2014 NFL Draft Picks: Rounds 1-3 Results and Analysis of Top Prospects

After a long offseason full of player analysis and mock drafts, the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL draft seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.

It's safe to say every team got better on Thursday and Friday; however, due to some intelligent selections, some teams may have improved more than others.

The importance of selecting prospects with good upside who can contribute sooner rather than later and seem to fit the schematics of a team is second to none.

Building through the draft is big part of building a successful NFL franchise. Selecting the right player can propel a team deep into the playoffs; making a bad decision can set a team back for years.

We won't know the true impact of this draft for quite some time, but it's never too early to look ahead and analyze the draft's top prospects and how they fit on their new teams.

Let's take a look at the complete list of selections through the first three rounds and highlight some top players who are sure to make a big splash in the NFL right away.

Round 1

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

How devastating will the pairing of J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney be in Houston this year?

Clowney will have a bit of a learning curve to face, as he's been dominating the college ranks as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. Now, he will move into the outside linebacker position in Houston's 3-4 base defense.

Still, his freakish athleticism will allow him to make a smooth transition. After all, according to a tweet from Fox Sports NFL, Clowney is already calling out a division-rival quarterback:

When the Buffalo Bills moved up in the draft to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins, there was no happier man on earth than quarterback EJ Manuel. His tweet really summed up how he was feeling:

As Manuel continues his development as an NFL quarterback, the Bills needed to surround him with viable weapons. Due to a versatile and exciting skill set, Watkins will play a major role on this young offense moving forward.

Watch out for Brandin Cooks with the New Orleans Saints. Cooks is one of the most explosive receivers in this year's draft, and with Drew Brees at the helm he's poised to make a huge impact during his rookie season.

After losing Darren Sproles, Cooks will certainly fill the void of a shifty, field-stretching target for Brees.

Round 2

Pick	Team	Player
33	Houston Texans	Xavier Su'a-Filo
34	Dallas Cowboys	Demarcus Lawrence
35	Cleveland Browns	Joel Bitonio
36	Oakland Raiders	Derek Carr
37	Atlanta Falcons	Ra'Shede Hageman
38	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Austin Seferian-Jenkins
39	Jacksonville Jaguars	Marqise Lee
40	Detroit Lions	Kyle Van Noy
41	St. Louis Rams	Lamarcus Joyner
42	Philadelphia Eagles	Jordan Matthews
43	New York Giants	Weston Richburg
44	Buffalo Bills	Cyrus Kouandjio
45	Seattle Seahawks	Paul Richardson
46	Pittsburgh Steelers	Stephon Tuitt
47	Washington Redskins	Trent Murphy
48	Baltimore Ravens	Timmy Jernigan
49	New York Jets	Jace Amaro
50	San Diego Chargers	Jeremiah Attaochu
51	Chicago Bears	Ego Ferguson
52	Arizona Cardinals	Troy Niklas
53	Green Bay Packers	Davanate Adams
54	Tennessee Titans	Bishop Sankey
55	Cincinnati Bengals	Jeremy Hill
56	Denver Broncos	Cody Latimer
57	San Francisco 49ers	Carlos Hyde
58	New Orleans Saints	Stanley Jean-Baptiste
59	Indianapolis Colts	Jack Mewhort
60	Carolina Panthers	Kony Ealy
61	Jacksonville Jaguars	Allen Robinson
62	New England Patriots	Jimmy Garoppolo
63	Miami Dolphins	Jarvis Landry
64	Seattle Seahawks	Justin Britt

The Oakland Raiders grabbed their quarterback of the future early in the second round, selecting Derek Carr at No. 36th overall. Carr's solid build and strong arm bode well for his NFL future; however, he will need some time to develop.

Luckily, the Raiders acquired the services of Matt Schaub over the offseason. Schaub's presence will give Carr the time he needs to improve his fundamentals and become a solid starting quarterback.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a huge splash in Round 2.

After selecting Blake Bortles with the third-overall pick, the Jaguars needed to supply him with weapons. Adding Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson did just that.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com certainly feels Lee and Robinson will fit Bortles' style at the quarterback position, according to his tweet:

One thing is certain: The Jaguars absolutely appear to be giving Bortles every chance possible to succeed.

The New England Patriots selected Jimmy Garoppolo late in the second round. Could it be the Patriots just acquired Tom Brady's successor?

Garoppolo showed a great amount of talent while at Eastern Illinois. He needs development, but he shows plenty of promise. Learning under Brady for a couple of seasons could do wonders for his future in the NFL.

Round 3

Pick	Team	Player
65	Houston Texans	C.J. Fiedorowicz
66	Washington Redskins	Morgan Moses
67	Miami Dolphins	Billy Turner
68	Atlanta Falcons	Dezmen Southward
69	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Charles Sims
70	San Francisco 49ers	Marcus Martin
71	Cleveland Browns	Christian Kirksey
72	Minnesota Vikings	Scott Crichton
73	Buffalo Bills	Preston Brown
74	New York Giants	Jay Bromley
75	St. Louis Rams	Tre Mason
76	Detroit Lions	Travis Swanson
77	San Francisco 49ers	Chris Borland
78	Washington Redskins	Spencer Long
79	Baltimore Ravens	Terrence Brooks
80	New York Jets	Dexter McDougle
81	Oakland Raiders	Gabe Jackson
82	Chicago Bears	Will Sutton
83	Houston Texans	Louis Nix
84	Arizona Cardinals	Kareem Martin
85	Green Bay Packers	Khyri Thornton
86	Philadelphia Eagles	Josh Huff
87	Kansas City Chiefs	Phillip Gaines
88	Cincinnati Bengals	Will Clarke
89	San Diego Chargers	Chris Watt
90	Indianapolis Colts	Donte Moncrief
91	Arizona Cardinals	John Brown
92	Carolina Panthers	Trai Turner
93	Jacksonville Jaguars	Brandon Linder
94	Cleveland Browns	Terrance West
95	Denver Broncos	Michael Schofield
96	Minnesota Vikings	Jerick McKinnon
97	Pittsburgh Steelers	Dri Archer
98	Green Bay Packers	Richard Rodgers
99	Baltimore Ravens	Crockett Gillmore
100	San Francisco 49ers	Brandon Thomas

The Washington Redskins didn't have many picks early in the draft; however, selecting Morgan Moses in the third round was brilliant.

Robert Griffin III needs some help along the offensive line, and Moses appears to be very much NFL ready. Moses should get the nod to start at right tackle from Day 1 and help keep Griffin upright.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com looked to like the selection, according to his tweet after the pick:

The St. Louis Rams continued a great haul in this year's draft, selecting the speedy Tre Mason in the third round.

St. Louis has a young, budding offense, and pairing Mason with Zac Stacy will form a great, versatile backfield.

Not only is Mason quick, but he can catch out of the backfield and serve as a returner as well. General manager Les Snead's decision to select the running back was easy, according to a tweet from ESPN's Josina Anderson:

It was a big fall from grade for defensive tackle Louis Nix III. Formerly heralded as a potential first-round prospect, he fell toward the middle of the third round.

Houston was right there to scoop him up and add him to a scary defensive line with Watt and Clowney. After his selection, Nix spoke of his excitement to play with his new teammates, according to a tweet from the Texans:

Standing across from this defensive line won't be fun for any of the NFL's quarterbacks this season.