2014 NFL Draft: Day 1 Winners and Losers

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The first round of the 2014 NFL Draft is complete! After months of speculation, we finally saw where players like Jadeveon Clowney and Sammy Watkins landed. Who were some of the winners and losers from day one of the 2014 NFL Draft?

Winner: Houston Texans and Jadeveon Clowney

With the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Texans selected defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. With an already impressive defense, the Texans just got a better. Though they needed a quarterback, the Texans selected a rare talent at defensive end in Clowney. He’s great at rushing the passer and has tremendous speed for the defensive end position. He is a nightmare for offensive linemen. Clowney teams up with another great defensive end in JJ Watt. Watt and Clowney will give the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans nightmares for the next few months.



Loser: Johnny Manziel



Johnny Manziel was the most intriguing prospect coming into the draft. He was projected to go in the top five or ten. However, things didn’t go very well for him. He was passed by the Jacksonville Jaguars for Blake Bortles at pick number three. He was passed by the Raiders, Buccaneers, Vikings, and Cowboys, among others. The Browns passed on him at pick number eight, but they traded up to the Eagles’ pick at 22 to draft Manziel. Now, Manziel is a Cleveland Brown. If that wasn’t reason enough that he is a major loser in this draft, he has to play the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers twice a year in the competitive AFC North. Manziel’s style of play puts him at risk when he’s playing against players like Troy Polamalu, Terrell Suggs, and Geno Atkins. Good luck to Manziel, because he’s going to need it.

Winner: Matthew Stafford



Matthew Stafford was a huge winner tonight. With the tenth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected tight end Eric Ebron. Ebron was the top rated tight end in the class and many see him as the only elite tight end in this draft. For the past few years, the only help Stafford has had has been Calvin Johnson. Stafford and Johnson excelled for the past couple of years, but the Lions helped both out with the drafting of Ebron. Ebron is another toy for Stafford to play with. With Johnson, Golden Tate, and Ebron, Stafford should have another excellent year. Stafford has thrown for over 5,000 yards before, and he may just do it again.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys



There were many rumors that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys would draft Johnny Manziel. At the 16th pick, Manziel was available, but Dallas didn’t draft him. However, that’s not why the Cowboys are losers. They drafted offensive tackle Zack Martin at pick number 16. The reason the Cowboys were losers was because they needed defense. They needed defense badly. Dallas couldn’t stop anyone last season and lost their best defensive player in the offseason in Demarcus Ware. With players like CJ Mosley, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Calvin Pryor, and Darqueze Dennard available, the Cowboys went with Martin instead. I didn’t agree with the pick for Dallas. I wouldn’t be shocked if Dallas struggled next season against Eli Manning, Nick Foles, and Robert Griffin III.

Winner: Oakland Raiders



The Oakland Raiders were winners on Thursday. With the fifth pick, the Raiders selected outside linebacker Khalil Mack. Mack was projected to go in the top three, and even number one overall, by some. However, the Raiders received a pleasant surprise when Mack was still on the board with their pick. Mack excels at rushing the passer and has great instincts. He could be a major impact player from day one for Oakland. The athletic and powerful linebacker provides the Raiders with more talent on the defensive end to go along with LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck.

Winner: New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers



I put the two together for a reason. Both won on Thursday night. With the seventh pick, the Buccaneers selected wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans will be teamed up with Vincent Jackson. Both are very large wide receivers that can catch the deep ball and make terrific catches. Evans and Jackson will help out the quarterback, possibly Josh McCown, by catching difficult 50-50 balls. The Giants selected Odell Beckham Jr. with the twelfth overall pick. Like the Buccaneers, they helped their quarterback with this pick. The Giants lost Hakeem Nicks, but Beckham is a very quick and talented receiver. The Louisiana State University product will help Eli Manning and Victor Cruz. Manning received major help on Thursday with Beckham. Of course, it helps that the Giants will play the Cowboys and their terrible defense twice.

Information from NFL.com was used in this article.

Xaivier Carr Jaxson is an analyst and writer for Tru School Sports. Follow him on Twitter.