NFL Draft 2014: Full first round results

Because the NFL Draft isn’t just about the NFL, let’s try and find college football fans some bragging rights. We’ve got something really cool along these lines in the works for you, but for now, here are the raw numbers after one night of the 2014 Draft.

Despite Johnny Manziel’s tumble, Texas A&M still claimed its expected three first-rounders, along with Louisville, which saw Teddy Bridgewater sneak in at No. 32 and Marcus Smith make a surprise entry. The early leaders were followed by the Aggies’ new SEC West rivals Alabama and Auburn, along with Ohio State.

That might be my favorite Howard Cosell quote of all time. He was halfway kidding about the Tony Award, but we did have three days of “breaking news” reports from the NFL and ESPN mouthpieces that the draftees would now ... for the first. time. ever. get to choose their own walk-up music.

The draft has gotten to be such an event that this was an honest-to-God news story. Which songs will players draft when they get drafted? Who’s on Johnny Manziel’s big board if Clowney takes Drake? The fact that the draft was pushed back into May only served to make the tiniest story into another part of the build-up.

Mock drafts typically don’t extend beyond the fist round, and Thursday’s first-round selections may have rendered pre-draft rankings obsolete. Curating and comparing draft rankings on one’s own can be a tiring task, so we’ve done some of the legwork for you.

Below is comparison of five second-round mock drafts -- SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, NFL.com and Todd McShay for ESPN (Insider required) -- that reflect Thursday’s proceedings. A few things to note:

The Texans may simply not think much of Derek Carr as a quarterback, as well -- at least, not at No. 33. If they had, they likely would have traded up into the first round to select him, as Battle Red Blog points out.

This most recent rumor jibes with earlier rumblings that the Texans are trying to trade out of the top pick of the second round. They may not like Carr, but they may be hoping someone else does, enough to trade up so that the Texans can secure picks to fortify themselves elsewhere.

During pre-draft visits, the Vikings were reportedly the only team to check up on the ailment. Head coach Mike Zimmer personally vouched for Bridgewater, however, saying, “It was nothing. ... It was a blip or something.”

Thankfully for Bridgewater -- and all of us, really -- news of the diagnosis did not slip out before the draft. He spent enough time in the headlines for his strange plummet down draft boards due to a bad pro day. His heartbeat didn’t scare the Vikings from trading up to take him at the close of the first round. The pick could prove to be a steal. SB Nation rated Bridgewater as its No. 3 overall player in the draft.

You probably thought we were done with mock drafts. Nope. Not in a draft that is this rich in talent.

The second round may also feature the first running back picked. For the second year in a row one wasn’t taken in the first round.

NFL teams never do what you expect them to.

Usually, it’s not smart to grade a draft until a few years down the road. But the world demands instant reaction, so here it is. I graded the odd-numbered picks in the first round, and Dan Kadar gave his thoughts on the even-numbered picks. Let us know how you grade your team’s selection in the comments below.

Here are the complete results for the first round:

Bridgewater played three seasons at Louisville and left the school as one of the best players in school history. The native of Miami, Fla., threw for 3,970 yards, 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 2013 to put himself in the Heisman Trophy discussion. There may not have been a more efficient quarterback in FBS than Bridgewater. He finished ninth in the nation at 9.3 yards per attempt, fifth with a 171.1 quarterback rating and first with a 71 percent completion percentage.

Knocks against Bridgewater have centered on pedestrian measurables, from his 6’2 frame to average arm strength. He did himself few favors by turning in a divisive pro day which led to a torrent of negative scouting reports. Bridgewater will be proving experts right or wrong soon enough.

Roby was considered a potential top-10 pick heading into the 2013 season, having just earned second-team All-American honors from The Associated Press in 2012. He slipped a bit in 2013 due to inconsistency, though he was still good enough to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. Roby’s size and speed should make him a consistent contributor in the NFL.

Kyle Montgomery of Mile High Report notes that Roby’s selection shows that the team could truly focus on the best player available since they’d already addressed issues in the secondary in free agency:

Smith was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and a first-team All-AAC selection that season as well. In addition, he was named a third-team AP All-American. He recorded 42 tackles, 18.5 of which were for a loss, and had 14.5 sacks, good for second in the nation.

Height: 6’3

Some in the media speculated that the Three Stooges were actually in charge. Finally, we have an answer.

It’s just some homeless guy. That’s it.

Cooks is definitely an interesting piece of the Saints’ offensive puzzle, and while he doesn’t have the same body-type as recently departed RB Darren Sproles, he can play a similar role as a catch and run type of player inside the numbers. Sproles took handoffs in the backfield at times, but was most dangerous after the catch as a receiver, and if I had to guess, I’d say that Sean Payton sees Cooks as a potential replacement in YAC (yards after the catch) in his explosive offense.

Cooks is one of the most explosive and athletic receivers in this year’s class, particularly after the catch, and his otherworldly ability to make defenders miss makes him perfect for this role in New Orleans. Bottom line, this is an intriguing pick for the Saints and Cooks immediately shoots up toward the top of the list in fantasy football breakout stars in 2014.

Johnny Manziel fell all the way to the Cleveland Browns at No. 22 during the first round of Thursday night’s NFL Draft. And although there were tons of other talented players being drafted and not getting drafted, all anybody wanted to talk about was Johnny Football -- and ESPN’s cameras helped us out by showing him repeatedly.

So we figured we’d provide a public service -- THE JOHNNY MANZIEL MOOD BOARD -- filled entirely of images shown by ESPN during the draft.

Manziel stormed into the college game unlike any player in the history of the sport, winning the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman quarterback for Texas A&M. However, some questions remain over how his game will translate to the NFL.

Perhaps no player outside of Jadeveon Clowney and Teddy Bridgewater was as polarizing as Manziel throughout the pre-draft process. Manziel took criticism for everything from his relatively small stature to his off-field lifestyle. Notorious NFL.com draft scout Nolan Nawrocki noted in February that Manziel “carries a sense of entitlement and prima-donna arrogance seeking out the bright lights of Hollywood.” Despite what Nawrocki thinks, an NFL team still thought that Manziel should be one of the first players taken. It had good reason.

The Saints forked over the No. 27 overall pick and their third round pick (No. 91) in order to move up.

I wrote about Martin last month and viewed him as one of the cleanest prospects in this year’s draft. Everything he does seems to be fundamentally sound, solid technically and he’s effortless in his movement. Watching him pass protect is the thing that jumps off the screen to me -- balance, fluid kick step, easy athleticism, strong hands, solid punch, quick reset ... he’s just stable and proficient. He can play both tackle and guard, further adding to his value.

Evan Western notes that Clinton-Dix strengthens a secondary that could use some help. He’s expected to play across from Morgan Burnett:

Over at The Falcoholic, Murf Baldwin did a great job back in April of showing the strengths of Clinton-Dix. The former college standout has the ability to come down toward the line of scrimmage to act as a linebacker against the run or to drop into coverage and scan the field, covering on both sides of the hashmarks.

Danny Kelly notes that Cooks gives the Saints a catch-and-run option for the offense like Darren Sproles who was traded this offseason:

Cooks is coming off a Biletnikoff Award-winning season, during which he compiled 128 receptions for 1,730 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, he was considered one of the best receiver prospects in this year’s draft class.

James started all 49 games of his collegiate career with the Volunteers, but never moved from right tackle to the left side of the offensive line due to the emergence of fellow draft prospect Antonio Richardson at the position. Instead, he earned second-team All-SEC honors as a senior while still starting at right tackle.

The Dolphins desperately needed offensive line after Ryan Tannehill suffered a torrent of pressure last season. James has the frame to be a regular starter at either tackle spot.

Furthermore, with a gunslinger like Stafford throwing passes into tight windows and showing the willingness to throw it up for his receivers, the Lions offense becomes that much harder to defend and their size on offense becomes a real issue for opposing teams. Ebron checks in at 6’5, as are Johnson and Pettigrew. Durham measures in at 6’6, and Fauria is 6’7. Put any combination of those players on the field at the same time and as a defense you have a real dilemma.

Bottom line, the Lions load up by doubling down on their strength. With spread offense principles and some of the craziest weapons in the NFL at their disposal, the Lions just shot toward the top of my list of must-watch teams in 2014.

Pryor has all the qualities of a strong safety in the NFL. His elite size at 5’11 and 207 pounds gives him the ability to come into the line of scrimmage and play the run while also guarding tight ends one-on-one. The former Cardinal has shown enough speed on tape to roam in coverage as well, patrolling the middle with authority.

While the Jets have needs on offense, John B from Gang Green Nation notes that they needed a young playmaker at safety:

With the No. 17 pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected former Alabama Crimson Tide inside linebacker C.J. Mosley. Mosley came in at No. 9 on SB Nation’s top 200 big board, first among players at his position.

Mosley is another top defensive player coming out of Alabama, something that has been a common practice over the past decade. Following in the footsteps of men like Dont’a Hightower and Rolando McClain, Mosley comes to the NFL as a highly-touted linebacker with great athletic ability.