The three day NFL Draft process is finally over, and over 250 NFL draft prospects’ childhood dreams have now been fulfilled.
But which of these players will actually flourish with their new NFL teams? While it is too early to tell which picks will be busts, here are some of the gems of the 2014 NFL Draft, in chronological order:
Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, South Carolina – Houston Texans, First Round (1st Overall)
Simply put, it would have been a huge mistake if the Texans did not take Clowney first overall, as he is the most insane athlete that the NFL has ever seen. The 21 year old athletic freak ran an official 4.52 40 yard dash at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine at 6’5, 266 pounds. For comparison’s sake, Jeremy Hill, the second running back taken in the draft, ran a 4.66. Clowney has over 30 pounds on Hill. Again, this guy is freakish – a once in a generation type prospect. The Texans couldn’t not draft him. With Clowney now paired up with reigning NFL Defensive Player of The Year J.J. Watt, the Texans may be able to win games on defense alone.
Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Clemson – Buffalo Bills, First Round (4th Overall)
The Bills boldly jumped up to the number four pick to get the best receiving prospect since Calvin Johnson. The 6’1, 205 pound Watkins reminds me of Percy Harvin except bigger and more of a complete receiver. Watkins has the complete package that you look for in a receiver; he combines his blazing speed and world class acceleration with great route running ability and silky hands. Second year quarterback EJ Manuel will love throwing to Watkins, who has the skills to be a top-2 receiver in the NFL.
Khalil Mack, Outside Linebacker / Defensive End, Buffalo – Oakland Raiders, First Round (5th Overall)
Mack, considered widely as a top-3 prospect in this year’s draft, fell all the way to the fifth pick and the Raiders happily snatched him up. Mack put his name on the map this year when he absolutely dominated the Ohio State offensive line, finishing with a ridiculous statline of 9 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Mack has the speed, strength, and natural pass-rushing ability to become a Von Miller-type stud on defense.
Justin Gilbert, Cornerback, Oklahoma State – Cleveland Browns, First Round (8th Overall)
Many thought that this pick would be spent on a certain Texas-based quarterback who has been known to enjoy money, but instead the Browns took the best corner in the draft with the eighth overall selection. Gilbert is extremely quick and fluid for a six-foot corner, and he uses his long arms well in coverage. He also possesses great ball skills and is dynamic running the ball back after getting an interception. With the 22 year old Gilbert set to start opposite 25 year old Joe Haden, the Browns should have two shutdown-caliber corners for years to come.
Anthony Barr, Outside Linebacker, UCLA – Minnesota Vikings, First Round (9th Overall)
The former fullback has all the tools to be a great pass-rushing outside linebacker in the NFL. Barr has only played defense for two years, but has used his sheer athleticism to dominate at the college level for the past couple of years. Barr still has a lot of things to work on, but he has huge potential. Under the tutelage of Mike Zimmer, who developed edge rushers Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap in Cincinnati, Barr should be able to develop into one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.
Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver, Oregon State – New Orleans Saints, First Round (20th Overall)
Cooks, the 2013 Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the nation’s best receiver, could not have landed in a better situation than he did getting picked by the Saints. Cooks uses his speed and quickness to create lots of separation and run great routes. If the 5’9 Cooks were about five inches taller, he would have easily been a top ten pick. Still, he plays much bigger than his frame would indicate, using his great leaping ability and ability to attack the ball when he catches it. He was by far the best receiver on Oregon State last year and is used to having a high volume of touches. Sean Payton will find many ways to use his new toy; look for Cooks to play a lot this year, helping to fill the void left by the departed Lance Moore and Darren Sproles.
Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback, Louisville – Minnesota Vikings, First Round (32nd Overall)
Widely considered a legitimate option for the Texans at the first overall pick early in the draft process, Bridgewater tumbled due to a bad pro day. Bridgewater was in the conversation for first overall for a reason though; he dominated at Louisville, flourishing in Charlie Strong’s pro-style offense. A four-year starter, Bridgewater’s tape is the best of any of this year’s quarterbacks, as it shows Bridgewater routinely making NFL-style reads and throws since he was a freshman. Bridgewater is also considered the smartest quarterback in the class because of his knack for reading defenses. Even though there have been many people knocking him in the past few weeks, I still believe Bridgewater is the best quarterback in this class because so much of the quarterback position is between the ears. Look for him to be an immediate starter for the Vikings and for him to have a decent year playing with the likes of Adrian Peterson, Greg Jennings, and Cordarrelle Patterson.
Marqise Lee, Wide Receiver, USC – Jacksonville Jaguars, Second Round (39th Overall)
As a sophomore in 2012, Lee won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver and coming into the 2013 season was expected to be a high first round pick in this year’s draft. But a tumultuous junior season as well as injury concerns about his knee dropped him out of the first round. Lee was straight up dominant as a sophomore at USC, overshadowing the more heralded junior Robert Woods. Woods ended up going in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and had a very good rookie season for the Bills. Assuming Lee is fully healthy, the Jags will be getting an explosive big play receiver, and probably the best run-after-the-catch receiver in this year’s draft behind Sammy Watkins. In the gif above, Lee demonstrates his big play ability perfectly, taking a simple out pattern the distance after shaking the corner with a great move. With Justin Blackmon suspended indefinitely, look for Lee to immediately start opposite Cecil Shorts at wideout for the Jaguars.
Cyrus Kouandjio, Offensive Tackle, Alabama – Buffalo Bills, Second Round (44th Overall)
Cyrus Kouandjio was once a top-ten prospect but fell due to a poor combine performance. The 6’7, 322 lb tackle from Alabama projects as plug and play at right tackle for the Bills. Kouandjio is a mauler and will be an asset to CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson in the run game. On the right side, he will not be responsible for EJ Manuel’s blind side and will often get help in pass protection from tight ends. Kouandjio has all the tools to develop into one of the better right tackles in the league one day.
Timmy Jernigan, Defensive Tackle, Florida State – Baltimore Ravens, Second Round (48th Overall)
The Ravens are known for sticking to their board and taking the best player available. Timmy Jernigan was the best player available at this juncture of the draft, and also happens to be a great fit in Baltimore. Jernigan is the best run defender of any of the defensive line prospects in the draft. With Jernigan, Haloti Ngata, and Terrence Cody along the defensive line in Baltimore, it will be almost impossible to run against the Ravens for years to come.
Jace Amaro, Tight End, Texas Tech – New York Jets, Second Round (49th Overall)
Amaro dominated for the Red Raiders this season, finishing with a final statline of 106 receptions for 1,852 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is a great receiver and athlete at the tight end position and projects as a dynamic “move” tight end for the Jets. Think Aaron Hernandez pre-double homicide. Amaro is experienced at being the number one option on offense and has great hands to go with his athleticism. Look for Amaro to be a threat down the middle for Mike Vick and the Jets this year.
Bishop Sankey, Running Back, Washington – Tennessee Titans, Secound Round (54th Overall)
Sankey is certainly deserving of being the first running back off the board. Don’t let his second-round draft status fool you – running backs have become decreasingly valuable now due to the league’s pass-first mentality and the imminent extinction of the workhorse back. Sankey is a downhill runner who has great cutting ability, vision, and balance. Although Sankey is a shorter back, he does not lack power. Sankey’s lower body is nothing short of sculpted, with tree trunk thighs a la Michael Turner. His lower body strength and his low center of gravity allow him to run through contact effortlessly. Unlike Michael Turner, he is very proficient catching the ball and therefore projects as a three-down back. Sankey has all the tools to be a very good back in the league, with a play style very similar to Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew. With Chris Johnson now out of the picture in Tennessee, the only thing in the way of Sankey being the full-time bell cow is 28 year old corpse Shonn Greene. So lets just say he pretty much has the job locked up.
Jeremy Hill, Running Back, LSU – Cincinnati Bengals, Second Round (55th Overall)
More and more teams are converting to a two-back system in their backfield as opposed to the traditional workhorse role, and it’s clear that the Bengals are now fully committed to running with two main backs. The Bengals, who drafted the dynamic Giovani Bernard last year in the second round, went with another back in this year’s second round in Jeremy Hill. Hill is a much different style of runner than the aforementioned Bernard. At 6’1 233 lbs, Hill is a downhill bruiser who also boasts surprising long speed. He will be the “thunder” to Bernard’s “lightning” in the Bengals backfield. With this tandem now at running back for Cincy, the Bengals’ offense gets even scarier. They now have an electrifying duo in the backfield to go with a receiving core that includes A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Andrew Hawkins, Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert. There will be no more excuses for Andy Dalton to not get it done this year as he now has arguably the best supporting cast in the NFL on offense to work with.
Dri Archer, Running Back / Wide Receiver / Kick Returner, Kent State – Pittsburgh Steelers, Third Round (97th Overall)
Dri Archer was the most exciting player in college football that no one knew about. Archer’s otherworldly change of direction, quickness and pure speed were the best in college football for the past two years. If you haven’t already, watch his highlights posted above. You won’t regret it. Archer routinely toasted defenses in the Mid-American Conference, looking like a man among boys. He is the kind of player where you just give him the ball in space and watch him make a play. Archer plays similar to De’Anthony Thomas from Oregon but is tougher in that he can run the ball in between the tackles if need be, which Thomas cannot do, and Archer possesses better change of direction, quickness, and vision than Thomas. The only thing that Thomas beats Archer in would be pure straight-line speed, and even in that category Thomas is only superior by a small margin. If the Steelers can find a way to utilize Archer in their offense and special teams, he could be one of the steals of the draft.
Logan Thomas, Quarterback, Virginia Tech – Arizona Cardinals, Fourth Round (120th Overall)
Logan Thomas has all the tools to be a dominant quarterback in the NFL. At 6’6, 248 he is the prototypical size for an NFL QB. He also possesses outstanding, Jay Cutler-like arm strength. He needs to work on accuracy as well as the mental aspect of the game, but his ceiling is so high that he is definitely worth the risk in the fourth round. With quarterback guru Bruce Arians’ coaching, Thomas has a chance to finally fulfill his potential in the NFL.
Jared Abbrederis, Wide Receiver, Wisconsin – Green Bay Packers, Fifth Round (176th Overall)
A classic white receiver, Abbrederis is a technician who has great hands and runs outstanding routes. Although he might not be the biggest or fastest, Abbrederis has great fundamentals and is very polished as a receiver. He has great body control and flourishes catching the back-shoulder throws that Aaron Rodgers loves. Think of him as a Jordy Nelson lite. And what better mentor to have for a Jordy Nelson lite than Jordy Nelson himself? By the way, the gif above is showing Abbrederis absolutely COOKING Broncos first round pick CB Bradley Roby on a double move then highpointing the ball and catching it through contact. I’m telling you, the kid can play some football.
Ahmad Dixon, Safety, Baylor – Dallas Cowboys, Seventh Round (248th Overall)
Whenever I watched Baylor games on TV, Dixon was always the defensive player that stood out to me. He was clearly the emotional leader of the defense and was always around the ball. While he may be a tad small and not super fast, he is a very good football player. He has great instincts in coverage, decent ball skills and good hitting ability. While he may never be a star in the NFL, Dixon is a player that should be able to find a home as a backup safety who can play if need be and a very good special teams player.
Michael Sam, Defensive End / Outside Linebacker, Missouri – St. Louis Rams, Seventh Round (249th Overall)
Let me get this out of the way right now: this has nothing to do with Michael Sam’s sexual orientation. This is a good pick because Michael Sam is a good football player. In 2013, Sam recorded 19 tackles for a loss, which included 11.5 sacks. This was good enough for Sam be named the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of The Year. This is a pretty big deal because the SEC is widely known as the toughest conference in all of college football. Although he is undersized, Sam has shown the ability to get to the quarterback against very tough competition in the SEC. The Rams’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is great at recognizing and utilizing his players’ strengths, so Sam has a chance to be productive as a reserve situational pass rusher and special teamer with the Rams.
While I can’t guarantee anything that they will pan out for sure, look for these guys to make a splash in the NFL someday.
By Charlie Tay
Blanca Sports 