NFL Draft 2014: Latest Rumors and Expert Mock Predictions

The opening day of the 2014 NFL draft has finally arrived. Although the annual prospect showcase was only moved back a couple weeks from it's usual date in late April, the wait felt like an eternity as teams sent out plenty of smokescreens to make an uncertain draft even more murky.

There are some players like Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack and Sammy Watkins that seem to have a pretty defined range of where they may land. But there are others, including Johnny Manziel and Eric Ebron, who will be turning-point picks because where they will land is completely up in the air.

Above all else, it should make for an entertaining start to the draft, which should carry over to the next two days. And that's what the NFL is seeking in the end. So let's check out some updated mock drafts and recent rumors making their way around the league.

Expert Mock Drafts

Pick	Team	Mike Mayock (NFL.com)	Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN)	Evan Silva (Rotoworld)	Tim Daniels (B/R)
1	Houston Texans	Jadeveon Clowney	Jadeveon Clowney	Jadeveon Clowney (traded to ATL)	Jadeveon Clowney
2	St. Louis Rams (via WAS)	Greg Robinson	Greg Robinson	Greg Robinson	Greg Robinson
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Khalil Mack	Sammy Watkins	Khalil Mack	Khalil Mack
4	Cleveland Browns	Jake Matthews	Johnny Manziel	Mike Evans	Johnny Manziel
5	Oakland Raiders	Sammy Watkins	Khalil Mack	Sammy Watkins (traded to DET)	Sammy Watkins
6	Atlanta Falcons	Taylor Lewan	Taylor Lewan	Blake Bortles (traded to HOU)	Jake Matthews
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Mike Evans	Mike Evans	Johnny Manziel	Mike Evans
8	Minnesota Vikings	Justin Gilbert	Blake Bortles	Aaron Donald	Aaron Donald
9	Buffalo Bills	Zack Martin	Jake Matthews	Eric Ebron	Eric Ebron
10	Detroit Lions	Darqueze Dennard	Odell Beckham Jr.	Jake Matthews (traded to OAK)	Justin Gilbert
11	Tennessee Titans	Blake Bortles	Darqueze Dennard	Justin Gilbert	Anthony Barr
12	New York Giants	Eric Ebron	Aaron Donald	Taylor Lewan	Taylor Lewan
13	St. Louis Rams	Odell Beckham Jr.	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
14	Chicago Bears	Calvin Pryor	Justin Gilbert	Calvin Pryor	Calvin Pryor
15	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kyle Fuller	Zack Martin	Kyle Fuller	Zack Martin
16	Dallas Cowboys	Johnny Manziel	Calvin Pryor	Anthony Barr	Timmy Jernigan
17	Baltimore Ravens	C.J. Mosley	Eric Ebron	Odell Beckham Jr. (traded to SF)	Odell Beckham Jr.
18	New York Jets	Brandin Cooks	Brandin Cooks	Darqueze Dennard	Darqueze Dennard
19	Miami Dolphins	Cyrus Kouandjio	C.J. Mosley	Zack Martin	Ryan Shazier
20	Arizona Cardinals	Anthony Barr	Derek Carr	Dee Ford	Blake Bortles
21	Green Bay Packers	Ryan Shazier	Ryan Shazier	Ryan Shazier	Jason Verrett
22	Philadelphia Eagles	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	Kelvin Benjamin	Brandin Cooks	Brandin Cooks
23	Kansas City Chiefs	Marqise Lee	Marqise Lee	Marqise Lee	Marqise Lee
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Aaron Donald	Kony Ealy	Bradley Roby	Bradley Roby
25	San Diego Chargers	Bradley Roby	Anthony Barr	Louis Nix	Kyle Fuller
26	Cleveland Browns (via IND)	Teddy Bridgewater	Kyle Fuller	Derek Carr	Teddy Bridgewater (trade)
27	New Orleans Saints	Kelvin Benjamin	Cody Latimer	Stanley Jean-Baptiste	Cody Latimer
28	Carolina Panthers	Derek Carr (traded to Oakland)	Morgan Moses	Joel Bitonio	Morgan Moses
29	New England Patriots	Jace Amaro	Ra'Shede Hageman	Teddy Bridgewater	Jace Amaro
30	San Francisco 49ers	Stephon Tuitt	Jordan Matthews	Austin Seferian-Jenkins (traded to BAL)	Stanley Jean-Baptiste
31	Denver Broncos	Jason Verrett	Jason Verrett	C.J. Mosley	C.J. Mosley
32	Seattle Seahawks	Stanley Jean-Baptise	Stephon Tuitt	Ra'Shede Hageman	Xavier Su'a-Filo

Full Mock Info:

Mike Mayock (NFL.com)

Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN; subscription required)

Evan Silva (Rotoworld)

Latest Draft Rumors

Unsurprisingly, Manziel has dominated the conversation on draft day. After it looked like the college sensation was going to land somewhere inside the top 10, a late storyline has emerged connecting him with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas owns the No. 16 pick in Round 1 and already has Tony Romo on its roster. Yet, Rotoworld passed along a report from Todd McShay of ESPN, who stated on SportsCenter Dallas has the Texas A&M quarterback atop their draft board.

As if Romo didn't have enough pressure on him, adding Manziel to the roster would make for a complete circus atmosphere. That's never prevented Jerry Jones from making a bold move before, however, so it's impossible to count it out.

One thing to keep in mind is Romo's contract. Andrew Brandt of ESPN reports the structure of his current deal makes him virtually unmovable:

Another storyline capable of shaking up the first round is the Houston Texans' willingness to move the top overall pick. Since a clear No. 1 quarterback never emerged during the draft process, it would make sense for Houston to trade down to stockpile picks.

If another team wants the pick—likely with an eye on Clowney—it better be ready to pay a hefty price. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports the Texans' current asking price is a total of four picks, including a swap in Round 1 this year:

Obviously, that's likely just a base with alterations being made on how far they would need to drop in the first round. It's also possible the price could change as the draft gets closer, if the Texans really want to add more picks instead of settling for one player.

That said, the cost is going to remain sky-high and rightfully so. Clowney has the skill set and natural ability necessary to become a truly game-changing defensive player. Should he reach that potential and Houston trades the pick, the front office better have a lot to show for it.

The general consensus for most of the draft process has been that Watkins has been the top wide receiver available, followed by Mike Evans. As it turns out, Manziel's top target might end up coming off the board first, if the Oakland Raiders are the first team to pick a wideout.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports a source says the Raiders have Evans higher than Watkins on their draft board. At No. 5, they could have the option to choose between the two, but it's not a lock they will go in that direction:

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As one league source who is as connected on matters of the draft as anyone explained it to PFT, the Raiders are believed to prefer Evans to Watkins. The question becomes whether both are still on the board at No. 5, and whether the Raiders choose to pick a receiver.

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Evans, as you would expect from any great athlete, believes he's been the top player at the position all along. According to CBS New York, Evans said to WFAN in March that he was the best wide receiver and also explained why:

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I think I'm a big, physical receiver, who is a big-play threat as well as a possession receiver. I guess I'd say I got good hands and am the best blocker at the receiver position. And I will do anything it takes to win.

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As for a receiver who's made a serious climb leading up to the draft, Odell Beckham Jr. is now being linked to a team inside the top 10. He was viewed as a player likely to go in the second half of Round 1 until a recent surge.

Joe Buscaglia of WGR reports the Buffalo Bills would seriously consider selecting Beckham at No. 9, assuming none of the draft's biggest names suffer a slide. He also notes tight end Eric Ebron would be in the conversation, as well.

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One of the hottest names in the draft right now is LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., and one of the biggest proponents of his talents are indeed the Bills. According to league sources, Beckham, Jr. is a player Buffalo is very serious about taking with their ninth overall pick in the event a board plays out a certain way.

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Expect the rumors to continue swirling right on through the opening round. At this point, it's incredibly difficult to predict even a single selection correctly, which points toward plenty of chaos once teams are officially on the clock.

Perhaps the most interesting thing will be seeing whether all of the different rumored moves come to fruition, or if the round ends up being pretty straightforward in the end. If it's the latter, it will show exactly how little information can be yield from rumors late in the process.

No story has the potential to become bigger than Manziel to the Cowboys, though. If that ends up happening—and it still seems like a long shot on the surface—it would dominant headlines for the foreseeable future.

It should be an interesting night, to say the least.