The 2014 NFL draft is coming and some mock predictions from Mel Kiper heading into the first round includes a number of projections for teams in the top 10 picks, as names from the Big board are likely to get traded so teams can move up, with players like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Sammy Watkins, Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Robinson, Teddy Bridgewater, Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr all potential selections.
Check here for more mock draft picks and projections for the first round from Kiper and other experts.
Kiper picked Johnny Manziel to the Houston Texans in his first mock draft and while that has changed over his subsequent mocks, Kiper writes that Manziel is still squarely in the mix for the Texans and head coach Bill O'Brien. Kiper put Clowney as the number one overall pick in his latest mock draft and that is one way many see the Texans going as the draft gets closer. Manziel and Clowney are the players with the biggest question marks heading into the draft and it has nothing to do with their actual talent.
No one is questioning the talents of Manziel and Clowney, but the real questions now come to whether they can fit well into the NFL after playing in college. Clowney would have been the number one overall pick had he been able to come out last year, but after a so-so season and questions about his work ethic, can the South Carolina star be motivated enough once he gets to the NFL? Manziel put up some crazy numbers in college and had more exciting plays than anyone, but can his improvisational style work in the NFL? And will his size be a factor once he starts playing with the big boys?
The size issue is one reason why Clowney and Blake Bortles have started to slide up on most boards for the Texans and many mocks have Houston taking one of those two players. Houston has a ton of options on the table, as they can of course trade the pick for extra selections down the line, or they could go for someone like Clowney, Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins while taking another quarterback later in the draft. This year the top three quarterbacks are Manziel, Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater and in the top 10 there are at least four to six teams that could be in the mix for those players.
The Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders could look at the quarterbacks, but no one would be surprised to see them take Watkins either. Khalil Mack has been moving up draft boards as well and some think he could sneak into the top five. Among the QBs, Bridgewater is considered the most pro ready by scouts, but he is also the one with the lowest ceiling. Manziel is in the middle because of the skills he brings, while Bortles is considered the player with the highest ceiling of the three. Bortles has a cannon for an arm and has been compared to Ben Roethlisberger size wise and that makes him an interesting option at number one, as the Texans may want a prototypical pro QB rather than someone like Manziel.
