2014 NFL Draft Picks Who Already Look Like Home Runs
The 2014 NFL season has featured one of the best rookie classes ever. From offensive playmakers like New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to defensive standouts like Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack, there are handfuls of 2014 NFL draft picks who have already blossomed into standout players.
It’s often said that one should wait three years to assess the successes and failures of a draft, and for most selections it is indeed too early to determine whether players will be able to live up to the expectations of their draft slots.
But while it’s too early to write a 2014 draft pick off for early struggles, there are some picks who have already made their teams look smart. Those players have not only met expectations but well exceeded them and left little doubt that their teams made the best decisions they could by selecting them.
It’s becoming increasingly commonplace for media draft analysts to do first-round redrafts one, two or three years later and for people to say that teams should have drafted a Player X over a Player Y.
For the following players, however, there’s absolutely no reason their teams should want a do-over; all of these players are arguably the best players among those selected when they were still on the board and look primed to make a huge impact on their teams for years to come.
Khalil Mack, OLB, Oakland Raiders
1 of 10
Round 1, Pick 5
No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to be the defensive superstar of the 2014 draft class, but there were some who believed the Houston Texans should draft Khalil Mack instead. So far, it appears as though the grand prize fell into the Oakland Raiders’ lap at the No. 5 overall pick, as Mack has already emerged as one of the NFL’s top defensive playmakers.
Possessing ideal measurables and skills for a hybrid outside linebacker/edge defender, Mack has had to make a leap from playing at the University at Buffalo to being the linchpin of an NFL defense, but the transition has given him no trouble.
Having recorded 73 tackles, 16 total tackles for loss, four sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble through 15 games, Mack has excelled against the run while also making a big impact as a pass-rusher. He has even showed that he can drop back into coverage when necessary.
Mack is currently ranked as the No. 1 outside linebacker in the NFL for this season by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and his overall grade is second among all players only to Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
With the talent to impact the game in many capacities and the ability to line up as either an edge defender or at the second level, Mack gives the Raiders a young superstar to build their defense around while giving them the versatility to do so with any defensive scheme they may choose to use in the future.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants
2 of 10
Round 1, Pick 12
There were two wide receivers selected within the top seven picks of the 2014 draft, but while both of those players and many other rookie pass-catchers have been productive, the budding superstar at the position is Odell Beckham Jr., who was selected 12th overall out of LSU by the New York Giants.
While No. 4 overall pick Sammy Watkins and No. 7 overall pick Mike Evans have already made big plays for their respective teams and look well on their way to being among the NFL’s great wide receivers for years to come, Beckham is proving himself to be a rare talent who could very well be on his way to becoming the NFL’s best receiver.
Beckham’s rookie season started out slow, as he missed his team’s first four games with a hamstring injury, but he’s been phenomenal in the second half of the year. Having already set a rookie record with eight consecutive games with 90 or more receiving yards, Beckham is on pace to become one of just three rookies in NFL history to average more than 100 receiving yards per game in his debut year.
With the exception of elite size, as he is only 5’11” and 198 pounds, Beckham has everything you want in a receiver. He is an explosive athlete who runs sharp routes and has phenomenal hands, as evidenced by a number of spectacular catches he has made this year.
Barring an unforeseen setback, Beckham is a player who the Giants will build their offense around for years to come.
Aaron Donald, DT, St. Louis Rams
3 of 10
Round 1, Pick 13
Aaron Donald has been dominating his competition on the football field since the start of his senior year at the University of Pittsburgh, and there’s no reason to believe that will stop happening anytime soon.
By recording 28.5 tackles for loss for Pittsburgh in 2013, winning a plethora of college football’s major individual awards for that year and then continuing to dominate his competition at the Senior Bowl, Donald made himself a top-15 pick.
Donald’s excellence at that level has translated hitchlessly to the NFL. With 18 total tackles for loss this year, including eight sacks, Donald has been highly disruptive and is currently ranked as the NFL’s No. 1 defensive tackle by Pro Football Focus.
The biggest concern about Donald was his size—which might have prompted his fall to the 13th pick—as he is only 6’1” and 285 pounds. So far, it hasn’t been slowing him down. He’s been able to utilize his explosive quickness and skilled hands to repeatedly penetrate backfields, while he’s been impressively stout against the run.
Were the 2014 draft to be run through again, the St. Louis Rams would likely have to draft Donald with their No. 2 overall pick—where they selected Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson—in order to keep him. In Donald, it appears the Rams landed a player who could be one of the league’s most impactful defensive linemen for many years to come.
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Zack Martin, RG, Dallas Cowboys
4 of 10
Round 1, Pick 16
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on numerous occasions following this year’s draft that he wanted to draft Johnny Manziel with the No. 16 overall pick, but he and everyone else within the Cowboys organization should feel very good about the decision to select Zack Martin, an offensive lineman from Notre Dame, instead.
With the addition of Martin, who plays right guard for the Cowboys after lining up as a left tackle collegiately, the Cowboys offensive line has jelled into a unit that is arguably the league’s best.
The Cowboys already had some of the building blocks needed for a great offensive line— 2011 first-round pick Tyron Smith is a star left tackle, and 2013 first-round pick Travis Frederick is off to an excellent start at center—but Martin has filled in a key section of the puzzle as a massive upgrade at guard.
A refined technician, Martin has been terrific in both pass protection—he has yet to allow a sack this year, per Pro Football Focus—and run blocking, as the play of him and his linemates has played a big part in DeMarco Murray leading the NFL in rushing yards.
Aside from quarterback play, there’s nothing more crucial to the success of an offense than the aptitude of its offensive line. In Martin, the Cowboys have a player who can be a core component of their offensive foundation for many years to come.
C.J. Mosley, ILB, Baltimore Ravens
5 of 10
Round 1, Pick 17
The Baltimore Ravens have become known for their “best player available” draft strategy, which they held true to this May by using the No. 17 overall pick to select Alabama’s C.J. Mosley despite not having a major need at inside linebacker.
In this case, it’s evident the strategy paid off, as Mosley might truly end up being the best player who was available at that point in the draft.
An immediate starter for the Baltimore Ravens, Mosley has been tasked with handling multiple responsibilities and been a core player for the defense since the beginning of his rookie year. He’s done so with little trouble while making plays all over the field.
Through the first 15 games of his career, Mosley has already accumulated 126 tackles, eight passes defensed (two interceptions) and eight tackles for loss, while he joins Aaron Donald and Zack Martin as one of three rookies named to this year’s Pro Bowl roster.
The biggest question about Mosley going forward might be his upside—while he is already playing excellently, he’s probably already close to his ceiling in terms of how big of an impact player he can be. Nonetheless, Mosley should be a highly productive player for many years to come and one who the Ravens build their defense around.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings
6 of 10
Round 1, Pick 32
Unlike the rookies ahead of him in this slideshow, it cannot yet be said that Teddy Bridgewater is one of the NFL’s best players at his position. That said, it is increasingly appearing as though Bridgewater could be the Minnesota Vikings’ long-term answer at quarterback, which could end up making him the best value of the 2014 draft as the No. 32 overall pick.
Some media draft analysts (myself included) thought the Houston Texans should draft Bridgewater with the No. 1 overall pick or that at least the Jacksonville Jaguars should select Bridgewater at No. 3 so that one of those teams could fill its need for a franchise quarterback. Instead every quarterback-needy team, including the Vikings, passed over Bridgewater with its first chance to select him.
Bridgewater finally came off the board at the end of the first round, when the Vikings traded their fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall) to move up from their second-round pick (No. 40 overall) and draft the Louisville quarterback.
It’s a trade for which the Vikings are already looking smart. Although Bridgewater has had his ups and downs and hasn’t yet made many spectacular plays, he’s been the best of this year’s rookie quarterbacks and has been a significant upgrade over Minnesota incumbents Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder.
As challenging as quality starting quarterbacks are to find, they’re always worth high first-round draft picks. If the Vikings found their franchise quarterback for the equivalent of second- and fourth-round draft selections, they hit one of the 2014 draft’s biggest home runs.
Joel Bitonio, LG, Cleveland Browns
7 of 10
Round 2, Pick 3 (35th overall pick)
The Cleveland Browns haven’t yet gotten much production out of their two first-round picks, cornerback Justin Gilbert and quarterback Johnny Manziel, but it’s already become clear that their second-round pick, Joel Bitonio, is a player who should have gone in Round 1.
Like the aforementioned Zack Martin, Bitonio was a left tackle in college, at the University of Nevada, but has moved inside to guard in the NFL. The results of the move have been tremendous, as Bitonio has already established himself as one of the league’s best offensive linemen.
Fleet of foot but also powerful with a mean streak, Bitonio excels as a run-blocker with his ability to accelerate to the second level and move defenders away from the ball. He’s also been fantastic as a pass protector, as he has allowed just one sack this year, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks him as this season’s second-best guard in the NFL.
Assuming a full recovery for currently injured center Alex Mack, the Browns should have the best left side of an offensive line, with Bitonio sandwiched between Mack and left tackle Joe Thomas, in the NFL next season.
With three star linemen up front all under contract for at least three more years after this one, the Browns have established an excellent foundation for an offense that is young and unpolished at the skill positions.
Chris Borland, ILB, San Francisco 49ers
8 of 10
Round 3, Pick 13 (77th overall pick)
While Chris Borland will finish his rookie season with only eight starts for the San Francisco 49ers, the production he put together in a half-season span was more than most linebackers accumulate in a full season and enough to make it clear that Borland’s excellence at Wisconsin has translated to the NFL.
Like the Ravens with C.J. Mosley, the 49ers’ selection of Borland was a pick of value over need, as they already have two of the NFL’s elite inside linebackers in NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. But with Bowman and Willis both sidelined by injuries, Borland ended up in the starting lineup in Week 7 and went on to accumulate 100 total tackles in an eight-week span.
Borland is both short and slow for an NFL linebacker—which prompted his fall to the draft’s third round—but he is a physical player with top-notch instincts.
While Borland’s range might limit him to make most of his plays between the hashes, he can be a run-stopping force inside the box. Although his physical limitations hamper him in pass defense, he did well enough in coverage and blitzing this year to move forward as an every-down player.
Ranked third by Pro Football Focus among all inside linebackers who played at least 25 percent of their team's snaps this year, Borland played so well as a rookie that it stands to question whether the 49ers might actually consider trading or releasing Willis, which would save the team more than $5 million in 2015.
If San Francisco has both Willis and Bowman healthy for 2015, Borland’s playing time might be more limited. But it would seem the depth chart—assuming he makes a full recovery from his ankle injury—is the only thing that should stop him from becoming one of the most productive players from the 2014 draft.
Corey Linsley, C, Green Bay Packers
9 of 10
Round 5, Pick 21 (161st overall pick)
When the Green Bay Packers selected Corey Linsley in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, they didn’t expect him to become an immediate starter, but the center from Ohio State has ended up establishing himself as a likely key member of the Packers offensive line for many years to come.
It’s never good to have a player go down with injury, but losing J.C. Tretter to a knee injury for the first half of the season proved to be a blessing in disguise, as it opened up the starting center position for Linsley to flourish right off the bat.
Linsley has played so well that it was never a consideration for the Packers to put Tretter back in the lineup in his place. He’s displayed toughness, strength, quickness and the mental edge needed for his position, as he has been both a difference-making run-blocker and a consistent pass protector.
Having allowed just one sack this year, Linsley is currently ranked by Pro Football Focus as the fifth-best center in the NFL for 2014.
That’s pretty good for a fifth-round pick. While most rookies drafted in his round played sparingly or not at all this season and many will do nothing of significance in the NFL, Linsley is already anchoring the offensive line of one of the league’s best teams, continuing the Packers’ longstanding tradition of finding great values in the draft’s middle rounds.
E.J. Gaines, CB, St. Louis Rams
10 of 10
Round 6, Pick 12 (188th overall pick)
Playing a position at which even this year’s first-round picks have struggled more than they have succeeded, E.J. Gaines has been a starter since Week 1 and looks as though he could be as good as any cornerback to come out of the 2014 draft despite not being selected until the sixth round.
Gaines, who initially ended up in the lineup because Trumaine Johnson had a knee injury, has played well enough that he’s remained a starter—splitting time between playing outside and in the slot since Johnson’s return—all year long.
There’s nothing spectacular about Gaines’ game, but he’s been consistently solid in coverage all year. The Missouri product has allowed just 1.03 yards per coverage snap, tied for the 13th-best average among the 73 cornerbacks who have played at least 50 percent of their team's snaps this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Instinctive and quick with a skill for making plays on the ball, Gaines has 15 passes defensed this year, most among rookies and tied for the 11th-most among all NFL players.
Gaines has limited size, and he needs to become a more physical player and sounder tackler. But his ability to cover with consistency and without giving up big plays has been very good for a rookie. Assuming he continues to develop and play as a quality starting cornerback for years to come, the Rams will get a tremendous return on investment from their No. 188 overall pick.
Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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