The moment finally arrived, the 2014 NFL Draft was finally underway as the first round took place on Thursday evening. There were plenty of highlights from the draft, picks that were expected, trades and some moves that boggled the mind. Here is a look at some of the biggest surprises from the first day of the draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars Take Blake Bortles Third Overall
After the St. Louis Rams announced their selection of offensive tackle Greg Robinson, everyone anxiously awaited to see what the Jaguars had in store. Could they be targeting a wide receiver like Sammy Watkins? Maybe a linebacker like Khalil Mack?
The popular guess was that they would take a quarterback and speculation surrounded Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater. Then Jacksonville shocked the universe when they selected Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles. It was a surprising pick for several reasons — Bortles has the arm strength and size to be a franchise quarterback but his mechanics are a major work in progress. While he showed progress this past year with the Knights, he needs to sit for a year and really spend time with coaches. Many saw him as the third or fourth best quarterback in this class and now he lands in a situation with a number one wide receiver. Bortles has the tools to be a franchise quarterback but it seems like a reach to take him third overall and would be a major blunder if they start him right away.
Buffalo Bills Pay Up for Sammy Watkins
We heard rumors before the draft that the Bills were open to the possibility of moving into the top-five to grab a premier player, but it seemed like just another one of those smokescreen rumors. Well, it turns out that wasn't just a rumor, as the Bills made the big move up to the fourth overall pick.
Moving up from nine to four came at a costly price — while Buffalo only had to give up a fourth this year, it's the first round pick next year that stands out. There are still legitimate questions if this can be a playoff team and if they fall short, this deal could come back to bite them. That said, it might have been worth it to land a wider receiver who can be a true top weapon for E.J. Manuel. If the Bills hold on to Stevie Johnson he will form a very nice duo with Watkins and a chance for Manuel to take a big step up next year.
Cleveland Browns Trade Down, Up and Up Again
The expression has already been used but I'm going to use it again, this almost seemed like the movie "Draft Day" with all of the moves Cleveland made. At the end of it all though, Ray Farmer walked out with one of the best draft hauls after day one.
Cleveland entered the draft with the fourth and 26th overall pick but it didn't take long for that to change. When Buffalo offered them the opportunity to pick up a 2015 1st, 2014 4th just to move back five spots, it was a no brainer for Farmer. Then just a few minutes later, Cleveland traded a fifth rounder to swap picks with the Vikings, where they took Justin Gilbert with the eighth overall pick. The Browns still didn't have a quarterback and as Manziel slid down the board, everyone wondered if Cleveland would be the team to get him. Sure enough that's what happened, Farmer traded the Browns third round pick to Cleveland to move up four spots and take Manziel.
Trading down then up and up again is a different way to kick off the first round but it ultimately worked for Cleveland and they walked out as winners because of it. If Gilbert can turn his size and speed into real ability on an NFL field and Manziel develops, the Browns just took a big step forward to bringing playoff football back to Cleveland.
Miami Dolphins Reach for Offensive Tackle
In one of the more baffling moves of the draft, the Dolphins passed up on several great talents and reached for an offensive lineman with the 19th Overall pick. While they were in a bad position with Jake Matthews, Taylor Lewan and Zack Martin all off the board, this still was a desperation move by Miami.
I like James, he was the best linemen coming out of Tennessee this year and if Miami took him in the second round, it would have been a very good pick. Taking him in the first round not only keeps you from taking more talented players but you lose a lot of value by taking him that early. The Dolphins seemed to panic because of their overwhelming need to protect Ryan Tannehill and it may cost them down the road.
Philadelphia Eagles Take Surprising Louisville Cardinal
There are numerous things to pick from when looking at why the Eagles pick was so surprising. After trading down from 22 just after narrowly missing on Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, the Eagles moved down to 26th Overall. It was a smart move at the time but their selection was surprising.
Philadelphia has plenty of needs on defense and that includes with their pass rush, but it was surprising to see Marcus Smith go this early. Smith was projected by many as second-round player who flashed a lot on film, but there were questions about the majority of his big plays coming when he wasn't blocked. Philadelphia could have grabbed a player like Jimmie Ward to upgrade at safety but ultimately felt Smith was worth the 26th pick. What was also surprising is that Calvin Pryor and Smith were the first two Louisville players drafted and not the Cardinals' star quarterback last season.
Minnesota Vikings Hit a Walk-off
The Vikings started on a quiet, solid note when they picked up an additional fifth round pick just to move down one spot. They still landed their top target in UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr, a player who is raw but head coach Mike Zimmer could turn into a flat out stud. If they called it a night after taking Barr it would have been great, but the Vikings made one big move to end the first.
Just when everyone thought all the big news was over with the Seattle Seahawks on the clock for the final pick of the night, it seemed as if Bridgewater was going to fall to day two. Then Minnesota got on the phone with the Seahawks and struck a deal to move up from 40th Overall to 32. Once they acquired the pick they landed their franchise quarterback in Bridgewater. eDraft's number two prospect in this entire class was the 32nd player selected, a steal of all steals for the Vikings. Letting Bridgewater work with Norv Turner and play on an offense with Adrian Peterson, Greg Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and Cordarrelle Patterson is the perfect landing spot for the top quarterback in this class. The Vikings came up and hit a walk-off grand slam, holding a big lead for the best draft so far.