There has been no shortage of unexpected happenings at the NFL draft over the years. From Eli Manning being asked to put on a Chargers cap and refusing, to the Vikings not getting their pick to the podium in time and losing their #7 spot. Weirdness just occurs naturally in an environment full of high level NFL executives, possible trades, and twenty-year-old men who are about to sign huge contracts that should change their family tree forever. There are a couple of scenarios worth pondering for the 2014 version of the draft. We will have a look at those possibilities and try to leave out the most ridiculous scenarios that keep popping up in the news.
A quarterback taken very late in the first round or even the second round just might be the best QB available long-term in this draft. The top NFL draft quarterbacks, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles, are not locks to be NFL greats. They all have their doubters, including me.
Bridgewater has been a mess ever since he left Louisville, while Bortles is not a proven commodity due to the level of competition he faced in college. And there is J-Football, who could just up and quit the NFL at any time to go be a professional card player, fisherman, or rodeo cowboy. His family already has money and he is a free spirit, so who knows where the kid could be in five years. If those three signal callers do not pan out, Zach Mettenberger, and Aaron Murray could well be the steals of the draft.
The former SEC quarterbacks are both coming off knee injuries in their senior seasons of 2013. Those injuries alone put them out of the conversation of top ten first rounders. However, they will be back to full strength in 2014 at some point, and could be in a perfect situation on a good team. The big three QBs at the top of the mock draft boards will be on struggling teams, so they will not have the luxury of sitting back and learning an offense from the sidelines. Mettenberger and Murray will likely end up on a true contender with good player around them as they grow into NFL passers. They may be lower round draft picks, but I would place money on them being in the NFL longer than two of the three top projected picks.
Another possibility in this draft, is the Atlanta Falcons trading up from #6 to #1 to snatch Jadeveon Clowney. This is not a highly probable event but the Falcons did do a big trade a few years back to get Julio Jones in a similar fashion. I know it would take a lot to get to the #1 spot, but the Texans might be willing to listen to a decent offer. They need a QB more than a QB killer like Clowney, so they could still get their need filled at the #6 spot. If any team needs a pass rusher, it is the Falcons. They have been dismal at getting to the opponent’s quarterback for a while now. Atlanta also has made no noteworthy free agent moves, so they could have been saving up their strategic moves for this draft.
Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Football Overdose, and a LastWordOnSports Analyst. For more of his NFL articles, follow his updates at NFL Fantasy Football Rankings Facebook or follow him on twitter @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
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