Beginning
on Thursday, the 2014 NFL Draft will be on its way. The 32 NFL teams will be on
the clock and the NFL prospects will be waiting impatiently for their name to
be called. The Houston Texans possess the first draft pick in this year’s
draft. The question on most minds of fans and football analysts is who will be
taken with that first pick. Will it the Texans go the defensive rout and draft
South Carolina’s defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? Or will the Texans focus on the offensive
side of the ball by drafting Texas A&M’s quarterback Johnny Manziel or Buffalo’s offensive linebacker Khalil Mack? We will find out Thursday, but until then let’s talk about the
potential stars and busts in this year’s draft.
1st
Pick Overall: Jadeveon Clowney
South Carolina’s 6-foot-5, 266 pound
defensive end Jadeveon Clowney caught the eye of most people after his hit
heard around the world on Michigan’s Vincent Smith. Draft analysts were in awe
of Clowney’s speed and explosiveness for a guy his size. For a player to
possess these qualities is a rare occurrence in the NFL today. The only
potential weaknesses analysts see from Clowney are that he will not live up to
the hype built around him and that he tends to disappear for stretches of games
(at least he did in his final season at USC). Clowney is projected to possibly
be the number overall pick going to a Houston Texans team that fell apart last
year. The addition of Clowney, along side Pro-Bowler J.J. Watt, would make the
Texans’ defense much more formidable than it was last season.
Most
Buzz: Johnny Manziel
Without a doubt the player with the
most buzz in this year’s draft is quarterback Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M.
Manziel has been considered one of the most dynamic college football players in
recent memory. Manziel impressed analysts and fans with his intangibles as a
quarterback along being a very mobile as well. The biggest questions about
Manziel are his size and durability. Manziel is only 6-foot and is considered
undersized compared to most quarterbacks in the NFL. The durability question goes
back into the size aspect and how NFL defenses are much, much bigger and
physical compared to the college defenses Manziel went up against. Draft
experts predict Manziel to be the first quarterback to be selected in this
draft going possibly number one overall to the Texans or falling to at least
the fifth overall pick to the Oakland Raiders.
Most
Versatile: Sammy Watkins or Mike
Evans
The most versatile player in this
year’s draft was a hard choice so I picked two players that caught my eye the
most based on size and skill. Those two players are Sammy Watkins from Clemson
and Mike Evans from Texas A&M. Both play at the wide receiver position and
are the top two for that position in this year’s draft class. Watkins, the
smaller of the two receivers, is 6-foot-1, 211 pounds and plays at wide
receiver. Watkins’ size plus his speed would resemble more of a running back or
a kickoff/punt returner than a receiver. While Evans measures in at 6-foot-5,
231 pounds and has been said to look taller than he appears. If Evans were to
gain more strength and put on more muscle than he already has then he could
definitely play at tight end as well as wide receiver. Both are projected to be
first round picks and both would fit in as go-to receivers for teams looking
for that type of receiver such as the St. Louis Rams or the Cleveland Browns
(both teams have two first-round picks).
Potential
Bust: Teddy Bridgewater
Draft experts have Louisville’s Teddy
Bridgewater as their third best quarterback in this year’s draft class behind
Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Central Florida’s Blake Bortles. Once the
2013-2014 college football season ended, Bridgewater was seen as the not only
the best quarterback in this draft class, but also as the number one overall
pick. Bridgewater’s draft stock has dropped due to his lack of accuracy with
his throws during his pro day. This along with other concerns such as
durability and lack of a physical frame has made Bridgewater drop from an early
first round pick to a late first round pick; possibly even an early second
round pick. Bridgewater’s game has not really jumped out at me at all; the only
exception being his Sugar Bowl performance against the Florida Gators following
the 2012 season. Bridgewater was too hyped for his own good in my opinion.
Draft
Steal: AJ McCarron, Marquise Lee,
or Aaron Murray
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has not
had as much buzz as a Johnny Manziel. It’s hard to overlook what McCarron did
in his time at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban. McCarron and the Crimson
Tide won back-to-back BCS National Championships (2011, 2012). McCarron is not
a mobile quarterback like Manziel, but makes up for it with his arm strength
and intangibles.
USC wide receiver Marquise Lee was a
highly touted prospect throughout his three years with the Trojans. Despite
being on an overhyped team and struggling with injury, Lee stood out for his
speed and ability to catch the ball especially on straight-line routs.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray would
be one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class if he did not suffer a torn
ACL in his senior season. Murray performed in front of 23 NFL teams with no
issues other than wearing a knee brace. The size and durability of Murray are
still a question.
Most
Longevity in the NFL: Eric Ebron
Tight
ends have proven to be needed and have much longevity in the NFL. Two of the
best examples in my opinion are New England’s Rob Gronkowski and the New York
Jets’ Eric Decker. North Carolina’s Eric Ebron has not only the size, but also
the athleticism to have a bright future in the NFL. The main weakness with
Ebron is that he is still developing his body and building his strength. Draft
experts have Ebron going late in the first round to Eli Manning and the New
York Giants where he will be a great addition/weapon for Manning.
Twitter: @OddKingz
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