Draft rewind: Picking between elite defensive options in 2014
Draft rewind: Picking between elite defensive options in 2014
The saying goes that “hindsight is always 20-20,” which is definitely true in these redrafts. However, 2014 proved quite difficult, especially among several elite defensive players taken in the first round. Judging between players who have multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections was challenging and will provide plenty of discussion. Here is my take on the star-laden first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
No. 1 (Texans) Actual pick – Jadeveon Clowney, DE Redraft – Aaron Donald, DT
Clowney has actually put together a productive career, but he gets overshadowed in this draft. Imagine a Texans defensive line that includes three-time Defensive Player of the Year J. J. Watt on the outside and Donald, a two-time winner of the award, on the inside. Donald’s 69 sacks are the most of any drafted player, and he led the NFL with 20½ in 2018. He has made the Pro Bowl in all five seasons and has been an All-Pro for the past four years.
No. 2 (Rams) Actual pick – Greg Robinson, T Redraft – Taylor Lewan, T
The pick originally belonged to the Redskins and was the final piece in the trade for Robert Griffin III two years before. Robinson has not lived up to his draft slot, playing 79 games with three teams. He was released by Detroit after dealing with an ankle injury before landing in his current city of Cleveland. Lewan dealt with injuries in his first season, but he was on the All-Rookie Team and has been to the Pro Bowl the past three seasons.
No. 3 (Jaguars) Actual pick – Blake Bortles, QB Redraft – Derek Carr, QB
Bortles put together three decent seasons in Jacksonville, including 2015, when he threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns (and led the NFL with 18 interceptions), but the Jaguars couldn’t cope with his 24-49 record as a starter, so they let him go after the 2018 season. Despite a 38-52 record in Oakland, Carr is a three-time Pro Bowler who has five 3,000-yard seasons and is on his way to a sixth. His 21,582 yards and 138 touchdowns are the most among quarterbacks from this draft.
No. 4 (Bills) Actual pick – Sammy Watkins, WR Redraft – Odell Beckham Jr., WR
The Bills moved into this spot, jumping up from ninth and sending first- and fourth-round selections in 2015 to Cleveland. Watkins had 982 yards in his rookie season and his best season in 2015 (career highs with 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns), but he, like Clowney, suffers from other incredibly talented options at his position. Beckham has four 1,000-yard seasons, and he posted at least 1,300 yards and double-digit touchdowns in his first three years. Injuries and attitude led to his trade from the Giants to the Browns, where he was reunited with LSU teammate Jarvis Landry.
No. 5 (Raiders) Actual pick – Khalil Mack, LB Redraft – Mack
The Raiders got the pick right, but made a mistake when they traded him to the Bears right before the 2018 season (although Oakland did get talented running back Josh Jacobs with one of the picks). Mack is a four-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and was the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. His 59½ sacks rank second behind Donald and include four seasons with double-figure totals (with a high of 15 in 2015).
No. 6 (Falcons) Actual pick – Jake Matthews, T Redraft – Matthews
Matthews was bothered by a high ankle sprain in his rookie season but was one of the most improved players the following year. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2018, started for the Falcons in Super Bowl LI against the Patriots and has played every offensive snap in each of the past three seasons.
No. 7 (Buccaneers) Actual pick – Mike Evans, WR Redraft – Evans
Evans has the most receiving yards (7,199) and touchdowns (47) among drafted players. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and has eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau in all six seasons.
No. 8 (Browns) Actual pick – Justin Gilbert, CB Redraft – Kyle Fuller, CB
Minnesota acquired an extra fifth-rounder (pick 145) from Cleveland to move down one spot. Illness and injuries hampered Gilbert during his rookie season, but he returned an interception for a touchdown late in the season. After three seasons with the Browns and Steelers, Gilbert was suspended one year for a substance abuse policy violation in 2017 and hasn’t played in the NFL since. Fuller was an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler after leading the league with seven interceptions in 2018, and his 18 picks top drafted players.
No. 9 (Vikings) Actual pick – Anthony Barr, LB Redraft – C. J. Mosley, LB
The selection went from the Bills to the Browns, then on to the Vikings. Quite a tough choice but, despite his poor play after signing a big contract with the Jets, Mosley has more tackles (606) to go along with 8½ sacks, six forced fumbles, and six fumbles recovered. The four-time Pro Bowler spent his first five seasons in Baltimore.
No. 10 (Lions) Actual pick – Eric Ebron, TE Redraft – Ebron
Ebron benefitted from playing in a Detroit offense that included Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Golden Tate. He is the best tight end to come from this draft, but only made the Pro Bowl after leaving the Lions (thanks to a 750-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2018).
No. 11 (Titans) Actual pick – Taylor Lewan, T Redraft – Charles Leno, T
With Lewan and Matthews already selected, the Titans turn to Leno, who the Bears originally selected very late in the Draft (pick 246). Leno was a Pro Bowler in 2018 and has played every offensive snap with the Bears in three of the past four years.
No. 12 (Giants) Actual pick – Odell Beckham Jr., WR Redraft – Jarvis Landry, WR
Beckham didn’t last this long in the redraft, so the Giants pick his college teammate instead. Landry’s 546 catches are the most among all receivers in this draft, and he is near the top with 5,933 yards (third) and 31 touchdowns (tied for fifth). He is a four-time Pro Bowler who has two 1,000-yard seasons and three others with 900 or more.
No. 13 (Rams) Actual pick – Aaron Donald, DT Redraft – Jadeveon Clowney, DE
Donald was selected where Clowney was originally, so maybe the Rams could make use of the former two-time All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year at South Carolina. Clowney has 32 career sacks and made the Pro Bowl the past three years.
No. 14 (Bears) Actual pick – Kyle Fuller, CB Redraft – Malcolm Butler, CB
Fuller went a few slots higher in the redraft, so the Bears grab Butler, who was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama. In New England, Butler played in 11 playoff games and three Super Bowls. His goal-line interception with 26 seconds left sealed a Patriots victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. The 2015 Pro Bowler has 13 interceptions and 310 career tackles.
No. 15 (Steelers) Actual pick – Ryan Shazier, LB Redraft – Anthony Barr, LB
Shazier was one of the most promising players in this draft class, and he would have been redrafted much higher if not for the helmet-to-helmet hit in a late-season game against the Bengals in 2017. Shazier sustained a spinal contusion that required stabilization surgery. He has been able to walk and even jog, but has not played since the hit. Like Mosley, Barr is a four-time Pro Bowler. He has totaled 15 sacks and 403 tackles with the Vikings.
No. 16 (Cowboys) Actual pick – Zack Martin, G Redraft – Martin
Martin has made the Pro Bowl in each of his five seasons and is a three-time All-Pro. A knee injury in 2018 forced him to miss the first two games of his career, but he has been a stalwart on a Cowboys offensive line that has been one of the best in the NFL.
No. 17 (Ravens) Actual pick – C. J. Mosley, LB Redraft – Dee Ford, LB/DE
With one of the best tacklers off the board, the Ravens draft someone who can harass opposing quarterbacks. Ford has 37 career sacks and was a Pro Bowler in 2018 after posting 13 sacks and a league-high seven forced fumbles.
No. 18 (Jets) Actual pick – Calvin Pryor, S Redraft – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S
Pryor started his first three seasons before the Jets drafted Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye in 2017. He was traded to the Browns but was released after getting in a fight with teammate Ricardo Louis. He played two games with the Jaguars that season but hasn’t been active in the NFL for two years. Clinton-Dix has 16 interceptions, including five in his Pro Bowl 2016 season. After 4½ seasons with the Packers, he was traded to the Redskins in 2018 and signed with the Bears as a free agent.
No. 19 (Dolphins) Actual pick – Ja’Wuan James, T Redraft – Davante Adams, WR
James’ career has been a tale of odd versus even. In even years he has started 47 games at right tackle. During odd years, he has faced injuries (toe in 2015, hamstring in 2017 and knee this season). The Dolphins drafted Landry in the second round, and Adams will fill the receiver void left by Landry’s earlier selection. Adams, a second-round pick by the Packers, has been selected to the last two Pro Bowls. He set career highs with 111 catches, 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018.
No. 20 (Saints) Actual pick – Brandon Cooks, WR Redraft – Cooks
Arizona sent this selection to New Orleans for picks 27 and 91. Cooks’ 5,605 yards trail only Evans, Beckham and Landry from this draft. He had 1,000 yards every season from 2015-18, despite playing for three different teams (Saints, Patriots and now Rams).
No. 21 (Packers) Actual pick – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S Redraft – Allen Robinson, WR
The Packers had their top two picks selected early, so they grab a receiver from a deep class to replace Adams. Robinson, who was originally taken by the Jaguars late in the second round, missed most of the 2017 season after tearing his ACL during the first game. He went to his lone Pro Bowl in 2015 after setting career highs with 80 catches, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns.
No. 22 (Browns) Actual pick – Johnny Manziel, QB Redraft – Blake Bortles, QB
Cleveland thought Manziel was the answer to their quarterback puzzle, so they traded the 26th pick (previously acquired from the Colts), along with selection 83, to move to this spot. He won the 2012 Heisman Trophy, but his pro career was laden with poor decisions (flipping off fans, drinking and partying on the University of Texas campus during Cleveland’s bye week in 2015 and a domestic violence incident involving an ex-girlfriend that resulted in the Browns releasing him before the following season. He tried to play in the CFL, but his lack of work ethic (missing several team meetings) caused his exit after one season. He also played with the Memphis Express in the Alliance of American Football before the league folded. Bortles hasn’t been a star, but he has been far more serviceable than Manziel. He ranks second among drafted quarterbacks with 17,649 yards and 103 touchdowns.
No. 23 (Chiefs) Actual pick – Dee Ford, DE/LB Redraft – DeMarcus Lawrence, DE
Ford has mostly been a linebacker, but he also has played defensive end, and Lawrence is a comparable player. Drafted early in the second round by the Cowboys, Lawrence has 39 career sacks and his two double-digit seasons (14½ in 2017 and 10½ last year) resulted in Pro Bowl selections.
No. 24 (Bengals) Actual pick – Darqueze Dennard, CB Redraft – Jason Verrett, CB
Dennard has played 73 games with the Bengals, but has only started 22 and registered three interceptions. Verrett only has five career picks, but three came with the Chargers during his 2015 Pro Bowl season.
No. 25 (Chargers) Actual pick – Jason Verrett, CB Redraft – Telvin Smith, LB
Cincinnati took Verrett out of San Diego’s grasp, so the Chargers draft the best available linebacker. Instead of second-round pick Jeremiah Attaochu, the ’Bolts grab Smith, whose 445 solo tackles are the most by a player from this draft. The original fifth-round pick made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and had at least 100 tackles in all five seasons with Jacksonville. He left football earlier this year to “get his world in order,” but has not communicated very much with teammates or coaches, and details are scarce about a police visit to his home in late November.
No. 26 (Eagles) Actual pick – Marcus Smith, LB Redraft – Ryan Shazier, LB
Indianapolis traded this selection to Cleveland for former third overall pick, running back Trent Richardson. The Eagles then moved down four spots after trading with the Browns. Smith never reached his potential. He did not start a game in five seasons and only totaled 6½ sacks. Despite his injury, Shazier was an elite-level talent. He was a two-time Pro Bowler who amassed 303 tackles, seven sacks, seven interceptions, seven forced fumbles and 25 passes defended in four seasons.
No. 27 (Cardinals) Actual pick – Deone Bucannon, S Redraft – Bucannon
After acquiring this pick from New Orleans, the Cardinals selected Bucannon, who has experience both at safety and linebacker. Bucannon has 413 tackles, including a career-high 109 in 2014, to go along with seven sacks and seven forced fumbles. After five years in Arizona, he has split this season with the Buccaneers and Giants.
No. 28 (Panthers) Actual pick – Kelvin Benjamin, WR Redraft – Trai Turner, G
Benjamin set career-highs with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie, then followed that with a 63-941-7 stat line, but has steadily declined since. He has not been signed since the Chiefs cut him last season. Turner was Carolina’s third-round pick out of LSU. The three-time Pro Bowler has played 80 games and started at right guard for the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
No. 29 (Patriots) Actual pick – Dominique Easley, DT Redraft – Devonta Freeman, RB
Easley played for teams that reached conference championship games in three of his four full seasons (New England in 2014 and ’15 and the Los Angeles Rams last year), but was not on the roster for any playoff games. He also missed full seasons in 2017 (torn ACL) and ’19 (knee surgery). The Patriots selected James White in the fourth round, but they could have had Freeman at this spot. Originally a fourth-round pick by the Falcons, Freeman has two seasons with 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns, with both resulting in Pro Bowls (2015 and ’16). His 3,438 yards rank second among drafted rushers, and his 30 scores are tied for the most.
No. 30 (49ers) Actual pick – Jimmie Ward, S Redraft – Carlos Hyde, RB
Ward has mostly been a bench option with the 49ers, and he only has two interceptions in six seasons. San Francisco drafted Hyde in the second round and, despite not reaching the 1,000-yard mark in any of his six seasons so far, his 4,153 yards and 30 touchdowns are the most by a player from this draft. The one knock is that he has played with four teams the past three seasons (49ers, Browns, Jaguars and now Texans).
No. 31 (Broncos) Actual pick – Bradley Roby, CB Redraft – Joel Bitonio, T/G
Roby has eight interceptions and he works best as a nickel back, although he has started 22 games over the past two seasons. Denver drafted Michael Schofield in the third round, but Bitonio is a better offensive line option. Originally a second-round pick by the Browns, Bitonio missed time in 2015 and ’16 due to ankle injuries, but he made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and has played every offensive snap in Cleveland for the past three years.
No. 32 (Vikings) Actual pick – Teddy Bridgewater, QB Redraft – Bridgewater
The Vikings acquired this pick from the champion Seahawks for selections 40 and 108. The main competition at this spot was between Bridgewater and Jimmy Garoppolo, who has shown flashes of brilliance in San Francisco, but has also been inconsistent. Bridgewater made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and took a 10-9 home loss against Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense in the playoffs. He showed he still has what it takes to be a starter earlier this season when he led the Saints to five straight wins while Drew Brees was out with a thumb injury.
Other draft picks to make Pro Bowl that weren’t in the redraft: Roosevelt Nix, FB (undrafted, signed by the Falcons, Pro Bowler in 2017 as a member of the Steelers); Casey Kreiter, LS (undrafted, signed with the Cowboys, Pro Bowler in 2018 with the Cowboys); Chris Boswell, K (undrafted, signed by the Texans, made the Pro Bowl in 2017 was a member of the Steelers); Cody Parkey, K (undrafted, signed by the Colts, Pro Bowler as a rookie with the Eagles); Adrian Phillips, S (undrafted, signed by the Chargers, made the Pro Bowl on special teams in 2018).
Next: Redrafting the Winston-Mariota and Gurley-Gordon battles from 2015.
-By: Kevin Rakas
Writer