2014 NFL Draft Grades: Scores for Each GM After Round 1 Results

Immediately after the NFL draft, all fans want to know is how well their team did with its first-round pick. 

Obviously, it will be some time before we know exactly how good each player turns out to be at the next level. However, you can still look at how well the organizations filled needs and got value in the opening round.

Even if a player turns out to be a quality starter, he might have still been too big of a reach to make sense at that particular time. It might have been a smarter move to trade back in that circumstance.

With this in mind, here is a look at grades for each of the top 32 picks in the 2014 draft.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School	Grade
1.	Texans	Jadeveon Clowney	DE/OLB	South Carolina	A+
2.	Rams (from WSH)	Greg Robinson	OT	Auburn	A+
3.	Jaguars	Blake Bortles	QB	UCF	B
4.	Bills*	Sammy Watkins	WR	Clemson	A-
5.	Raiders	Khalil Mack	OLB	Buffalo	A+
6.	Falcons	Jake Matthews	OT	Texas A&M	A+
7.	Buccaneers	Mike Evans	WR	Texas A&M	A+
8.	Browns*	Justin Gilbert	CB	Oklahoma State	A-
9.	Vikings*	Anthony Barr	OLB	UCLA	A-
10.	Lions	Eric Ebron	TE	North Carolina	B+
11.	Titans	Taylor Lewan	OT	Michigan	A
12.	Giants	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	LSU	B-
13.	Rams	Aaron Donald	DT	Pittsburgh	A
14.	Bears	Kyle Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech	A-
15.	Steelers	Ryan Shazier	OLB	Ohio State	B+
16.	Cowboys	Zack Martin	OG/OT	Notre Dame	A-
17.	Ravens	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Alabama	B+
18.	Jets	Calvin Pryor	FS	Louisville	A-
19.	Dolphins	Ja'Wuan James	OT	Tennessee	C
20.	Saints*	Brandin Cooks	WR	Oregon State	A-
21.	Packers	Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix	FS	Alabama	A+
22.	Browns*	Johnny Manziel	QB	Texas A&M	A+
23.	Chiefs	Dee Ford	DE/OLB	Auburn	B+
24.	Bengals	Darqueze Dennard	CB	Michigan State	A+
25.	Chargers	Jason Verrett	CB	TCU	A
26.	Eagles* (from IND)	Marcus Smith	DE/OLB	Louisville	C
27.	Cardinals*	Deone Bucannon	SS	Washington State	B+
28.	Panthers	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Florida State	A-
29.	Patriots	Dominique Easley	DT	Florida	B+
30.	49ers	Jimmie Ward	SS	Northern Illinois	C+
31.	Broncos	Bradley Roby	CB	Ohio State	C
32.	Vikings*	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville	A+

Best Picks

No. 5 Khalil Mack to Oakland Raiders

NFL fans have become so accustomed to seeing the Oakland Raiders make poor picks, it is almost surprising when they make a good one. However, Khalil Mack qualifies as a great decision by the front office.

Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News certainly thought it was a smart move:

Mack was considered by many to be one of the best prospects in the entire class and possibly the best. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com was one person who was surprised to see the linebacker drop even to No. 5:

The linebacker is one of the most versatile players in the draft as someone who can rush the passer, drop into coverage and stop the run. He can single-handedly improve a unit that has struggled for some time and bring more success to the Raiders.

No. 32 Teddy Bridgewater to Minnesota Vikings

Heading into the offseason, Teddy Bridgewater was considered the top quarterback in the draft and arguably the best player at any position. Unfortunately, poor workouts caused his stock to fall almost completely out of the first round.

However, he still has shown plenty of potential to be a star at the next level if given a chance. He has great composure in the pocket and the arm necessary to make any throw.

This is one of the things the Vikings were interested in, as well as his past success. Head coach Mike Zimmer discussed the pick with Albert Breer of NFL Network:

The Vikings got a franchise quarterback, something that the squad has lacked for a long time. Even better, he can take his time to learn behind Christian Ponder or Matt Cassel before he is ready to contribute.

Minnesota was aggressive to move back into the first round ahead of the Houston Texans, and it will pay off down the line.

Worst Picks

No. 19 Ja'Wuan James to Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins needed to upgrade the offensive line after allowing the most sacks in the NFL past season. Even after adding Branden Albert in the offseason, they needed to improve in other spots.

Grabbing Ja'Wuan James to step in at right tackle makes sense in some respects. However, a number of better offensive linemen were available at this point in the first round.

Trading up a few spots to get the versatile Zack Martin would have been ideal, but there were other prospects still on the board at No. 19. Cyrus Kouandjio, Morgan Moses, Joel Bitonio and even Tennessee teammate Antonio Richardson would have been good options. While most of these guys played left tackle in college, they each possess the ability to move to the other side of the line.

Even James was surprised at where he was taken, via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald:

The Dolphins took a risk with this pick, especially considering he might have been available later in the round.

No. 26 Marcus Smith to Philadelphia Eagles

Speaking of reaching for a pick, the Eagles did this in a big way by drafting Marcus Smith at the No. 26 spot. They traded back—presumably after missing out on Ha Ha Clinton-Dix—but they likely could have done this again and still gotten their man.

Of course, moving back also ruined the chance to grab either Jason Verrett or Darqueze Dennard, which would have upgraded a position of greater need—cornerback—for the Eagles.

Additionally, Smith went ahead of more highly touted players at the position like Kony Ealy, who arguably has more upside with his elite athleticism.

Although the edge-rusher has a chance to be a quality contributor at the next level, the Eagles could have done better with this pick.

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