The 2014 NFL draft is coming and Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have made their expert mock draft predictions for ESPN and they have projections for the first round top 10 and some players that could be in the mix include Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater as it is less than two weeks until the draft.
The top of the draft will be dictated by the quarterbacks, as the entire direction for teams in the draft will be decided when those teams at the front opt to pick a QB or not. The Houston Texans have a very tough decision, as they need a quarterback after trading away Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders and at number one they will have the option of taking Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater and if they pass on those three players that will impact the draft greatly.
If Houston opts for Jadeveon Clowney expect a number of teams to call the St. Louis Rams about making a deal, as they have the number two pick after trading with the Redskins for the right to draft RG3 a couple years ago and if players like Manziel and Bortles start to slip, teams like the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings or Buccaneers could look to move up. Within the top five this year there are at least four teams that legitimately need a quart back and no one would be surprised to see the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars or Texans take a quarterback in the top five.
Manziel has the biggest risk reward factor and he will be a major draw for whatever team picks him and he could be in the mix at the top for the Texans since he played football in college in the state and also is from the state. Manziel has questions about his size and playing style and he was in Mel Kiper's first mock draft as the number one overall pick and that could come to fruition if the team likes him over Clowney or Khalil Mack, who has been getting tons of attention heading into the draft. Manziel won the Heisman the year before last and he put up some better numbers passing the ball last season and that could be a factor for whatever team drafts him.
Bortles has been talked about as the player with the highest ceiling of the three quarterbacks and that is mostly due to his size and his arm strength, which is significantly better than the other two prospects. Bortles broke out this season after winning over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl and he had 25 touchdown passes and over 3,000 yards for Central Florida and that started moving him up draft boards and he looks to be a top 10 pick. Bortles is said to have the best body of the three and he has been compared to Big Ben Roethlisberger and that is why some have predicted that he could be the first quarterback taken off the board.
The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and they could look at Bortles if he gets past the top three spots, but they also really like Sammy Watkins and he could be the pick if the quarterback is taken already. Watkins has blazing speed and is considered to be the best wideout in the draft over Mike Evans.
