2014 NFL Draft: Pre-Scouting Combine Mock Draft Update

The NFL Scouting Combine is just around the corner, and that means that it is time to update the old mock draft. This time it's a quick one-round update that reflects current positional rankings and possible best fits for each franchise.

A mock draft needs to be a balance. Ideally, it is purely a predictive tool. However, things are never quite that simple. In many cases, the personal biases of the analyst spill over into the draft. This creates a sort of mishmash of predictions and respective best-case scenarios.

With that being said, the positions of strength in this draft class remain constant. It still appears that quarterbacks will rule the top of the draft. And positions like cornerback, wide receiver and offensive tackle will be well-represented.

The very top of the round continues to be completely up in the air. The Houston Texans are sitting at No. 1 with some serious decisions to make.

Do they go for a fresh start at the quarterback position? If so, they would have their choice of several, but Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater makes a lot of sense.

Or would it be better to give quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Case Keenum another season and instead draft South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? This will be a storyline to watch from now until May.

Here is a tweet from the official ESPN account that illustrates the divide among experts about the top pick.

"

NFL Mock Draft: Johnny Manziel or Jadeveon Clowney? @MelKiperESPN and @McShay13 disagree on the #1 pick. pic.twitter.com/IXW1tpzNMw

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 6, 2014"

There are so many permutations once that first pick drops that it boggles the mind. If the Texans go chalk and select a quarterback, this would put the St. Louis Rams in a spot where they could select Clowney to pair up with defensive end Robert Quinn.

However, the phones in the Rams' war room would be ringing off the hook if Clowney is available, and they could consider trading down to stockpile picks. 

Harry How/Getty Images

Moving down in the first round, you see other positions of strength appear. Wide receiver is a crowded class with as many as six or seven going in the round. This group comes in all shapes and sizes, so finding the right wide receiver shouldn’t be hard.

There are no real surprises in this latest update. However, once the combine is in the books and individual workouts begin, you can expect information, both real and imaginary, to start to seep out. Once that happens, it’s up to everyone to do his best to sort out what is real and what is simply a diversion.

Enjoy this quick mock draft update and be sure to keep an eye out for coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine and everything leading up to the NFL draft.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Houston Texans	Teddy Bridgewater	Quarterback	Louisville
2	St. Louis Rams (from Washington)	Jadeveon Clowney	Defensive End	South Carolina
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Blake Bortles	Quarterback	Central Florida
4	Cleveland Browns	Johnny Manziel	Quarterback	Texas A&M
5	Oakland Raiders	Khalil Mack	Linebacker	Buffalo
6	Atlanta Falcons	Jake Matthews	Offensive Tackle	Texas A&M
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Sammy Watkins	Wide Receiver	Clemson
8	Minnesota Vikings	Derek Carr	Quarterback	Fresno State
9	Buffalo Bills	C.J. Mosley	Linebacker	Alabama
10	Detroit Lions	Mike Evans	Wide Receiver	Texas A&M
11	Tennessee Titans	Dee Ford	Defensive End	Auburn
12	New York Giants	Greg Robinson	Offensive Tackle	Auburn
13	St. Louis Rams	Taylor Lewan	Offensive Tackle	Michigan
14	Chicago Bears	Ra'Shede Hageman	Defensive Tackle	Minnesota
15	Pittsburgh Steelers	Justin Gilbert	Cornerback	Oklahoma State
16	Baltimore Ravens	Cyrus Kouandjio	Offensive Tackle	Alabama
17	Dallas Cowboys	Aaron Donald	Defensive Tackle	Pittsburgh
18	New York Jets	Marqise Lee	Wide Receiver	USC
19	Miami Dolphins	Zack Martin	Offensive Tackle	Notre Dame
20	Arizona Cardinals	Anthony Barr	Linebacker	UCLA
21	Green Bay Packers	Eric Ebron	Tight End	North Carolina
22	Philadelphia Eagles	Darqueze Dennard	Cornerback	Michigan State
23	Kansas City Chiefs	Kelvin Benjamin	Wide Receiver	FSU
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Jason Verrett	Cornerback	TCU
25	San Diego Chargers	Kyle Van Noy	Linebacker	BYU
26	Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis)	Odell Beckham Jr.	Wide Receiver	LSU
27	New Orleans Saints	Bradley Roby	Cornerback	Ohio State
28	Carolina Panthers	Jace Amaro	Tight End	Texas Tech
29	New England Patriots	Timmy Jernigan	Defensive Tackle	Florida State
30	San Francisco 49ers	Jarvis Landry	Wide Receiver	LSU
31	Denver Broncos	Ryan Shazier	Linebacker	Ohio State
32	Seattle Seahawks	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Tight End	Washington