Who had a great draft?

[NinerSickness]

In my mind, the top 2 drafts this year in order, without question are:

Steelers
Texans

The Steelers just violated this draft in unspeakable ways. I'm a little pissed about it.

And Houston getting Clowney AND Nix??? And Xavier Su'a-Filo in the 2nd was a great pick. Good thing they don't have a QB or Houston could be a damn scary team.

Who else?

I think the Saints did excellently. Eagles' draft was really good.

 

[tomikcon1971]

I'll catch flak, but I really like ours. We were the only team drafting for 2014 and 2015 at the same time.....that's the sign of a deep roster and luxury picks.

 

[I_am_1z]

Jaguars had the best draft.

Bortles was my #2 QB
Lee I think can be a Kendall Wright
Robinson can be a better Crabtree
Storm Johnson is a potential feature back in the NFL (Was a 7th rounder??)
Telvin Smith looks like a special teams ace

 

[dredinis21]

Jaguars had the best draft.

Bortles was my #2 QB
Lee I think can be a Kendall Wright
Robinson can be a better Crabtree
Storm Johnson is a potential feature back in the NFL (Was a 7th rounder??)
Telvin Smith looks like a special teams ace

Considering the decision that they had apparently made about Justin Blackmon, I thought what they did with their offense was tremendous.

 

[dredinis21]

I'll catch flak, but I really like ours. We were the only team drafting for 2014 and 2015 at the same time.....that's the sign of a deep roster and luxury picks.

I agree wholeheartedly. I think most on this board had their heart set on the Niners "making a splash" and trading up constantly, but I thought the Niners did exactly what I was hoping for and more.

They addressed NB as well as the heir apparent to take over for Bethea and pair up with Reid in the 1st. Ward is a true playmaker who needs to get a bit bigger but was tremendous in college.

Getting Hyde tells us that Lattimore may NOT be what we were all hoping for last year but now we have a back that will punch people before they bring him down, the feature back we need.

Borland was a solid pick as an insurance policy, Thomas was a GREAT pick because we were without someone to take over Iupati's place should he bolt for FA, the 3 CB will have to fight for a spot on the roster. Lynch was a great pick as a 1st rd talent with red flags, low risk/high reward at a position of slight need given Aldon's situation(s).

 

[SteelersPride]

ive gotta ask why are you so high on the steelers

 

[NinerSickness]

ive gotta ask why are you so high on the steelers

Ryan Shazier: wouldn't surprise me to see him in the hall of fame one day.
Stephon Tuitt: Grand theft D-lineman.
Dri Archer: Could end up being the best return man in the NFL (or top 3). Was drooling over the thought of him returning kicks for the Niners, and he could've played on offense in various packages.
Martavis Bryant: Swinging for the fences on a dangerous but potentially brilliant pick; good round to do that.

The rest of the draft just seemed like solid value. Friggn' amazing draft. I think this will go down as one of the best (or at least a highlight) in the 2011 - 2020 decade.

 

[poewelch84]

I would say the Steelers and Texans as well, great draft's. The Niners wasn't too bad but not on the same level as those. Also like someone else mentioned the Jags did a pretty good job, I'm not sold on Bortles but the rest of their picks were really good.

 

[imac_21]

I think the Niners deserve credit for getting Stevie Johnson for almost literally nothing.

 

[poewelch84]

I think the Niners deserve credit for getting Stevie Johnson for almost literally nothing.

Absolutely that was a steal.

 

[imac_21]

Absolutely that was a steal.

With the move down and up in the 2nd, it literally turned into basically nothing (unless Johnson makes the pick we gave up a 3rd instead of a 4th).

We gave up a future 4th for Stevie Johnson.

We moved down 7 spots (to 63 with Denver) for a future 4th and late round pick

They then traded the two 2014 picks to move back up 6 spots.

If we assume that Denver and SF will be drafting close to each other again next year, we basically get our 4th round pick back in 2015, move back ONE spot in 2014 and add Stevie Johnson.

There's a chance our 2015 4th round pick will be higher now than before the trades.

 

[SteelersPride]

makes sense i think you count johnson as a draft pick

49'ers
rams
texans
jags( even if you dont like bortles) they draft a franchise qb two really good young receivers that should start, and a shot on a versatile running back, they did what they needed to do to try and get relevant, got some OOOO

 

[NinerSickness]

I think the Niners deserve credit for getting Stevie Johnson for almost literally nothing.

That's true. I keep forgetting the Niners got him.

I actually quite like what the Niners did in this draft. I absolutely loved the Marcus Martin pick; I even think he could win the starting job. I think he'll be a pro-bowl-caliber player. I likewise thought the Brandon Thomas pick was brilliant. And they had plenty of picks, so gambling on Aaron Lynch was a great move.

Didn't love the Ellington pick. Was downright angry over picking Chris Borland instead of staying put & getting Moncrief or Dri Archer. HATED not getting Louis Nix at the ridiculous bargain he posed. Hyde was great value though. Not sure what to think of picking Ward with Roby on the board, but we'll see...

Overall it was a really good draft. I just question Baalke's willingness to make the "final push" move(s) as I mentioned in the "Is Baalke Andy Reid 2.0" thread.

 

[JMedlock5186]

I am happy with ours as well. Ward will be a nice slot cb. Hyde is the heir apparent to Gore whowill be done after this year. Ellington is a decent returner and value at wr. Thomas is doing to be great down the road and will not count against the roster. 3 corners to compete. Millard the fullback will redshirt as well then after we sign Breslin and Skov. Oh and a solidplayer in lynch. There was players I wanted more at certain points but I trust this staff

 

[Clayton]

If RG3 is playing in the league 3 years from now, the Redskins. The rest of their draft was full of value

 

[numone9er]

That's true. I keep forgetting the Niners got him.

I actually quite like what the Niners did in this draft. I absolutely loved the Marcus Martin pick; I even think he could win the starting job. I think he'll be a pro-bowl-caliber player. I likewise thought the Brandon Thomas pick was brilliant. And they had plenty of picks, so gambling on Aaron Lynch was a great move.

Didn't love the Ellington pick. Was downright angry over picking Chris Borland instead of staying put & getting Moncrief or Dri Archer. HATED not getting Louis Nix at the ridiculous bargain he posed. Hyde was great value though. Not sure what to think of picking Ward with Roby on the board, but we'll see...

Overall it was a really good draft. I just question Baalke's willingness to make the "final push" move(s) as I mentioned in the "Is Baalke Andy Reid 2.0" thread.

That's a very good assessment of our draft. I agree with all of it. I wasn't angry about the Borland pick because he's a guy you want to root for anyways, but I would rather have had a shot at one of the guys you mentioned as well as some other guys.

 

[I_am_1z]

Keith Reaser was a KR for FAU...liking him even more now

 

[numone9er]

If we're talking about value picks and consistently adding guys who can contribute right awaway or in the near future, then the Rams are the obvious winners here. The Steelers continue to re-build their team with quality Defensive players as well as the Jaguars (surprisingly), Raiders (even more surprising), and the Texans. I'm not sure what to make of the Tom Savage pick yet, but O'Brien clearly thinks he know something that we don't.

If we're talking about addressing the needs of their football team and/or fixed issues to inch closer to the playoffs and/or Super Bowl, then the Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bucs, Saints, and Broncos all stand out.

I really Love/hate the Donald pick for the Rams. That was a great pick. I hate to say it, but it was.

One of the drafts I'm really interested in is the Jets. They added a total of 12 draft picks to their roster and a lot of good football players. Calvin Pryor is a stud, they added a number of WR's and Amaro, and then they got Tajh Boyd late in the 6th round. I really think that pick could turn out to something special. They have a unique QB room going into this season. This draft had Rex Ryan's name written all over it. He must be in good with the GM.

 

[RobertPhD01]

Yes the alternative could have been Josh Gordon.

 

[JMedlock5186]

Here's Kiper's grade

San Francisco 49ers: A

Top needs: CB, WR, LB, DL

Needs: A-
Value: A

Summary: The most depressing thing about San Francisco's draft is I don't even think Todd McShay and I have a single argument to be found here. The Niners just got so many good players. Jimmie Ward will cover, attack the line of scrimmage, and will play fast and fearless. If you call that a reach, remember that Arizona had taken Deone Bucannon at No. 27, so there were already three safeties off the board (not that Bucannon and Ward are that similar) and the 49ers knew if they didn't Ward there, they had no chance later. They got the No. 1 RB in the draft at No. 57. Frank Gore has a lot of miles on the odometer, LaMichael James may not be there long, and if Marcus Lattimore is your No. 1, you better have a 1-A. Carlos Hyde made sense and, again, he's the top RB in the draft. Marcus Martin is a future starter at center, Chris Borland is immediate depth at linebacker and has the experience to play now. Brandon Thomas is another 49ers redshirt, but could be a star guard when he comes back (he hurt his knee this spring, but would have gone in Round 2 otherwise). Bruce Ellington isn't a far cry from Brandin Cooks, but he went 86 picks later. It goes on and on. Dontae Johnson is solid and Aaron Lynch has developmental promise. I even like the pick at No. 245 -- Trey Millard is the top fullback in the draft and was another guy who dropped on some boards after a knee injury. What I like about this draft is the 49ers are in a championship window, and they still managed to balance both the need for immediate help and also got a lot of talent for the future. The window can remain open.

2014 draft picks
Rd Pk Pos Player College
(1) 30 S Jimmie Ward Northern Illinois
(2) 57 RB Carlos Hyde Ohio State
(3) 70 C Marcus Martin USC
(3) 77 ILB Chris Borland Wisconsin
(3) 100 G Brandon Thomas Clemson
(4) 106 WR Bruce Ellington South Carolina
(4) 129 DB Dontae Johnson NC State
(5) 150 LB Aaron Lynch South Florida
(5) 170 DB Keith Reaser Florida Atlantic
(6) 180 DB Kenneth Acker Southern Methodist
(7) 243 DE Kaleb Ramsey Boston College
(7) 245 FB Trey Millard Oklahoma