offensive breaking the record last year for most TDs in a season, I doubt there is much concern about the offense. This pick will help the defense get better.

No.32 Seattle Seahawks – Morgan Moses OT – The Superbowl Champions take the next best tackle and ensure that they can protect the future of Russell Wilson as best they can. They could opt for another WR but this year’s draft seems to have thinned out the depth early.

DRAFT OVERVIEW:

17 Offensive Players 15 Defensive Players