Home Articles/Editorials 2014 NFL Draft – First Round Grades

2014 NFL Draft – First Round Grades

1. Houston Texans – Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina – In reality, this was the only pick that should have been made here. He’s the best available player and he makes them better immediately. This pick looks even better if they get a quarterback in the second round. Grade: A

2. St Louis Rams – Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn – I love this pick. Sam Bradford isn’t a terrible quarterback, he just needs to stay healthy. So you draft a guy thats going to protect him. Now they need to surround him with wide receivers. Grade: A

3. Jacksonville Jaguars – Blake Bortles, QB, UCF – I didn’t like this pick because when you look at this Jaguars roster, who is Bortles throwing to. I’d rather have Henne throw to Sammy Watkins than have Bortles throwing to Cecil Shorts. Grade: B-

4. Buffalo Bills (from Cleveland) – Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson – When the Bills traded up, I really thought they were going to take Khalil Mack, but I was pleasantly surprised when they took Sammy Watkins. Stevie Johnson is a good wide receiver but think about how much better he’s going to be when he’s not double teamed constantly. Grade: A

5. Oakland Raiders – Khalil Mack, OLB/DE, Buffalo – I can’t tell you how surprised I am that the Raiders did this. The Raiders don’t really make smart moves, especially in the draft. Mack and Sio Moore are going to be a solid tandem. Grade: A

6. Atlanta Falcons – Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M – Another solid choice. The Falcons need to keep Matt Ryan upright if they want to win games and Matthews is one of the best at his position. Had he come out last year, he might have been in the top three. Love this pick. Grade: A

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M – All you need to know is this – the Bucs essentially traded Mike Williams for Mike Evans. Thats good GMing by Tampa. Grade: A

8. Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota) – Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St – I like Gilbert. I think he was the best cornerback in the draft but I don’t think the Browns needed one here. I think they got flustered once Watkins and Evans were off the board. Something tells me they were hoping Evans would be available here. So they took Gilbert, which isn’t a bad pick but its a need for them here. Grade: B

9. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland) – Anthony Barr, LB/DE, UCLA – Here’s your first reach of the night. I get that Mike Zimmer is the defensive guy but Anthony Barr is a reach here. No mock drafts had him in the top 10 and the knock on Barr is that he’s Vernon Gholston-esque. He’s talented but he’s raw and there was no need to take him here. There were plenty of edge rushers to take and I think they could have gone with a corner. Grade: B-

10. Detroit Lions – Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina – This is why the Lions don’t win games. They’re exciting as hell to watch but they don’t win games because they don’t address their needs. They need help on the defensive side of the ball and they go out and draft Eric Ebron when they have Joseph Fauria and Brandon Pettigrew on the roster. Ebron’s good but he doesn’t block and he’s not a defensive player…WHICH IS WHAT THE LIONS NEEDED!!! That being said, Ebron is talented so this could work out. That offense could be really scary with Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Rush Bush, Joique Bell and now Ebron. No one should be happier than Matthew Stafford right now. Grade: B+

11. Tennessee Titans – Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan – I really like this pick. Lewan is versatile and could have been a top five pick last year. The value here is tremendous. Putting him next to Chance Warmack instantly makes their offensive line so much better. They did give a lot of money to Michael Oher so the need wasn’t there. I wish they had taken a corner to replace Alterraun Verner but I don’t totally hate this pick. Grade: B

12. New York Giants – Odell Beckham Jr, WR, LSU – Selfishly, I wish the Giants had taken Aaron Donald because he fits and he’s a monster at a position of need. That being said, I like the pick because this guy’s potential is awesome. I wonder if Rueben Randle had anything to do with this pick. Beckham is a great route runner, a great returner and he’s FAST. I like it. Grade: A-

13. St Louis Rams – Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh – I love this pick so much. The Rams might have had the best first round of any team. The NFC West gets better and better. Why? Because you win football games in the trenches and the Rams got the best offensive lineman and the best interior defensive lineman in the draft in one day. Grade: A+

14. Chicago Bears – Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech – I know how much the Bears wanted Donald and they were hoping he’d fall to them but Fuller is a solid choice. His draft stock fell because of injury and they probably could have gone in another direction like Timmy Jernigan or Darqueze Dennard…or a safety, which is a huge position of need for them. Grade: B

15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio St – You know whats smart? Taking a linebacker whose best attributes doesn’t include tackling. He’s got potential, he’s fast and he’s a playmaker. He’s also going to be coached by one of the best defensive minds in football history. So maybe this works out. Grade: B-

16. Dallas Cowboys – Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame – The Cowboys almost shut down twitter by almost drafting Johnny Manziel but they went the smart route and got someone to protect Tony Romo. I think this was a great choice. Scouts say that Martin may turn out to be the best offensive lineman of the bunch because of his versatility. Grade: A+

17. Baltimore Ravens – CJ Mosley, LB, Alabama – The Ravens keep doing Raven things. Great choice. That is all. Grade: A

18. New York Jets – Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville – Once you realize what Pryor is and what the Jets can do with him, you realize this is a great pick. Pryor is what people call a violent hitter and you know Rex has plans for him. The Jets probably should have gone with a corner or a wide receiver but it makes sense to see what they did. The talent pool at cornerback and wide receiver is pretty deep, unlike the pool of safeties so they went with one of the best ones. I fully expect the Jets to address their other needs later on in the draft. Grade: A-

19. Miami Dolphins – Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee – Super reach. Super duper reach…especially with Joel Bitonio out there. There were better options. I saw a Dolphins fan on the Brooklyn bound R train when I was on my way to work. He didn’t look happy. You can check out my twitter (@FunnyManStan) to see the picture. Sure, he’s versatile but he’s raw. What a reach though. Grade: C

20. New Orleans Saints (from Arizona) – Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St – At first I thought this was a reach but then if you think about it, Cooks was the best available receiver and the fit with New Orleans is perfect. He also fills a need. I thought the Saints would go for an edge rusher like Dee Ford but Cooks is a great pick and he’s going to light up the NFC South. Grade: A

21. Green Bay Packers – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama – If Calvin Pryor is the number 1 safety in the draft, then Clinton-Dix is 1a. It just depends on your style and what you’re after. Pryor is a big hitter and Clinton-Dix is more of a playmaker. Great fit and he fills a need. Grade: A

22. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia) – Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – What a great pick. Everyone knew the Browns wanted him and they got him at tremendous value at 22. They traded down, got a 2015 first round pick and traded up to get their guy when they wanted to get him. This may be a turning point in Browns history. I’m not entirely sure that Kevin Costner wasn’t in the war room. I need proof. Grade: A+

23. Kansas City Chiefs – Dee Ford, DE, Auburn – Why did the Chiefs fade down the stretch last season? Because they couldn’t defend. They couldn’t stop anyone from scoring and they couldn’t get to the quarterback. They had injuries along the defensive line. This pick is a big help. He’s pretty one dimensional but still a good player. Grade: B+

24. Cincinnati Bengals – Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St – When you talk about valuable picks, this could go down as one of the most valuable first round picks in a long time. Dennard is a top 15 guy that fell to a good team. I love this pick even though some other people might not. Grade: B+

25. San Diego Chargers – Jason Verrett, CB, TCU – The Chargers needed a cornerback and went out and got a good one. He fell on some draft boards because of injury concerns but I don’t think the expectations are too high for him right away so its alright. Grade: B

26. Philadelphia Eagles – Marcus Smith, OLB, Louisville – I do not like this pick. At all. Not one bit. You talk about reaching? This is a reach. I defy you to find someone that gave Smith a first round grade. Is he a good player? Absolutely. I saw him personally do whatever he wanted against my beloved Miami Hurricanes. But a first round pick he is not. Grade: C

27. Arizona Cardinals – Deone Bucannon, S, Washington St – I’ve heard good things about Bucannon and I don’t think he’s a bad player but I also don’t think he’s a first round pick. I think the Cardinals would have been better off taking Derek Carr or Teddy Bridgewater. They dropped the ball here even though Bucannon is a solid safety. Grade: C-

28. Carolina Panthers – Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida St – The Panthers needed a wide receiver and they got one. He’s raw but he’s so damn big and athletic that he can make up for his bad plays. If he can get his head on straight, he’ll be a good target for Cam Newton. Grade: A

29. New England Patriots – Dominique Easley, DT, Florida – Easley is undersized and he’s been hurt BUT I like him. He’s a New Yorker so he gets extra points. The Pats might get one more year out of Vince Wilfork and there won’t be too much pressure on Easley to produce right away so I don’t hate the pick. The Pats struggled to stop the run and pressure quarterbacks up the middle. Grade: B+

30. San Francisco 49ers – Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois – I gave Ward a first round grade early on in the draft evaluation process and I thought the Niners would either take a defensive back or a wide receiver like Davante Adams so I do like this pick. He plays the ball really well, always goes after it at its highest point and it allows Eric Reid to be the hitter of this safety tandem. If he can keep from making mistakes in coverage, which he’s known to do, he can be a solid player in the NFL. Grade: A-

31. Denver Broncos – Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St – I like Bradley Roby, which is weird because I hate everyone from Ohio St except for all time greats like Cris Carter. Actually I only hate anyone that was on the 2001-2002 team that because Miami in the national title game. Anyway, Roby is a good cover corner, he plays the ball well and he’s got good size for his position. He’s not a finished product but Jack Del Rio is a good enough defensive coach to help him. Grade: A

32. Minnesota Vikings (from Seattle) – Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville – In one of the more surprising moves in the first round, Minnesota traded up with Seattle (who needed to get more picks) and basically took Teddy Bridgewater right from under the Texans noses. The Vikings screwed up with Barr but made up for it with Bridgewater. I like this pick. i think Bridgewater is the 2nd best quarterback in the draft and can come in right away and compete for a starting job in Minnesota. You won’t find much tougher guys than this. I just wish he had stayed committed to the U. Grade: A

I look forward to seeing how the 2nd and 3rd rounds shake out on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Hit me up with your thoughts on twitter @FunnyManStan
The Queens native handles all things football on KeepingItRealSports.com. Stan attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens and SUNY Old Westbury. He's spent his post graduate career in different parts of the media, as an editorial assistant, a production assistant and a board operator. He can be followed on twitter @FunnyManStan and routinely performs standup comedy all over New York City.

Comments are closed.