The NFL draft for 2014 is coming up and experts have started making their top 5 pick predictions in the first round and names like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have put mock drafts together, with players like Jadeveon Clowney, Johnny Manziel, Sammy Watkins, Blake Bortles and Greg Robinson going as the first projected picks, while names like Teddy Bridgewater and Khalil Mack have also received attention.
The top of the draft could be very interesting this season, as the Houston Texans have put up a number of smoke screens and they have said they are looking to trade the pick, take a quarterback with the pick or avoid quarterbacks all together and that gives Bill O'Brien the chance to get his ducks in a row. The Texans had the number one pick years ago in the Reggie Bush and Mario Williams draft and now they have a similar situation, as they have an opening at quarterback, but could fall in love with someone like Clowney, Watkins or Greg Robinson. The Texans got rid of Matt Schaub in a trade to the Oakland Raiders and they need a QB and with names like Manziel, Bridgewater and Bortles out there, it could be hard to pass those names up.
Check here for Mel Kiper's latest mock draft and more on the NFL draft from ESPN and SWR.
The Texans also can look to the later rounds for a QB, as names like Derek Carr, David Fales, Aaron Murray, AJ McCarron and Tajh Boyd may be available. The team would love to add Sammy Watkins to a core that includes Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, while they also could try to replace Williams with Clowney after he left before last season to the Bills. Clowney and JJ Watt would make a great duo and now the Texans have to weigh what they want to do with the first pick.
The Texans beat writer and ESPN.com reporter picks Clowney as the number one pick, while Kiper went with Manziel early before changing it up. The Texans could look at a trade to bring them down in the first round and that means a team like the Raiders or Browns could trade up for a QB. Both teams are in the mix at quarterback and it will be interesting to see what the Rams do as well, as they have Sam Bradford and the number two pick after the RG3 trade and they could make a move as well.
The Rams pick ahead of the Jaguars and they could go after a QB as well, while some experts see the team going for the offensive line in Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews, while ESPN.com predicts that they will pick Khalil Mack, who is quickly moving up boards as the best defensive player behind Clowney. Bortles got a ton of pub after the Fiesta Bowl win and many have compared him size wise to Ben Roethlisberger and that could be something a team in the top 5 takes to heart, including the Browns or Raiders. Oakland seems like a logical landing spot for Watkins if he makes it to five, as they need receivers and they just traded for Schaub.
