NFL Draft Results 2014: Round 1 Grades and Prospect Predictions for Day 2

After some of the most unpredictable results football fans could have imagined, Day 2 of the 2014 NFL draft (Rounds 3 and 4) is shaping up to be just as exciting as Day 1’s opening round.

With several top prospects like Fresno State’s Derek Carr, Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio and Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro all still available as the second round kicks off, there are several teams that could draft a game-changer in the second round.

Here are the full grades for every pick in the first round, the predictions for the top prospects in Round 2 and the player to watch for on Friday night.

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

Here are the top 10 projected picks of the second round.

Round 2 Pick	Overall Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	33	Houston Texans	Jimmy Garoppolo	QB	Eastern Illinois
2	34	Washington Redskins	Cyrus Kouandjio	OT	Alabama
3	35	Cleveland Browns	Kony Ealy	DE	Missouri
4	36	Oakland Raiders	Derek Carr	QB	Fresno State
5	37	Atlanta Falcons	Louis Nix III	NT	Notre Dame
6	38	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Joel Bitonio	OT	Nevada
7	39	Jacksonville Jaguars	Carlos Hyde	RB	Ohio State
8	40	Seattle Seahawks	Marqise Lee	WR	USC
9	41	Buffalo Bills	Jace Amaro	TE	Texas Tech
10	42	Tennessee Titans	Timmy Jernigan	DT	Florida State

Prospect to Watch in Round 2: Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech

One of the biggest shocks of the first round was not a player that was picked, but a talented prospect that was not selected.

I’m talking about Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro

At 6’5” and 265 pounds, Amaro is a raw physical specimen who has the potential to be a star in the NFL. While he is a much better offensive weapon than a pass protector or run-blocker, his raw size and physical ability make growth in those roles inevitable.

There are several teams with major needs at tight end, including two top Super Bowl contenders in the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, and the fact that he has slipped this far will be a blessing for the franchise that eventually selects him.

After being passed by in the first round, Amaro made his feelings clear on Twitter:

During his 2013 season with Texas Tech, Amaro racked up an astounding 106 catches for 1,352 yards and seven touchdowns. But even with fellow tight end and North Carolina star Eric Ebron going at No. 10 overall, Amaro’s numbers weren’t enough to catapult him into the first round.

There are still plenty of teams with a need for an elite tight end, though, and there could be a frenzy early in the second round to trade up for the right to acquire him. According to Brian Costello of The New York Post, the New York Jets are one of the teams possibly considering moving up:

With teams waiting this long for Amaro, there is a serious chance his slide continues until the Buffalo Bills pick at No. 41 overall. The franchise has a serious need for viable tight ends who can help quarterback EJ Manuel develop, and the Texas Tech prospect is an ideal fit.

Add in Sammy Watkins, who Buffalo took at No. 4 overall, and the Bills would have a complete offensive overhaul in the ultra-competitve AFC East.

Predicted Landing Spot: Buffalo Bills (No. 41 overall)

*Stats via NFL.com.

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