2014's Exciting 1st-Round Draft Prospects Will Make for a Boring 1st Round

"He just cemented himself in the Top 15."

Anyone who paid attention to coverage of the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine heard that phrase repeated about 35 times. Not only did the projected medalists of the so-called Underwear Olympics deliver, but plenty of players with question marks about their athleticism turned in impressive numbers.

After several drafts with few elite talents and a bumper crop of second-day prospects, the 2014 draft class is loaded with difference-makers.

With several legitimate first-round talents at each of the premium positions, mock drafters are going to go crazy when trying to project the first 15 picks without excluding a fat handful of so-called locks.

Instead of a late-first-round parade of desperate reaches for need and/or poorly advised trades, fans, analysts and executives alike will be exclaiming shock and joy that "[Player X] was still available!"

Then again, a draft board that has plenty of what every team needs just might suck all the drama out of the process.

Abundance Is the Father of Abstention

NFL teams trade down in two situations.

In the first scenario, there are several players they'd happily take at their current draft slot, so they can move down a few slots and still get one. In the second, they like no players at their current slot, so they'd rather move down, take whomever and at least get some value back.

NFL teams trade up in one situation: They have a fever, and the only cure is [Player X].

The Atlanta Falcons are sitting at No. 6 overall and desperately need pass-rushing help, among other things. Why would they move up for Jadeveon Clowney, as ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure considered, when Khalil Mack will likely fall to them? Even after Mack, Kony Ealy and Anthony Barr will definitely be there, to the point that they might trade down before taking either of them.

When an athlete of Barr's caliber is your Plan C, there's no need to hit the panic button.

The Detroit Lions have spent an awful lot of cash and draft picks to find a field-stretcher who can complement stud receiver Calvin Johnson, but they've come up empty. The Lions might be in love with Sammy Watkins—but when Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin are no less big or fast, it's hard to see the Lions giving up value to make sure they get Watkins.

The same applies to cornerbacks; Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert both tested extremely well. The first team to take a cornerback will have its pick, and the second team will be thrilled to get whomever is left.

Ditto for offensive tackles. The relative value of Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews and Taylor Lewan might make for a lively debate, but there's no question that every team that is looking for an elite left tackle prospect in the top 10 will have a crack at one.

NFL teams always reach for quarterbacks, and this season appeared to be the worst year for reaches since the notorious 2011 class. With solid performances at the combine, though, Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr not only validated their status as potential first-rounders but challenged the abstaining Teddy Bridgewater for the right to be the first quarterback taken.

Even if there's been a run on all of the above players, teams looking to draft the "best available player" in the middle of the first round can still choose from difference-making physical studs like defensive tackle Aaron Donald, tight end Eric Ebron and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Even after that, there enough intriguing prospects at the bottom of the first round that one of the above players will fall.

The Show Won't Go On

While blockbuster trades and last-second swoops make for great draft-day entertainment, they don't always lead to great on-field success (see: Weeden, Brandon).

Al Bello/Getty Images

Even when they work out, as the St. Louis Rams' bold move up for receiver/returner Tavon Austin during the 2013 draft did, they're rarely prudent. The Rams could have stood pat and taken receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson, who arguably outproduced Austin.

Take a look at Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller's post-combine seven-round mock draft. Notice how the players, slots and needs all dovetail beautifully?

The teams that need quarterbacks get quarterbacks. The teams that need offensive line help get offensive line help.

The Buffalo Bills get their hometown boy, Mack. The Lions get Evans. The Dallas Cowboys get Donald, the prototypical Tampa 2 3-technique defensive tackle they desperately lacked last season. The Chicago Bears get Charles Tillman's heir apparent.

Each successive pick seems to make more and more sense. The top 10 could re-sort itself any number of ways between now and then while teams nitpick; instead of choosing between the worst of several evils, though, they'll be picking through an embarrassment of riches.

Once the draft hits the middle of the first round, though, the dominoes should fall like clockwork. The top-heavy 2014 draft might well be remembered as one of the best in recent history, but it also might be one of the most boring, predictable, TV-unfriendly drafts of all time—made all the more disappointing by the extra month of anticipation and tail-chasing hype the NFL has shoehorned into this offseason.

That'll all be forgotten, though, once this electrifying class of rookies hits the field.