NFL Draft Grades 2014: Team-by-Team List of Scores and Overall Analysis
The 2014 NFL draft is finally wrapped up, after three days of action and franchise building for each of the 32 teams.
There were the busy teams making movement all across the board, stockpiling great young talent and adding NFL-ready players that fit their offense. Other organizations, however, made questionable reaches and failed to address key needs their team had entering 2014.
One bad draft certainly doesn't ruin a franchise, especially when those teams are already playoff contenders. But just as recruiting is in college football, the draft is the lifeblood of a franchise, and the inability to capitalize on early picks can set teams back a few years down the road.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here's a look at grades for every team, along with some elaborations on the best and worst.
| Arizona Cardinals | SS Deone Bucannon (27), TE Troy Niklas (52) | B |
| Atlanta Falcons | OT Jake Matthews (6), DL Ra'Shede Hageman (37) | B+ |
| Baltimore Ravens | ILB C.J. Mosley (17), DT Tim Jernigan (48) | A- |
| Buffalo Bills | WR Sammy Watkins (4), OT Cyrus Kouandjio (44) | C- |
| Carolina Panthers | WR Kelvin Benjamin (28), DL Kony Ealy (60) | B |
| Chicago Bears | CB Kyle Fuller (14), DT Ego Ferguson (51), RB Ka'Deem Carey (117) | B- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | CB Darqueze Dennard (24), RB Jeremy Hill (55), QB A.J. McCarron (164) | B- |
| Cleveland Browns | CB Justin Gilbert (8), QB Johnny Manziel (22), OL Joel Bitonio (35) | B+ |
| Dallas Cowboys | OT Zack Martin (16), DE Demarcus Lawrence (34) | B- |
| Denver Broncos | CB Bradley Roby (31), WR Cody Latimer (56) | C+ |
| Detroit Lions | TE Eric Ebron (10), OLB Kyle Van Noy (40) | B- |
| Green Bay Packers | FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21), WR Davante Adams (53) | B+ |
| Houston Texans | DE Jadeveon Clowney (1), OG Xavier Su'a-Filo (33), TE C.J. Fiedorowicz (65), DT Louis Nix (83) | A- |
| Indianapolis Colts | OL Jack Mewhort (59), WR Donte Moncrief (90) | C |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | QB Blake Bortles (3), WR Marqise Lee (39), WR Allen Robinson (61) | A- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | DE Dee Ford (23), CB Phillip Gaines (87), QB Aaron Murray (163) | C |
| Miami Dolphins | OT Ja'Wuan James (19), WR Jarvis Landry (63) | B- |
| Minnesota Vikings | OLB Anthony Barr (9), QB Teddy Bridgewater (32), DE Scott Crichton (72) | B+ |
| New England Patriots | DT Dominique Easley (29), QB Jimmy Garoppolo (62) | C- |
| New Orleans Saints | WR Brandin Cooks (20), CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (58) | B+ |
| New York Giants | WR Odell Beckham (12), C Weston Richburg (43), RB Andre Williams (113) | B |
| New York Jets | FS Calvin Pryor (18), TE Jace Amaro (49), WR Jalen Saunders (104) | B+ |
| Oakland Raiders | OLB Khalil Mack (5), QB Derek Carr (36), OG Gabe Jackson (81) | A- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | DE Marcus Smith (26), WR Jordan Matthews (42) | C |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | OLB Ryan Shazier (15), DL Stephon Tuitt (46), WR Dri Archer (97), WR Martavis Bryant (118) | B+ |
| San Diego Chargers | CB Jason Verrett (25), OLB Jeremy Attaochu (50) | B+ |
| San Francisco 49ers | SS Jimmie Ward (30), RB Carlos Hyde (57), OG Marcus Martin (70), ILB Chris Borland (77) | A- |
| Seattle Seahawks | WR Paul Richardson (45), OL Justin Britt (64) | D+ |
| St. Louis Rams | OT Greg Robinson (2), DT Aaron Donald (13), CB Lamarcus Joyner (41), RB Tre Mason (75), DE Michael Sam (249) | A- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR Mike Evans (7), TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (38) | B |
| Tennessee Titans | OT Taylor Lewan (11), RB Bishop Sankey (54), QB Zach Mettenberger (178) | A- |
| Washington Redskins | LB Trent Murphy (47), OT Morgan Moses (66) | C |
Best Drafts
St. Louis Rams
With picks No. 2 and 13 in the first round, St. Louis figured to be in for a big haul in this weekend's draft. But few expected this from Jeff Fisher and company.
The Rams grabbed Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson—the best lineman in the draft—with the second overall pick. Then, they turned around to get Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald—the best interior defensive lineman in the draft—at No. 13. Both are considered very safe picks that are assured to inject an added boost into the Rams' already formidable front on both ends.
After that, St. Louis addressed the skill position on both sides with cornerback Lamarcus Joyner at No. 41 and running back Tre Mason at No. 75. The former Heisman Trophy finalist Mason is one of the quickest backs in the draft and will give Sam Bradford a speedy weapon on offense, while Joyner is undersized but has among the best ball skills at his position. The Rams also picked up Michael Sam late in the seventh round, and the AP's SEC Defensive Player of the Year represents a high-upside selection for such a late pick.
The NFC West is won in the trenches and with elite playmakers, and St. Louis reflected that in its draft choices.
Baltimore Ravens
After barely missing the playoffs in 2013 despite coming off a Super Bowl victory, the Ravens needed to make some noise in the draft to fill some serious needs heading into 2014.
Then they went out and got two mid-first-round talents with both their first and second round picks.
C.J. Mosley at the No. 17 selection is a great pick as it will give Baltimore a smart linebacker with great instincts in the middle of the field. With the No. 48 pick, the Ravens got great value by nabbing massive Florida State nose tackle Timmy Jernigan—a first-round slide—in the middle of the second round.
As Smart Football's Chris B. Brown added, Baltimore has a knack for such draft moves:
Safety Terrance Brooks made it two straight Seminoles drafted for Baltimore, and tight end Crockett Gilmore gives Joe Flacco a reliable blocker who can double as a weapon in the middle of the field.
But with Baltimore adding two first round talents to the defensive side of the ball in Mosley and Jernigan, it's apparent that the Ravens' once-daunting defense should soon be getting its reputation back.
Tennessee Titans
Somewhat quietly, the Titans buffed up their front lines with promising talent all while nabbing some potential game-changers in the offensive backfield.
Tennessee got offensive tackle Taylor Lewan at No. 11, who has consistently been thought of as one of the best linemen in the nation and has the athletic skills to become an impact starter early.
But it was the moves at running back and quarterback that may pay off most. The Titans selected Bishop Sankey as the first back off the board at No. 54, a former Washington change-of-pace rusher who will give the team some much-needed promising young talent in the backfield.
After getting defensive tackle DaQuan Jones out of Penn State in Round 4 to address the trenches, the Titans made a splash in Round 6 by getting LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Coming off a torn ACL, Mettenberger can learn the system in 2014 and be very much in the mix for the starting job in 2015 if Jake Locker doesn't progress in his make-or-break year coming up.
The Titans have some work to do before being a Super Bowl contender, but now they have even more young pieces to develop into one in the near future.
Worst Drafts
Seattle Seahawks
Not that they needed much, but the Seattle Seahawks were one of just a few teams leaving Radio City Music Hall with an underwhelming draft.
On Thursday night with the 32nd and final first-round pick, the Seahawks set the tone by trading their pick to the Minnesota Vikings. Their first pick of the draft was wideout Paul Richardson, whom they probably could've gotten at No. 64 and who will need some development before stepping into a big role.
Seattle would've been better set going with a tackle in the top 50, arguably the team's only pressing need. Instead, the organization reached again at No. 64 to fill that need with Missouri's Justin Britt—a player CBS Sports projected outside the top 150 overall entering the weekend.
Carroll and the Seahawks have proved us all wrong before (see: Wilson, Russell), but they didn't make many strides over the weekend.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills treated the 2014 draft like they were a Super Bowl contender when in reality, they're still a few steps away from even ending their postseason drought.
The Bills overpaid to move up to the fourth pick, which they turned into Sammy Watkins—a big need, but probably not worth giving up a very strong No. 9 pick along with next year's first-rounder.
Trading Stevie Johnson to San Francisco was a good move. But with this team's wide receiving core already consisting of 22-year-old Robert Woods, 23-year-old Marquise Goodwin and 26-year-old Mike Williams, not to mention a second-year quarterback in E.J. Manuel, moving up to get a 20-year-old receiver isn't worth next year's first-rounder—which figures to be a high pick given the Bills have plenty of youth on offense.
Buffalo nearly saved face by grabbing Cyrus Kouandjio, an Alabama offensive tackle who was a first-round snub. But with the Bills still being a team rebuilding, it's a head-scratcher that they would fork over valuable future assets.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
