The 2014 Draft - How Did You Do?

[Ragnarok]

A couple guys mentioned discussion of past drafts, so I figured we could start here.  Who were you right about?  Who were you wrong about?  And who are you almost too ashamed to bring up? 

Or feel free to talk about your team's draft.

Right about - Khalil Mack, Taylor Lewan, Demarcus Lawrence, Kelvin Benjamin, Eric Ebron, Ja'wuan James.  I thought the first two would turn into studs and they have.  Was very fond of Lawrence as well.  I hated Kelvin and Ebron coming out(although Ebron looks to have turned that around).  I loved Ja'wuan coming out(maybe some Vols homering), and he has been really solid for the past few years.

Wrong about - Jordan Matthews, Ra'Shede Hageman, Haha Clinton-Dix, Odell Beckham, Mike Evans.  Jordan Matthews was my favorite WR in the draft...yeah.  I thought Hageman would turn out to be a really good player.  Haha might have been my favorite player in the draft and I was beyond thrilled when GB got him and he has fallen off hard.  I thought Odell and Evans would be good, but I was wary of Odell for the late rise and wasn't sure if Evans would be able to separate at all.  Wrong on both of them.

Shame - Justin Gilbert/Johnny Manziel - I thought Cleveland did well with those two picks.  

[Forge]

49ers - 

1. Jimmie Ward - Versatile and talented player, but hasn't had a true position in the pros, and more problematic, just hasn't been able to stay healthy. Not a "bad" player, sort of a JOATish secondary type who can fill in just about everywhere without excelling in one area (though outside corner is by far his worst spot). Given his health problems, really hasn't been a great pick. 

2. Carlos Hyde - Not a terrible pick, but he's not a good player. JAG. Already seems to be trending downward with other teams. 

3. Marcus Martin - LOL. One of the worst offensive linemen I've seen in quite some time. 

4 Chris Borland - In his half season, he looked great. And then he was like, "peace out". 

5. Brandon Thomas - actually love the pick when we made it as he was one of those guys who was projected to go much higher, got hurt during a workout and fell. But he never really even managed to get on the field for the 49ers. 

6. Bruce Ellington - couldn't stay healthy at all. He's had some nice games with other teams from what I can tell, but kicked around the league a bit. Just never amounted to anything with the 49ers. 

7. Dontae Johnson - horribad cornerback, and yay, he's back on the 49ers....

8. Aaron Lynch - started promising, fizzled quickly there after. Weight issues, PED suspension, etc. Signed with the Bears, not sure if he's still there. 

9 / 10. Keith Reaser / Kenneth Acker - both kicked around the league for a bit. 

11/ 12. Kaleb Ramsey / Trey Millard - training camp fodder. 

[KellChippy]

All I’ll say is none of Phillys ‘14 draft class is still in Philly 

[BleedTheClock]

#1--Houston--JaDeveon Clowney DE
(I thought he was going to wreck the league. He's a very good player, but not elite like I thought. This is somewhere in between right and wrong.)
Verdict: Split

#2--St. Louis--Greg Robinson OT
(He's turned it around in Cleveland...at least for the time being. I thought he'd struggle in pass pro but dominate in the run game. Thought he'd convert to G.)
Verdict: Right

#3--Jacksonville--Blake Bortles QB
(I was dumbfounded that he was the first QB taken n this draft class. I knew he would be terrible, but I feel like most people did too.)
Verdict: Right

#4--Buffalo--Sammy Watkins WR
(Thought he was overrated honestly. He's actually been good when healthy, but I never saw elite #1 like others did. I thought he'd be about what he is now, but didn't foresee the injuries.)
Verdict: Right

#5--Oakland--Khalil Mack DE
(He was my first choice for Cleveland at #4 before we traded the pick. I thought he'd be an absolute animal and could play 43 DE, 34 DE, 34 OLB, or 34 ILB and be a dominant game-wrecker.)
Verdict: Right

#6--Atlanta--Jake Matthews OT
(I didn't really watch enough of him to formulate an opinion to be honest. I didn't think he was worth the #6 pick though. He seems rock solid though, but not 100% sure if that's accurate.)
Verdict: Wrong

#7--Tampa Bay--Mike Evans WR
(Thought he'd be a superstar. Loved his game and had him ahead of Sammy Watkins. Didn't think he'd drop this many balls, but he's still awesome.)
Verdict: Right

#8--Cleveland--Justin Gilbert CB
(I'll never forget the words I uttered upon his selection: "Awwww we took a crappy corner!!!!" Only I didn't say crappy. He wasn't even that good in college. Only made INT's playing off zone. Terrible.)
Verdict: Right

#9--Minnesota--Anthony Barr DE/LB
(Liked the player, but thought he was overdrafted in the top ten. Thought he'd never play 4-3 linebacker in the NFL. He's been a beast despite having a down year recently from what I understand.)
Verdict: Wrong

#10--Detroit--Eric Ebron TE
(Definitely thought he was going to dominate the league. He was so damn smooth as a TE. Thought he'd be much better than he has been thus far, despite a breakout year.)
Verdict: Wrong

#11--Tennessee--Taylor Lewan OT
(Liked him a lot. He's actually better in pass protection than I thought, but I liked him a lot more than Jake Matthews. Got this one right.)
Verdict: Right

#12--New York Giants--Odell Beckham Jr. WR
(Loved his potential, but didn't think he was anywhere near the talent he's developed into. He was clearly my 3rd WR in the draft when he should have been the 1st.)
Verdict: Right

#13--St. Louis--Aaron Donald DT
(Pegged him as being an elite monster. He's been everything I thought he would be and more. I watched a ton of PITT football games and he was unblockable.)
Verdict: Right

#14--Chicago--Kyle Fuller CB
(Thought he was a 2nd round talent at best. I don't think he's been overly good or bad, but he's better than I thought he'd be.)
Verdict: Wrong

#15--Pittsburgh--Ryan Shazier MLB
(I liked Shazier as a later round pick. I thought Pittsburgh was crazy to take him in the 1st round and play him in a 3-4. He was a beast.)
Verdict: Wrong

#16--Dallas--Zack Martin OG
(He was destined to be a beast. I thought they were gonna take Manziel but Martin was a great pick at the time in my eyes. Turns out they were way right with the pick.)
Verdict: Right

#17--Baltimore--CJ Mosley MLB
(I loved him. Was so salty Baltimore got him. I was wrong about the Steelers and Shazier, but hit the nail on the head with Mosley. He's slipped recently, but he's still worthy of the #17 pick for sure.)
Verdict: Right

#18--New York Jets--Calvin Pryor SS
(Thought he'd be a decent box safety, but this was a bad pick. He was straight up bad in coverage and it plagued his NFL career.)
Verdict: Right

#19--Miami--JaWuan James OT
(Thought this was a bleh pick. He's not great, but he's a solid starter when I thought he would be pretty crappy. I was slightly more wrong than right with him.)
Verdict: Wrong

#20--New Orleans--Brandin Cooks WR
(Loved this pick for the Saints. He was my "pray he falls to the 2nd round for my Browns" guy. I feel like he's been up and down but is worthy of his draft selection for sure.)
Verdict: Right

#21--Green Bay--HaHa Clinton-Dix FS
(I liked the player but thought he was a little overdrafted. I had a 2nd round grade on him which is about where he'd probably go in re-drafts.)
Verdict: Right

#22--Cleveland--Johnny Manziel QB
(I was furious we didn't take Teddy Bridgewater whom I deemed the next elite QB, but I did like Manziel. I thought that this was a "calculated risk," but was one I thought was worth taking.)
Verdict: WRONG

#23--Kansas City--Dee Ford DE 
(Loved him. I was saddened that he was not an impact player until this past season because I thought he was an awesome speed rusher. Thought he was better than Anthony Barr.)
Verdict: Right

#24--Cincinnati Bengals--Darqueze Dennard CB
(I had him as a top 10 pick. Loved his game and thought he'd be a shutdown cornerback. He's not bad, but he's not as good as I thought he would be.)
Verdict: Wrong

#25--San Diego--Jason Verrett CB
(Didn't like this pick. Thought he was overrated and purely a nickel corner with a low ceiling. I can't blame him for injuries, but he's been a beast aside from his health.)
Verdict: Wrong

#26--Philadelphia--Marcus Smith DE
(Thought he was way overdrafted but I didn't think he'd be A-T-R-O-C-I-O-U-S. Still, was not a fan of the selection at the time and that held up.)
Verdict: Right

#27--Arizona Cardinals--Deone Bucannon SS
(Thought he was a solid SS prospect. Definitely went a little high for my liking, but I didn't think he was a bad selection. He had some good years but has been mostly meh.)
Verdict: Wrong

#28--Carolina--Kelvin Benjamin WR
(Loved his film but loathed what I heard about him as a person. He was deemed as being incredibly lazy and that made me despise him. Spot on.)
Verdict: Right

#29--New England--Dominique Easley DT
(This one really shouldn't count because he's been hurt. I liked him as a prospect but injuries ruined him. I usually don't call guys busts that got injured, so N/A.)
Verdict: N/A (on the side of wrong though)

#30--San Francisco--Jimmie Ward DB
(Didn't really know anything about him. Still don't really. Seems like he's a decent NCB, but not worth a 1st round grade.)
Verdict: N/A

#31--Denver--Bradley Roby CB
(Loved his upside. Figured he would make for a great #2 CB and a good #1. Thought his draft status was a late 1st, but it should have been lower based on his career thus far.)
Verdict: Wrong

#32--Minnesota--Teddy Bridgewater QB
(Thought he'd be an elite franchise QB. Wanted the Browns to get him at #8 and then again at #22. He hasn't been bad at all, but he isn't the franchise changer I thought he was destined to be.)
Verdict: Wrong

 

 

Other Notable Players That I Had Strong Opinions On:

 

2nd--Atlanta--RaShede Hageman DT
(He's the next Ndamukong Suh guys. Trust me.)
Verdict: Wrong

2nd--Tampa Bay--Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE
(Thought he was going to be dominant. Both blocking and receiving.)
Verdict: Wrong

2nd--Detroit--Kyle Van Noy OLB
(Was in love with him. Thought he'd be exactly like Julian Peterson was. He wasn't nearly that good but did show major improvements with New England.)
Verdict: Wrong

2nd--Pittsburgh--Stephon Tuitt DL
(I was shocked he fell this far. While he isn't elite, he's a damn good starter and I was not happy Pittsburgh landed him.)
Verdict: Right

2nd--Tennessee--Bishop Sankey RB
(Why would they do this? His traits were the most underwhelming I've ever seen for a RB taken that high.)
Verdict: Right

2nd--Cincinnati--Jeremy Hill RB
(Thought he was the next great power back. Was super salty he was on the Bengals and despite having a great start to his NFL career, he's been pretty crappy.)
Verdict: Wrong

2nd--New Orleans--Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB
(Everyone loved this dude. He was so long and fast in a straight line. Had some problems sticking with quicker WR's, but never thought he'd be out of the league so fast.)
Verdict: Wrong

2nd--Miami--Jarvis Landry WR
(I was a big fan of his. Caught everything, blocked, ran after the catch...he was a beast in college and it translated to the NFL.)
Verdict: Right

 

3rd--Oakland--Gabe Jackson DT
(Loved him. Not surprised he's been one of the best run blockers in the NFL. Was shocked he slipped to the 3rd round.)
Verdict: Right

3rd--Carolina--Trai Turner OG
(He was one of my favorite prospects in the class. I had an elite grade on him. I remember watching him as a freshman at LSU and thinking he was going to be awesome. He's pretty darn good for CAR.)
Verdict: Right

 

4th--Atlanta--Devonta Freeman RB
(A small RB without breakaway speed? No thanks.---Me in 2014.     Whoops!)
Verdict: Wrong

4th--New York Giants--Andre Williams RB
(Thought he was going to be a tackle breaking machine that was a capable pass catcher and pass blocker. Loved his game.)
Verdict: Wrong

4th--Pittsburgh--Martavis Bryant WR
(Thought he would be a 1st round pick. He was unreal on deep balls despite having a rough time running snappy routes. Still, I loved him and didn't think he was such an idiot.)
Verdict: Wrong

 

5th--Jacksonville--Telvin Smith LB
(Was a huge fan of his. I had a late 1st round grade on him. He covered so much ground at FSU and I thought he'd be an elite run & chase LB'er)
Verdict: Right

5th--San Francisco--Aaron Lynch DE
(I was enamored with his skill set. I fell in love with his tools and figured he'd be a great NFL player in time. Nope.)
Verdict: Wrong

5th--Green Bay--Jared Abbrederis WR
(I thought Aaron Rodgers to Abbrederis was going to break the league. I freaking loved that little white slot guy. Still kind of shocked he didn't make it.)
Verdict: Wrong

 

6th--Chicago--Pat O'Donnell P
(Thought he was going to be a great punter. He's been pretty great from what I understand.)
Verdict: Right

 

7th--Jacksonville--Storm Johnson RB
(He had size, speed, and power. I thought he would be capable of running through DB's and linebackers and around DL. He did not.)
Verdict: Wrong

7th--Buffalo--Seantrel Henderson OT
(He was so damn big. He was so damn athletic. He was so damn strong. How could he not eventually become great?)
Verdict: Wrong

 

UDFA--Denver--Bryn Renner QB
(I loved his game. I am always in love with North Carolina's middling QB's for some reason. Renner had skills, he just forgot to use them in the NFL.)
Verdict: Wrong

UDFA--Cleveland--Isaiah Crowell RB
(Everyone knew he would be great. I was very surprised he wasn't drafted even despite the off-field issues that surfaced.)
Verdict: Right

UDFA--Cincinnati Bengals--James Wilder RB
(I expected him to be someone's goal line monster. I also wanted him to move back to linebacker if he failed as a RB. I was all about him.)
Verdict: Wrong

UDFA--Jacksonville--Allen Hurns WR
(He was very reliable at Miami and did the little things well. I didn't even realize he was 6'3 until the draft process. He was always super underrated.)
Verdict: Right

UDFA--Green Bay--Colt Lyerla TE
(I know he was allegedly a complete moron off the field. Still, he had 1st-2nd round talent. I thought for sure he'd make a name for himself.)
Verdict: Wrong

[Daniel]

I don't remember how I felt about a lot of the class, but I remember the Titans' picks and a couple others.

Taylor Lewan: I was rightish.  I knew he was a great tackle prospect, but I did have him behind Greg Robinson and Jake Matthews, when he's turned out to be the best tackle in his class.

Bishop Sankey: Also rightish.  I wasn't happy about it, especially since there were other RBs on the board I liked more, but I didn't think he'd be abysmally bad, which he was.

DaQuan Jones: A little further on this one.  I thought DaQuan was a reach, but he's turned into a quality player per his draft position.

Avery Williamson: Another unexpected surprise.

I also thought Zach Mettenberger was the steal of the draft at QB, and I'll just leave that alone there.

I guess the biggest hit was Jordan Matthews.  Saw him play a lot in college, so I liked him way more than most and thought he was an immediate starter.  Biggest miss was probably liking pretty much all the crappy corners from that class more than I liked Jason Verrett.  Also QBs.

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by Daniel

[Forge]

I just realized I completely misinterpreted this thread lol

[AlNFL19]

@BleedTheClock Wow, all things considered, that’s very impressive. I didn’t personally follow the draft much in 2014 (2014 was my introduction to following the draft), but I’m sure my takes would’ve been worse. 

@Ragnarok Looking forward to more draft stuff. Thanks for your work so far. 

[Ragnarok]

3 minutes ago, Forge said:

I just realized I completely misinterpreted this thread lol

Nope.  OP says it's okay.

[MWil23]

I was right about how good they were: 

*Khalil Mack: I had him as my safest player in the draft and watched him wreck OSU as a part of Buffalo in college

*Anthony Barr: TBH I REALLY wanted the Browns to draft Watkins, but admitted that they couldn't pass on that Buffalo deal. Move from #4 to #8/#9 AND get a 1st +...have to take that deal. I REALLY wanted Barr here.

*Bradley Roby: I thought he was the safest CB in the draft aside from Denard (LOL)

*Ryan Shazier: I was REALLY hoping that he'd stay at OSU another year. His sideline to sideline ability and versatility as a LB in either a 3-4 or 4-3 was tremendous

I was right about how BAD they were:

*Justin Gilbert: I saw a good athlete who didn't put it together in college. I HATED that pick. I thought he was garbage

*Johnny Manziel: Small prima dona who never consistently threw from the pocket well and was a poor man's Russell Wilson on tape (not as good of an athlete, not as good of an arm). I hated his attitude and thought he would flame out

*Blake Bortles: I was laughing really hard when JAX took him. I'm laughing just as hard now.

(Good to see my Browns drafted both of them!)

I overhyped them, but they were still good:

*Sammy Watkins: Injuries, lack of consistency...I thought he was the next "Torry Holt" type. Fluid route runner, great hands, the ability to kill you on the outside or in the slot.

I was WRONG and thought they'd be good/great:

*Darques Denard: I was angry about the Gilbert pick and flew off the handle when the Bengals in the same draft/division got "the best man/press man CB in the draft".  He's ok, but he's not nearly what I thought he'd be.

*Jake Matthews: He's far from bad (same with Denard to be fair), but I thought he was headed for a perennial Pro Bowl type of career

 

[tom cody]

Some good talent in this draft. I think we can all agree that Aaron Donald would go #1 in a 2014 re draft.

[BleedTheClock]

4 hours ago, tom cody said:

Some good talent in this draft. I think we can all agree that Aaron Donald would go #1 in a 2014 re draft.

Ahead of Justin Gilbert?

[HoboRocket]

1 hour ago, BleedTheClock said:

Ahead of Justin Gilbert?

No way, José. Not in a million years. Gilbert would be going number two overall. Donald is more like a #5 or so overall player. Ahead of him, we have Marcus Johnson at 4, Pryor at number 3, Gilbert at 2, and Bishop Sankey #1 overall. He scored me some fantasy points once.

[HoboRocket]

5 hours ago, tom cody said:

Some good talent in this draft. I think we can all agree that Aaron Donald would go #1 in a 2014 re draft.

I'd agree, but you can bet that there are some homers that would vote Khalil Mack.

I'd say:

1. Aaron Donald

2. Khalil Mack

3. Taylor Lewan

4. Odell Beckham, Jr.

5. Jadeveon Clowney

 

[Daniel]

11 minutes ago, HoboRocket said:

No way, José. Not in a million years. Gilbert would be going number two overall. Donald is more like a #5 or so overall player. Ahead of him, we have Marcus Johnson at 4, Pryor at number 3, Gilbert at 2, and Bishop Sankey #1 overall. He scored me some fantasy points once.

I named one of my teams USankeyMyBattleship that season.  It was a bad year, but at least I didn't draft the guy.

[ronjon1990]

Right: 

Clowney- Thought he'd be a good player but felt he was a tad overhyped

Brandin Cooks

Teddy Bridgewater

Derek Carr

Roosevelt Nix- though admittedly, I didn't project him switching to FB

Wrong (2014 was a bad year for me, so it's all shameful):

the Bad:

Seantrel Henderson- I thought he was going to turn it around and be the steal of the draft

Cyrus Kouandjio- Loved him at Alabama and figured Buffalo was going to have their 2 T's locked down for a long while

DeAnthony Thomas- can't stay healthy or on the field. Really thought he was going to be a Sproles type

Will Sutton, Rashede Hageman, Scott Crichton, Kony Ealy- I wanted all 4 of these guys. If you would have told me all 4 would be nothing in the league, I would have laughed

Khalil Mack- Opposite of Clowney, I thought he would be good after seeing him against Ohio St. I didn't think he'd be so dominant though

Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Jace Amaro, Troy Niklas- thought at least 1 would be a top 10 TE by now

the UGLY:

Aaron Donald- I thought he was undersized and was going to wind up getting pushed around and laughed when the Rams took him 

Odell Beckham- after Rueben Randle, Brandon LaFell, Early Doucet, Craig Davis, and Dwayne Bowe (who was good but not great), I had soured on Les Miles WR's faster than everyone else soured on Tedford QB's