It took a while for this to dawn on me, then I said F' That and then realized how cool it really was. Hence the title fits perfectly.
2014 NFL mock draft time. Team needs were taken into account sometimes, but not all the time. We did go “best player available” like the cliche says, or value-based pick sometimes. The 2014 NFL mock draft order is based on projections on how we believe the NFL teams will perform this season, slightly passed the midway point.
New this week are feature stories on the picks themselves. Click the names where highlighted to read those.
1. Jacksonville Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
JAX can’t “keep throwing good money after bad” as they say in corporate America. And if it were Gabbert throwing the money, it would almost always miss its mark. This team needs a lot- an icon, a franchise player, a real quarterback. Hopefully, they can get all three in Bridgewater.
2. Tampa Bay Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
The Bucs have problems galore, starting with the QB position. It’s a great signal caller class, and the perfect time to shore that up. At least they finally expunged Josh Freeman, who’s suffering from the curse of the #5 jersey.
3. NY Giants, Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
We know the supposed controversy about Jadeveon Clowney has “no there there” as Gertrude Stein would say.
Yet it does bring up one very important potential future issue that we should look at.
“We made something out of nothing, it’s a non-story,” we heard on ESPN College Gameday this morning. Exactly, Jadeveon Clowney has bone spurs and rib muscle injuries, it’s difficult to play under those conditions. At least ESPN owned up to it today.
“I think it got blown out of proportion” – Spurrier. Well, yes but the visored one is the person who got this whole party started by throwing Jadeveon Clowney under the bus in the first place.
So both Spurrier and the media are at fault in this. But as College Gameday did a mea culpa, one of the show’s talking heads, Kirk Herbstreit brought up a salient point that we should takeaway from this.
Whenever a college football player has a star freshman or sophomore season, and he’s clearly ready to leap to the NFL, should be just bail on his team and prepare for the NFL Draft? Instead of risking injury that will derail his draft stock and cost him life-changing amounts of money should he just go leave the game? And work out with a trainer and focus on conditioning for the combine instead?
4. Pittsburgh, Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
Matthews comes from the blue blood of NFL families. Bruce Matthews, Clay Matthews, Casey Matthews etc. Dave Matthews….oh wait, not that last one.
5. St. Louis from Washington, Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
With Danny Amendola now gone. It’s likely the Rams will draft a WR either here or with the Redskins pick. Pretty much every 2014 NFL mock draft will see the Rams taking a wideout early. The Rams also need to find a way to keep Sam Bradford upright.
6. Atlanta, Kyle Van Noy, DE/OLB, BYU
It will be very interesting to see where Van Noy fits in at the next level; you’ll see him in almost every 2014 NFL mock draft. The question is scheme and how he fits, is he a true 3-4 prospect? What about in a 4-3 defense? He does a good job of dropping into coverage and is fantastic as an edge-rusher. Van Noy is fast and has phenomenal agility
7. Vikings, Anthony Barr, DE/OLB, UCLA
This guy seems to be high on almost everyone’s 2014 NFL mock draft boards. This college football season he has shown the potential to be a star next-level edge-rusher. He’s only building on his huge 2012 season and increasing his stock each week.
8. Carolina Louis Nix, NT, Notre Dame
The 2014 NFL mock draft is interesting for the Pack as you don’t know which way they’re going to go, it really should be defense. I could see the Pack going shopping for some “Irish Chocolate” in the 2014 NFL mock draft.
And Nix is an awesome soundbite to boot.
Notre Dame Nose Guard (or Nose Tackle if you will) Louis Nix actually gave me something worth writing about regarding spring college football. Then afterward, Louis Nix provided soundbites that were as golden as his football helmet.
Two years ago when I covered the Notre Dame “Spring Game,” it was actually snowing. So watching the intra-squad scrimmage in the cold was false advertising. It was neither “spring” nor a “game.”
However, the 300+ pound Louis Nix provided a highlight Saturday, rumbling in for a two-point conversion.
The score of the Notre Dame spring game was….no one gives a shizz about the scores in spring games.
9. Buffalo, Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson
10. St. Louis, Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan Wolverines
The Big Ten has been great at producing offensive linemen prospects for he NFL lately. The Wisconsin Badgers are a factory, but there’s also been a bunch in the past few years coming out from the Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines.
Ever wonder what Big Ten school has produced the most 1st round picks these past five years? The answer will surprise you.
Given the “fat boy draft” of 2013, maybe I should put Lewan #1 in my 2014 NFL mock draft. No seriously, this past draft was in fact exceedingly boring, but the next draft will be much more exciting.
Part of what makes these o linemen from the league so tough is who they’re constantly facing off with- great defensive lines, Whether in practice scrimmaging or in game, so many linemen are practicing their craft vs strong defensive lines.
“the Big Ten is great for defensive lines and I think one of the the best defensive lines is the one we have at Michigan. I think Craig Roh is an incredible athlete and Will Campbell just transformed everything about him, it’s incredible,” Lewan said.
11. Philadelphia, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
So much for the “dream team.” Building a fantasy football team just doesn’t work in the real world. The Eagles are still rebuilding from those mistakes, The genius offensive mind of Chip Kelly will take someone who can shut down the opponent’s pass. This is someone Chip Kelly is obviously familiar with.
To see the definitive collection of Oregon cheerleaders go here
12. Oakland, Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
This guy needs to give a huge cut of his salary to Johnny Manziel, who’s made all this money for him. Terrelle Pryor is the answer, now go get him a wideout.
13. San Diego, Anthony Johnson, DT, LSU
14. Houston, Ra’shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
Ra’Shede Hageman is a hometown product getting it done for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Minneapolis native is leading the Gophers in tackles for losses and looks like a top ten pick in the NFL Draft in May. It’s a toss-up between Ra’Shede Hageman or Michigan OT Taylor Lewan to be the first Big Ten player taken in the draft. They are also the only guys who could be top ten picks.
Scouts like Hageman’s length and girth, abt 6-6, 311. He’s a nose guard, who makes an interesting 3-technique prospect in the NFL.
“I’m glad he’s a senior,” Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzergald said of Ra’Shede Hageman, who had a big interception and critical pass break-up today as the Gophers upset Northwestern.
“He had a great off week, and we worked out on his fundamentals,” said Gophers Interim Head Coach Tracy Claeys.
“He’s a big part of what we do, because others prepare for him.”
Hageman said he did a lot of drills working on technique and hand-work.
15. Green Bay Packers, His given name his Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, , Alabama
His name is worth being a number one pick alone. Don’t worry too much about the suspension. All he did was seek money for doing his job. A situation that magically changes 180 degrees in a few months.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was the number one rated DB in his recruiting class. And he’s second on the Crimson Tide in tackles right now. He was on track to be a first round NFL Draft pick. Of course, this suspension won’t exactly help his draft stock. Still despite all his potential as a star player, none of that will overshadow his given name.
Namewise Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is right up there with college football players Hingle McCringleberry, Fudge, and LeCarpetron Dookmarriot. Of course, those three players don’t actually exist. They’re characters in a Key & Peele sketch.
16. Browns, Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Really under-the-radar prospect. Not much is known about this guy. Doesn’t get much publicity. We’ve barely even heard of him
17. Tennessee Max Bullough, OLB, Michigan State
Bullough is Mr. Spartan, did you see the tattoos on his arms?
Bullough has the word “SPARTAN” tattoed on one arm, “PRIDE” on the other. And having all that inks means he’ll fit in quite well in the NFL; where players really love themselves some tattoos. Max Bullough is rated as one of the top Outside Linebacker Prospects in next May’s NFL Draft class.
When I caught up to Bullough, it was at Big Ten Media Day. And I was in the midst of a discussion between Max Bullough and reporters about concussions, and concussion rules.
“I’m an old school football guy. Let the guys play, let the NFL guys play, everyone who’s played football their whole lives knows the risks, knows the rewards,” Bullough said.
18. Arizona, Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
19. New York Jets, Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
This tape will help Kouandjio to be a first-round pick. He showed off a unique combination of size, speed, strength and agility. Kouandjio should become even better as he continues to refine his fundamentals and technique.
The Jets need to better protect Mark Sanchez, ex-boyfriend of Kate Upton, or whatever excuse for a QB they’ll offer us in the fall.
20. Miami Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
21. Dallas, Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
22. Chicago Bears, Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
That defense is looking to rebuild and will essentially reload at all kinds of positions. All four defensive line positions need depth, and the group itself is probably the weakest overall on the entire team. Ironic, since it was the strength of the team in the preseason wow!
Jeffcoat looks a 3-4 outside linebacker on the professional level And the Bears run a 4-3 so he’ll be a defensive lineman.
23. Cincinnati Bengals, Loucheiz Purifoy, CB, Florida
Value pick, also adds depth to the Cincy secondary. Which is actually kind of mediocre to begin with anyway. The big, fast and physical Purifoy made the case to be a first-rounder with his performance against Arkansas
24. Detroit Lions, Jonathan Brown, LB, Illini
Illini football is a consistent winner…on NFL Draft Night.
Illinois football is winning big in 2013…for the Kansas City Chiefs. Two of the five starting OL for the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team, Jeff Allen and Jon Asamoah, hail from the Illini football program.
And Butkus Award candidate Jonathan Brown will be the next Illini to join the orange and blue march every April to league. Jonathan Brown leads the Big Ten with 81 tackles and ranks 17th in the nation at 10.1 tackles per game. He is trying to become the first Illini to lead the conference in tackles since Brit Miller in 2008.
Illinois currently has 25 former players on 2013 NFL active rosters, plus one on a practice squad, tied for third-most amoug Big Ten teams behind only Ohio State (31) and Iowa (26), tied with Penn State (25) and Wisconsin (25), and ahead of Michgan (23), Nebraska (23), Purdue (18), Michigan State (15), Northwestern (7), Indiana (5) and Minnesota (4).
Illinois led all Big Ten schools with four players selected in the 2013 NFL Draft: OL Hugh Thornton (third round, Colts), DT Akeem Spence (fourth round, Buccaneers), CB Terry Hawthorne (fifth round, Steelers) and DE Michael Buchanan (seventh round, Patriots). This despite the team going 2-10.
The Wall Street Journal published an interesting read on this last month. And Illinois is first, or last, depending on your take, among “Quiet Football Factories.”
And Jonathan Brown should be the next to join them. JB is having a monster year. He has a team-high 8.5 TFLs this season, ranking sixth in the Big Ten, and giving him 39.0 TFLs in his career. People still know him first as “that guy who got suspended for kicking a Northwestern player in the nuts during a game,” but that will change. Jonathan Brown forced his first fumble of the season against Michigan State, saving a touchdown by jarring the ball loose as MSU QB Connor Cook reached for the end zone. Jonathan Brown had a monster game at Nebraska, racking up a game-high 13 tackles and tying his career high with 4.0 TFLs, tied for the third-most TFLs in a game by an FBS player this season
25. Baltimore, Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
Ohio State Linebacker Ryan Shazier is a 6-2, 230-pound junior from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida who is rocketing up NFL Draft boards right now. He looks like a second round pick for sure, and may sneak into the first round .
Shazier had three tackles for loss, including two sacks, and seven total tackles as the Buckeyes rolled over Purdue, 56-0 last Saturday. Then again, playing Purdue ameliorates everyone’s NFL Draft stock; usually. Ryan Shazier is one of 20 quarter-finalists for some stupid award that no one cares about other than players and coaches. Seriously, no one gives a shit about shitty award watch lists, but you know, those STUPID press releases that SIDs are rammed down the throats of media anyway. Because SIDs are instructed to by the FWAA.
26. San Francisco, Adrian Hubbard, DE/OLB, Alabama
And what’s a 2014 NFL mock draft without a few more Alabama players? Go here for the Alabama cheerleader photo gallery
27. Browns from Colts, De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon
Thomas was a five-star recruit, and could have gone almost anywhere. In Eugene, Oregon his speed stands out. And that really says something, because Oregon team speed is among the nation’s elite. He helped the Oregon Ducks get their first Rose Bowl win in 95 years. His 91-yard TD run was the longest in Rose Bowl history.
Every De’Anthony Thomas tweet is in ALL CAPS! EVERY SINGLE ONE!
THAT CONVEYS THAT HE”S SHOUTING! Looking through his Twitter timeline I see he’s setting a trend with this too. There’s a hashtag #ALLCAPSMOVEMENT
So tweet in ALL CAPS IF YOU WANT TO JOIN HIS MOVEMENT!
Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas is a burner, and a bonafide NFL Draft prospect. The South Central Los Angeles product has unreal speed. He looked incredible in the 2012 Rose Bowl in his home city.
Before getting hurt he was one of the top tailbacks on everyone’s draft boards. Of course, NFL teams rarely take running backs in the first round these days. But can that could change. Thomas exited the Ducks’ DESTRUCTION of visiting #12 UCLA with an ankle injury — a decision he says he made himself.
28. New England Patriots, Darqueze Dennard, DB, Michigan State
The Patriots have some issues in the secondary. Their pass defense is bad. They keep drafting DBs all the time. And rotating them, but they keep giving up tons of yards. Then again, they keep signing thugs to play DB. When you have Aqib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard as your starting CBs you’re going to have major legal issues.
Will signing a different CB named Dennard make a difference?
We’ll see. MSU is the #1 defense in the nation, and Dennard is the #1 most NFL ready on that squad.
He’s extremely mature. He understand accountability, at 2013 Big Ten Media Day, he broke down every loss from 2012 as to it being his own fault. He found a way to blame it on himself.
Hawkeyes: “that one is on me. Before overtime I gave up a big pass for them to tie the game, and then in overtime I dropped an interception to seal the deal, all we had to do was kick a field goal to win, and we ended up losing,” he said. “That was a Darquezze loss.”
Wolverines: “Darquezee loss again. I had a chance to block the field goal, they made the field goal they win the game.”
Ohio State: “The defense’s fault. We didn’t stop them enough and give our offense a chance to get the ball back to have an opportunity to score.”
Nebraska: “Everybody knows it’s my fault. I get that pass interference penalty.”
Northwestern: “We didn’t get enough stops. Too many big plays.”
Interesting how he blames himself for every loss! Darqueze Dennard should be a NFL first round pick, so he has the right to be as hard on himself as he wants.
29. Seattle, Jared Abbrederis , WR, Wisconsin Badgers
Not many famous people hail from the small town of Wautoma, Wisconsin. In fact, no sports player has ever gone on to play professionally from the Waushara County town made up of roughly 2,200 people. Come time for the 2014 NFL Draft and a wide receiver named Jared Abbrederis will make that a false statement. Abbrederis can also serve as a punt and kick returner. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder burned Bradley Roby from Ohio State over and over again; and he could be a very good slot receiver in the NFL
30. Kansas City, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
Sefarian-Jenkins is one of the top overall prospects in the 2014 NFL mock draft, and could help fill two Chiefs needs: blocking and pass-catching; they could use some help in both areas.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins is a first team All-American tight end for the Washington Huskies. He finished third in the Mackey Award voting last year, and was 3rd team All-American. Extremely tall, big and fast, he’s projected as a top 15 NFL Draft pick in 2014. I’ve seen him in the top 10 in a few mocks.
Seferian-Jenkins was also a member of the Huskies basketball team during his freshman year.
On March 9, 2013, Seferian-Jenkins was cited for DUI in Seattle. In July he plead guilty to DUI and served a day in jail. A blue chip football prospect with some character issues- I know shocking. UW Coach Steve Sarkisian suspended him for the Huskies’ season opener against #19 Boise State.
31. New Orleans, Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Buffalo
The Saints, statistically speaking, had the worst defense in NFL history last year. That’s not hyperbole. It’s true. And it only makes what the cowardly lion looking guy has done that much more amazing. Rob Ryan has turned them around. Still, gotta go that side of the ball in round one.
32. Denver, Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
If you hate Washington Redskins Safety Brandon Meriweather, and you should, you might not have to worry about him too much longer. The way he plays the game, knocking himself out, knocking others out, showing no remorse for either, he’s not long for the NFL. Brandon Meriweather isn’t that good or that talented. He’s a more sinister Chuck Cecil, a human pinball with disregard for coverage schemes.
But get ready, because Ohio State’s Bradley Roby looks like the heir apparent. So next year, when the NFL has had enough of Brandon Meriweather, Bradley Roby will step right in and fill his slot as a NFL rookie, because Roby is likely to be drafted high. And there are lots of similarities.
Both Bradley Roby and Brandon Meriweather are known for their arrogance and trash talk. Meriweather just had another round of shooting his mouth off, this time attacking Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall. You know the New England Patriots have little to no standards when it comes to the character of their players, and even they grew tired of Meriweather.
OSU’s Roby made headlines in 2011 for talking trash to Illini WR and future first round draft pick A.J. Jenkins before the two teams met in midseason. Bradley Roby’s Twitter biography reads “2014 National Champion.” Maybe he’s referring to another sport? Because the Buckeyes won’t even get a sniff of the national title unless Florida State goes down.
Our 2014 NFL mock draft is over. Hey thanks for coming! It’s listed in the Walter Football database and DC Pro Sports Report mock database
Catch me Fridays at 7:30 AM Central talking Bears for WAOR Michiana, NBC Sports Radio and Tuesdays at 10:30 AM Central talking Illinois and Northwestern for KOZN Omaha, Fox Sports Radio
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the world; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS
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