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The final #MockMonday of the 2014 NFL Draft season arrives, and rather than another post from one of the Phinsider authors, we decided to turn over control of our mock draft to you, the Phinsider faithful. Over the past week, we have been holding our annual Phinsider Community Mock Draft, with a randomly selected group of readers making the picks for the first 32 selections in this week's NFL Draft.
We actually made it about a third of the way through our stated goal of a two-round mock draft, but, since it was not completed, we will bring you just the first round of selections. Without further ado, here's the 2014 edition of the Phinsider Community Mock Draft:
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Houston Texans |
Battle Red Blog |
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Jadeveon Clowney | DE | 6' 5-1/4" | 266 | South Carolina | ||
bbickley - With the 1st Pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select... Jerry Ricecake. What? You were expecting someone else? This kid has the best hands I have ever seen and looks like a Hall of Famer to me. Ok, now seriously.... With the 1st Pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select... Jadeveon Clowney!
It really doesn't get any easier than this pick. Why Clowney? Scheme The depth of the defense around him means Clowney will not have to bear the weight of the franchise on his shoulders early in his career and can just concentrate on football. Sure Clowney will have to compete with players already on my roster for playing time, but that only means I will have fresh players late in games. Clowney can rotate in with WOLB Whitney Mercilus and/or DE Antonio Smith throughout the games. Hopefully, this depth will prevent Clowney from hitting the proverbial rookie wall the second half of the season keeping him fresh enough to complete what I hope to be a DROY campaign. Versatility One approach I anticipate Crennel using with Clowney is all defensive end 3-man line. This is something the NY Giants used in their 2 SB runs. Houston can line up in a 3-4 front with Smith, Clowney, and Watt across the line. The personnel would create mismatches based on necessary double teams and create free rush lanes for LBs to blitz from. Another option Houston can run is a ‘speed' package similar to the Miami Dolphins where I place 5-7 players in a two-point stance up at the line only to blitz some and drop some. Character Concerns Why didn't you draft a QB? |
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St. Louis Rams |
Turf Show Times |
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Jake Matthews | OT | 6' 5-1/2" | 308 | Texas A&M | ||
Elzabar - Rams need to better protect Sam Bradford. This pick will also allow the Rams to develop their staring LT of the future. |
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Jacksonville Jaguars |
Big Cat Country |
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Teddy Bridgewater | QB | 6' 2-1/8" | 214 | Louisville | ||
ck4 - Chad Henne is not the QB of the future, that much is clear. In order to win in the NFL, you need a franchise QB, and there is no larger need for the team than that. While no QB is ever a sure thing, Bridgewater showed that he was the best college QB in the country last year, and there's no reason why his game shouldn't translate to the pros. While he may not have as much "potential" as some of the other QBs in the draft, potential alone can't win games; Bridgewater is accurate and fined mentally sound, and thus is the best QB prospect in the draft this year. |
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Cleveland Browns |
Dawgs by Nature |
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Sammy Watkins | WR | 6' 3/4" | 211 | Clemson | ||
KJM87 - The Browns have to love the way the board has fallen. They get arguably the most dynamic playmaker in the draft to pair with Josh Gordon to instantly give the Browns one of the top WR tandems in the league. |
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Oakland Raiders |
Silver and Black Pride |
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Khalil Mack | OLB | 6' 2-5/8" | 251 | Buffalo | ||
bacattack51 - Not going to reach on a QB with a top 5 pick and with the talent in the draft. Greg Robinson is the #1 player on the board for me but with the acquisitions of Penn and Howard along with Menelik Watson still developing, Mack is the pick here. Mack will be an immediate impact player on a team short of impact players. They can use him various ways. At DE they would have a nice rotation with Woodley and Tuck. Also can play LB and be an asset in coverage and blitz schemes. |
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Atlanta Falcons |
The Falcoholic |
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Anthony Barr | OLB | 6' 4-7/8" | 255 | UCLA | ||
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Bucs Nation |
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Mike Evans | WR | 6' 4-3/4" | 231 | Texas A&M | ||
Dolfankenny -Would probably have looked hard at either elite pass rushers that went the last two picks. Also praying for Watson to fall to them as they view him as an elite WR. They feel they may also pick up a solid offensive lineman in round 2 (bad news for Miami). Also I can't see them going QB this high. With all that said, Evans replaces the WR lost this offseason and immediately becomes the red zone target for Tampa. |
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Minnesota Vikings |
Daily Norseman |
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Blaker Bortles | QB | 6'5" | 232 | UCF | ||
Wild Zion Beaver | ||||||
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Buffalo Bills |
Buffalo Rumblings |
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Eric Ebron | TE | 6' 4-3/8" | 250 | North Carolina | ||
TheFloridianDebater - The Buffalo Bills already have an elite running game with CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson, a young QB to build around in EJ Manuel, and two pretty darn good WRs in Steve Johnson and Robert Woods, the only thing missing is a potentially high impact TE to take pressure off the outside receivers. If Buffalo can find a better RT in the 2nd round after drafting Ebron, the Bills could suddenly have a potentially potent offense...dare I say they'd become the second best offensive team in the AFC East? |
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Detroit Lions |
Pride of Detroit |
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Justin Gilbert | CB | 6' 1/8" | 202 | Oklahoma State | ||
Brian Naidus -Detroit has been one of the teams said to have some interest in possibly trading up for receiver Sammy Watkins. While Watkins is easily the best offensive playmaker in the draft, Detroit is still strong at the position and honestly will likely have a lot of solid options if they stay put at pick 10 on draft day. Eric Ebron and Taylor Lewan may be around and both offer solid options to help Stafford's offense. However I think Detroit will take a long hard look to likely take the top corner in this league's draft. That honor will likely come down to Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert or hometown Spartan, Darqueze Dennard. While Dennard very well may be the best man cover corner down the line, it will be hard to resist the athleticism and speed of Gilbert. He posted the combine's top speed, has great strength and can even contribute in special teams. He's the pick. |
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Tennessee Titans |
Music City Miracles |
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Greg Robinson | OT | 6'5" | 332 | Auburn | ||
SUTTON - The Titans lost some quality starters in free agency, and need to hit on their first pick to get back in the AFC South conversation. With Michael Roos in the last year of his contract and Michael Oher less than stellar on the right side, the Titans opt to solidify the offensive line with the OT who arguably has the highest ceiling of any offensive lineman in the draft: Greg Robinson. Aaron Donald, Darqueze Dennard, or a QB make sense in this spot as well, but Robinson is likely the highest rated player on their board and presents tremendous draft day value. |
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New York Giants |
Big Blue View |
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Aaron Donald | DT | 6' 3/4" | 285 | Pittsburgh | ||
small balls - The Giants may have bigger needs, but they can use a play-maker on the interior of their defensive line. Donald may be undersized but his production in college was great and he will boost the Giants' pass rush and collapse an offense's interior. Was the first Pitt defensive player to earn unanimous All-America honors since Hugh Green in 1980. Also was the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Outland Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award. Was the NCAA leader in tackles for loss. |
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St. Louis Rams |
Turf Show Times |
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Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix | S | 6' 1-3/8" | 208 | Alabama | ||
Elzabar - Rams fill up a glaring need in FS with the top rated Safety in this years draft. Ha'Sean can start from day 1 and continue to become a reliable safety of the future. |
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Chicago Bears |
Windy City Gridiron |
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Calvin Pryor | S | 5' 11/1/8" | 207 | Louisville | ||
rocfinfhan - With the signings of Lamar Houston and Jared Allen and having a serviceable interior guys like Jeremiah Ratliff and Nate Collins in the middle, safety becomes top priority. Losing Major Wright (Tampa) and with Chris Conte having shoulder surgery, he may not be ready for training camp, Pryor is the man at 14. |
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Pittsburgh Steelers |
Behind the Steel Curtain |
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Taylor Lewan | OT | 6' 7-1/8" | 309 | Michigan | ||
Blue or CONKZILLA - With needs on the DL, DB, and WR I felt it was too early to select Louis Nix or any of the remaining WR's. There is a need for a CB, and Darqueze Dennard would have been the pick had Lewan not fallen this far. The need to protect Ben Roethlisberger, and keep him healthy, after missing on several OL picks the last few years with an offensive line that has been ranked in the lower half of the league the past couple of seasons, should improve quite a bit with Lewan on the left side. |
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Must Reads
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Dallas Cowboys |
Blogging the Boys |
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Timmy Jernigan | DT | 6' 1-5/8" | 298 | Florida State | ||
Andy in Omaha - The Cowboys have a lot of holes, but repairing the league's worst defense should be a priority. Safety just might be their biggest need, but with Pryor and Clinton-Dix off the board, Jernigan gives decent value at #16 to plug a hole on the defensive line. | ||||||
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Baltimore Ravens |
Baltimore Beatdown |
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Darqueze Dennard | CB | 5' 10-7/8" | 199 | Michigan State | ||
TheFins - Even though I feel the number one need for the Ravens is ROT all the top tackle talents are off the board. I could have taken a shot at Martin with this pick, but I feel that Dennard is a top 10 talent that has fallen into my lap. Corey Graham is off the Ravens squad, and the Ravens will be looking for a starting corner to replace him. Dennard will be a great fit, and fill the void left by Graham. |
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New York Jets |
Gang Green Nation |
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Zack Martin | OT | 6' 4" | 308 | Notre Dame | ||
Agent J 78 - As a Dolphins fan picking for the Jets I really wanted to do something like pick a long-snapper as we all don't want to see them improve. Alas, I'm not that petty so I had to do what is best for the franchise (just puked in my mouth a little). With that said, I posted over at GGN and the consensus was I couldn't go wrong with BPA minus a defensive lineman as they have needs everywhere. The "sexy" pick (not to be confused with sexy Rexy) seems to be WR but I don't think the Jets will go that route (no pun intended) in the first. The Jets have been built around stout defense and although Geno Smith needs a ton of help, nothing will help him more than an elite defense or a stout offensive line. So I see them either improving the defense or shoring up the offensive line. So with that said I was deciding between Mosley and Martin but I decided to select Zach Martin for the Jets. With Martin they get tremendous value and a player to shore up their OL and not only protect Smith but create running lanes for CJ2K. They did replace Austin Howard with Breno Giacomini, which is only a slight downgrade but Giacomini is recovering from knee surgery. With Giacomini's injury, the age and injuries of Willie Colon and the terrible LG play of Brian Winters (how bad do you have to be, to be that terrible playing between Mangold & Ferguson?) the Jets can solidify 3 positions on their offensive line with this one draft pick. |
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Miami Dolphins |
The Phinsider |
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Ryan Shazier | OLB | 6' 1" | 237 | Ohio State | ||
IMadeThisNameAfterWeDraftedReshadJones - Could the situation scream "TRADE" any louder? With the Dolphins on the clock, Johnny Manziel is still on the board. Additionally, four tackles, as well as the top tight end and free safety are gone. But, assuming no trade is feasible, the Dolphins could try to beef up the offensive line with Su'a-Filo, energize the offense with Beckham, Cooks, or Amaro, or address the atrocious linebacker situation. They choose the latter. Shazier brings incredible quickness, powerful tackling, and superb play recognition to the linebacker position. C.J. Mosley may get all the hype, but Shazier's tape jumps off the screen. Miami's need is also more at WOLB than MLB (don't sleep on Jelani Jenkins at MLB). Shazier projects as an ideal fit for 4-3 WOLB, and can truly be a 3-down defender that always seems to be around the ball and finishing plays, something that has been sorely missing from the Dolphins defense. |
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Arizona Cardinals |
Revenge of the Birds |
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Johnny Manziel | QB | 5' 11-3/4" | 207 | Texas A&M | ||
socalphinfanatic - I went real back and forth with this pick, deciding between C.J. Mosely and Manziel. In the end, while I felt LB was a bigger need, passing up a top 10 Franchise QB talent at 20 wasn't something I could do. We all know Palmer isn't the long term solution, and while this draft is deep with other later round QB's I like (Carr, Fales, Murray), I believe Manziel has a much higher ceiling. Inserting an electric player like Manziel into this already talented team would immediately make the Cardinals a bigger headache for the Niners and Seahawks. After this, trade Palmer to a QB needy team for some middle round picks to help shore up Johnny's O-line. Although I may be biased, I feel this is a steal similar to when the Packers nabbed Rodgers after his free-fall. Johnny Football to the Cardinals at 20. |
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Green Bay Packers |
Acme Packing Company |
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C.J. Mosley | LB | 6' 2" | 234 | Alabama | ||
dedington - The Packers have a few glaring needs with Safety being one of them and inside LB and TE being the others. The top two Safeties are gone at this point and the Packers need to get more physical on defense to be able to beat teams like the 49ers, who have owned them recently. Taking the BPA approach and filling need allows the pack to select CJ Mosely and have some athleticism at LB. |
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Philadelphia Eagles |
Bleeding Green Nation |
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Kyle Van Noy | OLB | 6' 3-1/8" | 243 | BYU | ||
dolphinfan4lyfe -With this pick I notice that Linebackers are are coming off the board. I don't like any of the Safeties at this spot so I reach and grab: Kyle Van Noy OLB Brigham Young University. Between projected cap casualties next year, and the fact that the drop off is huge next round, I think this is a much needed look into tomorrow's roster. |
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Kansas City Chiefs |
Arrowhead Pride |
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Odell Beckham, Jr. | WR | 5' 11-1/4" | 198 | LSU | ||
Finzphan68 - Kansas City (temporarily at least) have a solution at QB, even though it cost them this year's 2nd round pick. In the real draft, I'd expect them to possibly trade back and recoup that pick plus extra. With the two top safeties off the board, it's a little too early to grab an OG now the Martin is gone, so the Chiefs select another area to help Alex Smith this season: Odell Beckham, JR. WR, LSU |
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Cincinnati Bengals |
Cincy Jungle |
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Brandin Cooks | WR | 5' 9-3/4" | 198 | Oregon State | ||
BenSchneier22 | ||||||
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San Diego Chargers |
Bolts from the Blue |
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Louis Nix III | DT | 6' 2-3/8" | 326 | Notre Dame | ||
Zero the Hero - With my pick there are a couple ways I could go but in the end I choose Louis Nix III. The Chargers need help at a few key positions and I could easily go CB giving that they face Petyon Manning two times a year but with the loss of Cam Thomas this offseason there is a huge hole in the middle of my defensive line and Nix will fill that whole. |
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Cleveland Browns |
Dawgs by Nature |
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Derek Carr | QB | 6' 2-3/8" | 214 | Fresno State | ||
KJM87 - With the 26th pick, the Cleveland Browns select Derek Carr, QB Fresno State. The Browns were patient, and did not panic when other QB's started coming off the board, and their QB fell to them. Derek Carr will have Josh Gordon and Sammy Watkins to help with the transition to the NFL. |
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New Orleans Saints |
Canal Street Chronicles |
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Marcus Martin | C | 6' 3" | 320 | USC | ||
EverybodyLovesDolphins - During the 2014 Free Agency campaign, the Saints chose not to resign Center Brian De La Puente, leaving a glaring weak spot in an otherwise formidable Offensive Line. With Odell and Gilbert both off the board - I believe the Saints will target the top center in the draft. Marcus Martin. While he lacks experience at the center position, his frame is already tailored for NFL caliber action. Martin comes in at 6'03, 320 pounds. He has the ability to hit blocks quickly and get to the second level of the defense. He is a good run blocker which will benefit the Saints' poor running game. |
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Carolina Panthers |
Cat Scratch Reader |
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Morgan Moses | OT | 6' 6" | 314 | Virginia | ||
Dolfan00 - With the retirement of Jordan Gross, the Panthers look to try to stabilize their offensive line. Its bad enough that the team has a bunch of receivers that are unfamiliar with Cam, but you have to give him some time to throw to whomever they got before he gets hounded in the pocket. Cyrus Kouandijo's knee concerns scare off the team and the team reaches for Morgan Moses hoping to capitalize on potential. |
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New England Patriots |
Pats Pulpit |
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Kelvin Benjamin | WR | 6' 5" | 240 | Florida State | ||
bartleby182 - The Patriots have big needs at Offensive and Defensive Linemen. However, as the Draft turned out, both positions would be a reach right now (except maybe for Stephon Tuitt?), so let's go with the sure pick: Kelvin Benjamin. Tom Brady struggled at times last season because of the lack of big playmaking-receivers on his side, and I believe that's what Kelvin Benjamin can become: a big target, with sure hands and the strength to get YAC every time he gets the ball. |
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San Francisco 49ers |
Niners Nation |
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Jason Verrett | CB | 5' 9-1/2" | 189 | TCU | ||
Alex Parish -With 11 picks in the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and without any glaring needs, the 49ers can get very creative. However, cornerback and inside linebacker are two positions that could use an upgrade. As it stands so far, cornerback Jason Verrett happens to be the best player available in this scenario. San Francisco released cornerback Carlos Rogers, and Tarell Brown also joined Oakland. While the 49ers still have some talent at cornerback, the position needs to be addressed early on in the draft. While Jason Verrett isn't as physically gifted as the next best corner, Kyle Fuller, Verrett is a tenacious cornerback who can start from day one. Displaying great short-area burst and footwork, Verrett will have no problem keeping up with wide receivers in the NFL. Lacks the height and muscle to be a real force in the run game, but still very much holds his own in this area. Jason Verrett will be an exceptional player for years to come with the 30th overall pick. |
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Denver Broncos |
Mile High Report |
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Kyle Fuller | CB | 5' 11-3/4" | 190 | Virginia Tech | ||
Hollywood Dolfan - With the 31rst overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Denver Bronco's select CB Kyle Fuller. The Virginia Tech standout comes in with very good measurable, 5'11, 190lbs with a 38 1/2 inch Vert and a 4.49 40-time. He plays with good instincts and a very aggressive attitude. The biggest knock on him, being overall lack of strength, is easily correctable by NFL trainers. And the Bronco's need help at CB still. Going after top OG Xavier Su'a-Filo was definitely an option but also a need that can also be filled elsewhere. |
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Seattle Seahawks |
Field Gulls |
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Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TE | 6 '5" | 262 | Washington | ||
Chris Early | ||||||
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