DraftHistory.com

Draft Status of Players Selected for 2014 Season NFL Pro Bowl Game

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 Pro Bowl Selections
Quarterbacks
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Andrew Luck	Colts	2012	1	1	1	Colts	Stanford
Peyton Manning	Broncos	1998	1	1	1	Colts	Tennessee
Ben Roethlisberger	Steelers	2004	1	11	11	Steelers	Miami (OH)
Aaron Rodgers	Packers	2005	1	24	24	Packers	California
Tom Brady	Patriots	2000	6	33	199	Patriots	Michigan
Tony Romo	Cowboys						Eastern Illinois
Running Backs
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Marshawn Lynch	Seahawks	2007	1	12	12	Bills	California
Le'Veon Bell	Steelers	2013	2	16	48	Steelers	Michigan State
LeSean McCoy	Eagles	2009	2	21	53	Eagles	Pittsburgh
DeMarco Murray	Cowboys	2011	3	7	71	Cowboys	Oklahoma
Jamaal Charles	Chiefs	2008	3	10	73	Chiefs	Texas
Arian Foster	Texans						Tennessee
Fullbacks
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Marcel Reece	Raiders						Washington
John Kuhn	Packers						Shippensburg
Wide Receivers
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Calvin Johnson	Lions	2007	1	2	2	Lions	Georgia Tech
A.J. Green	Bengals	2011	1	4	4	Bengals	Georgia
Julio Jones	Falcons	2011	1	6	6	Falcons	Alabama
Demaryius Thomas	Broncos	2010	1	22	22	Broncos	Georgia Tech
Dez Bryant	Cowboys	2010	1	24	24	Cowboys	Oklahoma State
Jordy Nelson	Packers	2008	2	5	36	Packers	Kansas State
T.Y. Hilton	Colts	2012	3	29	92	Colts	Florida International
Antonio Brown	Steelers	2010	6	26	195	Steelers	Central Michigan
Tight Ends
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Greg Olsen	Panthers	2007	1	31	31	Bears	Miami (FL)
Rob Gronkowski	Patriots	2010	2	10	42	Patriots	Arizona
Jimmy Graham	Saints	2010	3	31	95	Saints	Miami (FL)
Julius Thomas	Broncos	2011	4	32	129	Broncos	Portland State
Centers
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Maurkice Pouncey	Steelers	2010	1	18	18	Steelers	Florida
Nick Mangold	Jets	2006	1	29	29	Jets	Ohio State
Travis Frederick	Cowboys	2013	1	31	31	Cowboys	Wisconsin
Jason Kelce	Eagles	2011	6	26	191	Eagles	Cincinnati
Guards
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Zack Martin	Cowboys	2014	1	16	16	Cowboys	Notre Dame
Mike Iupati	49ers	2010	1	17	17	49ers	Idaho
Kyle Long	Bears	2013	1	20	20	Bears	Oregon
Marshal Yanda	Ravens	2007	3	23	86	Ravens	Iowa
Jahri Evans	Saints	2006	4	11	108	Saints	Bloomsburg (PA)
Josh Sitton	Packers	2008	4	36	135	Packers	Central Florida
Tackles
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Joe Thomas	Browns	2007	1	3	3	Browns	Wisconsin
Trent Williams	Redskins	2010	1	4	4	Redskins	Oklahoma
Tyron Smith	Cowboys	2011	1	9	9	Cowboys	USC
Ryan Clady	Broncos	2008	1	12	12	Broncos	Boise State
Joe Staley	49ers	2007	1	28	28	49ers	Central Michigan
Jason Peters	Eagles						Arkansas
Defensive Ends
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Mario Williams	Bills	2006	1	1	1	Texans	North Carolina State
DeMarcus Ware	Broncos	2005	1	11	11	Cowboys	Troy
J.J. Watt	Texans	2011	1	11	11	Texans	Wisconsin
Robert Quinn	Rams	2011	1	14	14	Rams	North Carolina
Calais Campbell	Cardinals	2008	2	19	50	Cardinals	Miami (FL)
Cameron Wake	Dolphins						Penn State
Defensive Tackles
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Ndamukong Suh	Lions	2010	1	2	2	Lions	Nebraska
Gerald McCoy	Buccaneers	2010	1	3	3	Buccaneers	Oklahoma
Marcell Dareus	Bills	2011	1	3	3	Bills	Alabama
Dontari Poe	Chiefs	2012	1	11	11	Chiefs	Memphis
Aaron Donald	Rams	2014	1	13	13	Rams	Pittsburgh
Kyle Williams	Bills	2006	5	1	134	Bills	Louisiana State
Kyle Williams	Bills	2010	6	37	206	49ers	Arizona State
Inside Linebackers
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Luke Kuechly	Panthers	2012	1	9	9	Panthers	Boston College
Lawrence Timmons	Steelers	2007	1	15	15	Steelers	Florida State
C.J. Mosley	Ravens	2014	1	17	17	Ravens	Alabama
Bobby Wagner	Seahawks	2012	2	15	47	Seahawks	Utah State
C.J. Mosley	Ravens	2005	6	17	191	Vikings	Missouri
Outside Linebackers
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Von Miller	Broncos	2011	1	2	2	Broncos	Texas A&M
Tamba Hali	Chiefs	2006	1	20	20	Chiefs	Penn State
Clay Matthews	Packers	2009	1	26	26	Packers	USC
Connor Barwin	Eagles	2009	2	14	46	Texans	Cincinnati
Justin Houston	Chiefs	2011	3	6	70	Chiefs	Georgia
Elvis Dumervil	Ravens	2006	4	29	126	Broncos	Louisville
Cornerbacks
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Patrick Peterson	Cardinals	2011	1	5	5	Cardinals	Louisiana State
Joe Haden	Browns	2010	1	7	7	Browns	Florida
Darrelle Revis	Patriots	2007	1	14	14	Jets	Pittsburgh
Aqib Talib	Broncos	2008	1	20	20	Buccaneers	Kansas
Vontae Davis	Colts	2009	1	25	25	Dolphins	Illinois
Richard Sherman	Seahawks	2011	5	23	154	Seahawks	Stanford
Chris Harris	Broncos	2005	6	7	181	Bears	Louisiana-Monroe
Brent Grimes	Dolphins						Shippensburg
Free Safeties
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Earl Thomas	Seahawks	2010	1	14	14	Seahawks	Texas
Eric Weddle	Chargers	2007	2	5	37	Chargers	Utah
Glover Quin	Lions	2009	4	12	112	Texans	New Mexico
Tashaun Gipson	Browns						Wyoming
Strong Safeties
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
T.J. Ward	Broncos	2010	2	6	38	Browns	Oregon
Kam Chancellor	Seahawks	2010	5	2	133	Seahawks	Virginia Tech
Placekickers
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Stephen Gostkowski	Patriots	2006	4	21	118	Patriots	Memphis
Adam Vinatieri	Colts						South Dakota State
Punters
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Kevin Huber	Bengals	2009	5	6	142	Bengals	Cincinnati
Pat McAfee	Colts	2009	7	13	222	Colts	West Virginia
Return Specialists
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Devin Hester	Falcons	2006	2	25	57	Bears	Miami (FL)
Darren Sproles	Eagles	2005	4	29	130	Chargers	Kansas State
Special Teams
Name	Team	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College
Matt Slater	Patriots	2008	5	18	153	Patriots	UCLA
Justin Bethel	Cardinals	2012	6	7	177	Cardinals	Presbyterian

Draft Status of 2015 Super Bowl Starters

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 Super Bowl Starters
New England Patriots Offense
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
QB	Tom Brady	2000	Patriots	6	33	199	QB	Michigan
RB	LeGarrette Blount							Oregon
RB	Shane Vereen	2011	Patriots	2	24	56	RB	California
WR	Julian Edelman	2009	Patriots	7	23	232	QB	Kent State
WR	Brandon LaFell	2010	Panthers	3	14	78	WR	Louisiana State
WR	Danny Amendola							Texas Tech
TE	Rob Gronkowski	2010	Patriots	2	10	42	TE	Arizona
TE	Michael Hoomanawanui							Illinois
LT	Nate Solder	2011	Patriots	1	17	17	T	Colorado
LG	Dan Connolly							Southeast Missouri State
C	Bryan Stork	2014	Patriots	4	5	105	C	Florida State
RG	Ryan Wendell							Fresno State
RT	Sebastian Vollmer	2009	Patriots	2	26	58	T	Houston
New England Patriots Defense
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
DE	Rob Ninkovich	2006	Saints	5	2	135	DE	Purdue
DE	Chandler Jones	2012	Patriots	1	21	21	DE	Syracuse
DT	Vince Wilfork	2004	Patriots	1	21	21	DT	Miami (FL)
DT	Chris Jones	2013	Texans	6	30	198	DT	Bowling Green
LB	Jamie Collins	2013	Patriots	2	20	52	LB	Southern Mississippi
LB	Jonathan Casillas							Wisconsin
LB	Dont'a Hightower	2012	Patriots	1	25	25	LB	Alabama
CB	Brandon Browner							Oregon State
CB	Darrelle Revis	2007	Jets	1	14	14	DB	Pittsburgh
CB	Kyle Arrington							Hofstra
S	Patrick Chung	2009	Patriots	2	2	34	DB	Oregon
S	Devin McCourty	2010	Patriots	1	27	27	DB	Rutgers
New England Patriots Special Teams
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
PK	Stephen Gostkowski	2006	Patriots	4	21	118	K	Memphis
P	Ryan Allen							Louisiana Tech
KR	Danny Amendola							Texas Tech
PR	Julian Edelman	2009	Patriots	7	23	232	QB	Kent State
Seattle Seahawks Offense
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
QB	Russell Wilson	2012	Seahawks	3	12	75	QB	Wisconsin
RB	Marshawn Lynch	2007	Bills	1	12	12	RB	California
FB	Will Tukuafu							Oregon
WR	Doug Baldwin							Stanford
WR	Jermaine Kearse							Washington
TE	Luke Willson	2013	Seahawks	5	25	158	TE	Rice
LT	Russell Okung	2010	Seahawks	1	6	6	T	Oklahoma State
LG	James Carpenter	2011	Seahawks	1	25	25	T	Alabama
C	Max Unger	2009	Seahawks	2	17	49	C	Oregon
RG	J.R. Sweezy							North Carolina State
RT	Justin Britt	2014	Seahawks	2	32	64	T	Missouri
Seattle Seahawks Defense
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
DE	Michael Bennett	2001	Vikings	1	27	27	RB	Wisconsin
DE	Cliff Avril	2008	Lions	3	29	92	DE	Purdue
DE	O'Brien Schofield	2010	Cardinals	4	32	130	LB	Wisconsin
DT	Tony McDaniel							Tennessee
DT	Kevin Williams	2003	Vikings	1	9	9	DE	Oklahoma State
OLB	Bruce Irvin	2012	Seahawks	1	15	15	DE	West Virginia
MLB	Bobby Wagner	2012	Seahawks	2	15	47	LB	Utah State
OLB	K.J. Wright	2011	Seahawks	4	2	99	LB	Mississippi State
CB	Richard Sherman	2011	Seahawks	5	23	154	DB	Stanford
CB	Byron Maxwell	2011	Seahawks	6	8	173	DB	Clemson
S	Earl Thomas	2010	Seahawks	1	14	14	DB	Texas
S	Kam Chancellor	2010	Seahawks	5	2	133	DB	Virginia Tech
Seattle Seahawks Special Teams
Position	Name	Drafted	Team	Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
PK	Steven Hauschka							North Carolina State
P	Jon Ryan							Regina (Canada)
KR	Doug Baldwin							Stanford
PR	Bryan Walters							Cornell

Draft Status of 2015 NFL Hall of Fame Nominees

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 NFL Hall of Fame Nominees
Name	Drafted	Round	Pick	Player	Team	Position	College
Orlando Pace	1997	1	1	1	Rams	T	Ohio State
Junior Seau	1990	1	5	5	Chargers	LB	USC
Tim Brown	1988	1	6	6	Raiders	WR	Notre Dame
Jerome Bettis	1993	1	10	10	Rams	RB	Notre Dame
Marvin Harrison	1996	1	19	19	Colts	WR	Syracuse
Will Shields	1993	3	18	74	Chiefs	G	Nebraska
John Lynch	1993	3	26	82	Buccaneers	DB	Stanford
Morten Andersen	1982	4	3	86	Saints	K	Michigan State
Charles Haley	1986	4	14	96	49ers	DE	James Madison
Kevin Greene	1985	5	1	113	Rams	LB	Auburn
Terrell Davis	1995	6	25	196	Broncos	RB	Georgia
Kurt Warner						QB	Northern Iowa
Mick Tingelhoff						C	Nebraska
Jimmy Johnson						Coach	Arkansas
Tony Dungy						Coach	Minnesota
Don Coryell						Coach	Washington
Bill Polian						General Manager	NYU
Ron Wolf						General Manager	Maryville

New York Jets Welcome QB Guru Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator

By Chris Malumphy

Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) tweeted that "QBs Chan Gailey has been an OC for ALL had best statistical years under him." Having nothing better to do, I checked the facts.

As offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey has never had a quarterback who was very good. Nevertheless, the teams he served in that role put up some pretty good records with the Steelers winning 10 games in 1996 and 11 in 1997 with the likes of Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart behind center. In both 2000 and 2001, the Dolphins went 11-5 with Jay Fiedler at quarterback. In 2008, the Chiefs were a miserable 2-14, but Tyler Thigpen threw 18 touchdowns and had only 12 interceptions and was never to be heard from again.

As a head coach, Gailey had somewhat better quarterbacks to work with. The Cowboys won 10 games in 1998 with Troy Aikman and Jason Garrett at quarterback. Aikman then led Dallas to an 8-8 record in 1999 when injuries continued to mount and his career was nearly over. Ryan Fitzgerald quarterbacked the Bills to 4-12, 6-10 and 6-10 records for the Gailey coached teams of 2010-2012.

The best quarterback rating achieved on a team where Chan Gailey was the head coach or the offensive coordinator was Troy Aikman's injury plagued 88.5 in 1998. None of his QBs ever threw 25 touchdown passes in a season. Gailey coached teams only had one season where a quarterback passed for as many as 3,500 yards: Ryan Fitzgerald's 3,832 in 2011. Then again, Chan Gailey's quarterbacks don't get sacked much. Worst was the 30 sacks taken by Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2012.

So, while the quarterback statistics put up by Gailey coached teams hasn't been very awe-inspiring, Gailey probably got more out of his quarterbacks than most other coaches would have. It's a shame that the only above average quarterback he ever coached in the pros was Troy Aikman, at the end of his career when he was often injured. Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, Jay Fiedler, Tyler Thigpen, Jason Garrett and even Ryan Fitzpatrick wouldn't scare many defenses with their passing prowess. Sad thing for Gailey is that in going to the New York Jets, he is once again saddled with what appears to be sub par talent at the most key of all positions. Now we'll see if Geno Smith passes muster.

Statistics for Quarterbacks when Chan Gailey was Head Coach
Year	Team	Name	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	TD Pct	Int	Int Pct	Sacked	QB Rating	Team Record
1998	Cowboys	Troy Aikman	315	187	59.4	2330	7.4	12	3.8	5	1.6	9	88.5	10-8
1998	Cowboys	Jason Garrett	158	91	57.6	1206	7.6	5	3.2	3	1.9	10	84.5	10-8
1999	Cowboys	Troy Aikman	442	263	59.5	2964	6.7	17	3.8	12	2.7	19	81.1	8-8
2010	Bills	Ryan Fitzpatrick	441	255	57.8	3000	6.8	23	5.2	15	3.4	24	81.8	4-12
2011	Bills	Ryan Fitzpatrick	569	353	62.0	3832	6.7	24	4.2	23	4.0	22	79.1	6-10
2012	Bills	Ryan Fitzpatrick	505	306	60.6	3400	6.7	24	4.8	16	3.2	30	83.3	6-10

Statistics for Quarterbacks when Chan Gailey was Offensive Coordinator
Year	Team	Name	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	TD Pct	Int	Int Pct	Sacked	QB Rating	Team Record
1996	Steelers	Mike Tomczak	401	222	55.4	2767	6.9	15	3.7	17	4.2	16	71.8	10-6
1997	Steelers	Kordell Stewart	440	236	53.6	3020	6.9	21	4.8	17	3.9	20	75.2	11-5
2000	Dolphins	Jay Fiedler	357	204	57.1	2402	6.7	14	3.9	14	3.9	23	74.5	11-5
2001	Dolphins	Jay Fiedler	450	273	60.7	3290	7.3	20	4.4	19	4.2	27	80.3	11-5
2008	Chiefs	Tyler Thigpen	420	230	54.8	2608	6.2	18	4.3	12	2.9	26	76.0	2-14

Locker, Sanchez, McCoy & Hoyer Top Potential Unrestricted Free Agent QB List

By Chris Malumphy

NFL teams looking for a quarterback aren't likely to find anyone overly exciting in the upcoming free-agent crop, but there are a few players that might be worth taking a look at for those desperate for an upgrade.

The unrestricted free-agent quarterbacks that might be worth a gamble for a team needing a starter are by no means sure things. Each have well-known liabilities.

Jake Locker may be the most attractive unrestricted free agent possibility. He is young, mobile and has shown occasional flashes. But Locker is also injury prone and erratic. Still, for parts of 2013, it appeared that Locker might be developing into a reasonable starter.

Mark Sanchez is the best known of the group, coming off his best season statistically, completing 64% of his passes for a 7.8 yard average and garnering an 88.4 quarterback rating topping his previous bests of 56.7%, 6.7 and 78.2. But Sanchez has always been a turnover machine and you have to believe that his statistical success in 2014 was primarily due to Coach Chip Kelly's quarterback friendly offense that enabled Nick Foles to put up superstar statistics in 2013.

Colt McCoy provides an interesting possibility. He is on the small side, is frequently injured and doesn't have a big arm. But McCoy can be remarkably accurate as evidenced by his 71.1% competion rate on 128 attempts in 2014. McCoy could thrive in a true West Coast or Chip Kelly type offense, so long as he didn't get killed in the process. McCoy also has a lot of intangibles that could be attractive to a team that desperately needs a quarterback and doesn't have the draft picks to get an impact player in the draft.

Brian Hoyer had the Browns at 7-4 after 11 games in 2014. Then things fell apart for both the quarterback and the team. Hoyer's arm is reasonably strong, but highly erratic. For much of the season, he protected the ball well. Then he turned into a turnover machine. He is worth a look, if nothing else as a very viable backup.

Matt Hasselbeck, Michael Vick and Jason Campbell are long past their sell date. Shaun Hill continues to prove that he's a nice guy to have around in a backup role, but he's also been around quite a while and has never been able to seize a starting job for long. Matt Moore is another capable backup, but hasn't been able to capitalize on any of the opportunities provided him. Matt Flynn has proven to be a decent stop-gap backup quarterback in Green Bay, but failed in chances to win a starting position with both the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders.

Expected Unrestricted Free Agent Quarterbacks Entering 2015 Season
Name	Att	C	Pct	Yds	Avg Att	Avg Comp	Td	Td Pct	Ints	Int Pct	Sacked	Pct Sacked	Rating	Rushes	Yds	Avg	Td
Matt Flynn	557	343	61.6	3933	7.1	11.5	25	4.5	16	2.9	63	10.2	85.8	85	134	1.6	1
Shaun Hill	1183	736	62.2	8038	6.8	10.9	49	4.1	30	2.5	82	6.5	85.5	78	330	4.2	4
Matt Hasselbeck	5074	3066	60.4	34948	6.9	11.4	203	4.0	148	2.9	344	6.3	82.3	349	1216	3.5	8
Jason Campbell	2518	1519	60.3	16771	6.7	11.0	87	3.5	60	2.4	170	6.3	81.7	240	1204	5.0	6
Michael Vick	3151	1767	56.1	22093	7.0	12.5	131	4.2	87	2.8	306	8.9	80.4	853	6010	7.0	36
Matt Moore	768	452	58.9	5342	7.0	11.8	33	4.3	28	3.6	66	7.9	79.2	59	87	1.5	2
Jake Locker	709	408	57.5	4967	7.0	12.2	27	3.8	22	3.1	60	7.8	79.0	95	644	6.8	5
Tarvaris Jackson	1067	636	59.6	7226	6.8	11.4	39	3.7	35	3.3	89	7.7	78.5	163	644	4.0	6
Colt McCoy	831	501	60.3	5458	6.6	10.9	25	3.0	23	2.8	76	8.4	78.2	115	423	3.7	2
Brian Hoyer	630	356	56.5	4557	7.2	12.8	19	3.0	19	3.0	36	5.4	76.8	55	75	1.4	1
Dan Orlovsky	472	276	58.5	2931	6.2	10.6	14	3.0	12	2.5	29	5.8	76.0	13	34	2.6	0
Christian Ponder	1057	632	59.8	6658	6.3	10.5	38	3.6	36	3.4	95	8.2	75.9	126	639	5.1	7
Mark Sanchez	2176	1226	56.3	14510	6.7	11.8	82	3.8	80	3.7	149	6.4	74.1	159	429	2.7	13
T.J. Yates	170	104	61.2	1164	6.8	11.2	3	1.8	7	4.1	18	9.6	70.3	17	56	3.3	1
Luke McCown	317	184	58.0	2035	6.4	11.1	9	2.8	14	4.4	33	9.4	68.3	32	180	5.6	0
Blaine Gabbert	784	417	53.2	4395	5.6	10.5	23	2.9	24	3.1	74	8.6	66.8	76	191	2.5	0
Scott Tolzien	90	55	61.1	717	8.0	13.0	1	1.1	5	5.6	3	3.2	66.8	5	55	11.0	1
Joe Webb	152	88	57.9	853	5.6	9.7	3	2.0	5	3.3	11	6.7	66.6	40	274	6.9	4
Ryan Mallett	79	42	53.2	417	5.3	9.9	2	2.5	3	3.8	1	1.3	61.0	14	-11	-0.8	0
Jimmy Clausen	347	183	52.7	1781	5.1	9.7	5	1.4	10	2.9	36	9.4	60.2	26	66	2.5	0
Josh Johnson	177	96	54.2	1042	5.9	10.9	5	2.8	10	5.6	16	8.3	57.7	37	254	6.9	0
Ryan Lindley	264	134	50.8	1314	5.0	9.8	2	0.8	11	4.2	18	6.4	50.3	4	7	1.8	0
Tyrod Taylor	35	19	54.3	199	5.7	10.5	0	0.0	2	5.7	5	12.5	47.2	23	139	6.0	1

Rookie Seasons of Running Backs Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

For the second year in a row, no running backs were selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

The best performer as a rookie was second rounder Jeremy Hill of the Cincinnati Bengals. Hill gained 1,124 yards on 222 carries for a 5.1 yard average and 9 touchdowns. Hill's efforts went a long way towards helping QB Andy Dalton lead the team to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, despite throwing the fewest touchdown passes in his career. Hill looks like he'll give the Bengals the type of powerful running back that is needed to thrive in the AFC Central for years to come.

The next most productive running backs drafted in 2014 behind Hill were Tre Mason of the Rams (a third rounder who carried the ball 179 times for 765 yards, a 4.3 yard average and 4 touchdowns) and Andre Williams of the Giants (a fourth rounder with 217 carries, 721 yards, a disappointing 3.3 yard average but 7 touchdowns). The Browns got some productivity from the erratic Terrance West, a third round pick who gained 673 yards on 171 carries for a 3.9 yard average and 4 touchdowns, but Cleveland received nearly the same results, if not better, from undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell (148 rushes, 607 yards, 4.1 yard average and 8 touchdowns). West dances in the backfield and cost the Browns dearly early in the year by failing to run forward on a critical short yardage situation. His attitude was also questioned more than once. Crowell had three fumbles. So while the Browns are looking for the silver lining in the cloud, others just see another cloudy day in Cleveland.

Jerick McKinnon racked up some yardage for the Vikings (113 carries, 538 yards, 4.8 yard average) as did Alfred Blue for the Texans (169 carries, 528 yards, but only a 3.1 yard average, with 2 touchdowns).

Bishop Sankey, selected the pick before Hill by the Titans, provided only about half the production, gaining 569 yards on 152 carries for a 3.7 yard average and 2 touchdowns. Carlos Hyde, drafted two picks after Hill by the 49ers played somewhat sparingly behind Frank Gore (who never seems to receive the recognition he deserves). Hyde gained 333 yards on 83 carries for a 4.0 yard average and 4 touchdowns. As Gore's career finally (perhaps) begins to wind down, we can expect to see much greater output from Hyde in years to come. The Bucaneers Charles Sims had an ineffective 2.8 yard average which was extremely disappointing from a high third round selection.

After one season, Jeremy Hill is the only certified success, but the Rams must also be happy with Tre Mason and Carlos Hyde will likely see more action in the future with the 49ers. For the time being though, the future appears uncertain for the rest of the running backs drafted in 2014. There was some production from the others, but no one else set the world on fire.

Running Backs Drafted in 2014<
Name	Team	Round	Pick	Player	College	Team	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD	Fdn
Bishop Sankey	Titans	2	22	54	Washington	Titans	152	569	3.7	2	26
Jeremy Hill	Bengals	2	23	55	Louisiana State	Bengals	222	1124	5.1	9	61
Carlos Hyde	49ers	2	25	57	Ohio State	49ers	83	333	4.0	4	16
Charles Sims	Buccaneers	3	5	69	West Virginia	Buccaneers	66	185	2.8	1	10
Tre Mason	Rams	3	11	75	Auburn	Rams	179	765	4.3	4	37
Terrance West	Browns	3	30	94	Towson	Browns	171	673	3.9	4	30
Jerick McKinnon	Vikings	3	32	96	Georgia Southern	Vikings	113	538	4.8	0	21
Dri Archer	Steelers	3	33	97	Kent State	Steelers	10	40	4.0	0	2
Devonta Freeman	Falcons	4	3	103	Florida State	Falcons	65	248	3.8	1	9
Andre Williams	Giants	4	13	113	Boston College	Giants	217	721	3.3	7	30
Ka'Deem Carey	Bears	4	17	117	Arizona	Bears	36	158	4.4	0	11
De'Anthony Thomas	Chiefs	4	24	124	Oregon	Chiefs	14	113	8.1	1	4
James White	Patriots	4	30	130	Wisconsin	Patriots	9	38	4.2	0	1
Lorenzo Taliaferro	Ravens	4	38	138	Coastal Carolina	Ravens	68	292	4.3	4	17
Alfred Blue	Texans	6	5	181	Louisiana State	Texans	169	528	3.1	2	29
Lache Seastrunk	Redskins	6	10	186	Baylor
Marion Grice	Chargers	6	25	201	Arizona State	Cardinals	15	41	2.7	1	3
Tyler Gaffney	Panthers	6	28	204	Stanford
Jay Prosch	Texans	6	35	211	Auburn
Storm Johnson	Jaguars	7	7	222	Central Florida	Jaguars	29	86	3.0	2	5
Kiero Small	Seahawks	7	12	227	Arkansas
Trey Millard	49ers	7	30	245	Oklahoma

Rookie Seasons of Wide Receivers Drafted in 2014—The Best Rookie Crop Ever

By Chris Malumphy

The 2014 NFL Draft may have produced the best rookie crop of wide receivers ever.

The wide receivers drafted in 2014 produced the best cumulative rookie season results of all-time, amassing 807 receptions for 10,445 yards and 81 touchdowns dwarfing the totals for the 2013 rookie crop of 493 catches, 6,900 yards and 43 touchdowns which were fairly typical totals for recent years. The next best season for rookie wideouts was 2009 which had 658 catches 9,044 yards and 53 touchdowns.

Odell Beckham Jr. led the way with 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns despite only playing in 12 games for the Giants. The Buccaneers' Mike Evans excelled despite poor quarterback play in Tampa Bay with 68 catches for 1,051 yards, a 15.5 yard average and 12 touchdowns. The Panthers' Kelvin Benjamin, with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and 9 touchdowns joined Beckham and Evans to form the first trio of wide receivers from the same draft to top 1,000 yards in their rookie seasons. Buffalo's Sammy Watkins almost made it a fourth with 982 yards on 65 catches for 6 touchdowns. Beckham, Evans, Benjamin and Watkins were all first round draft picks. The sole first round pick to not put up big numbers among the wide receivers drafted in 2014 was Brandin Cooks who caught 53 balls for 550 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints.

The biggest producers from the second round were the Eagles' Jordan Mathews (67 receptions, 872 yards, 8 touchdowns) and the Dolphins' Jarvis Landry (84 catches, 758 yards, 5 touchdowns). Landry was Beckham's teammate at LSU. Allen Robinson (48 catches, 758 yards and 5 touchdowns) and Marqise Lee (37 catches, 422 yards, 1 touchdown) teamed up as rookie wideouts for the Jaguars, but it is difficult to gage their talent absent more consistent quarterbacking in Jacksonville. The Packers' Davante Adams had 38 receptions for 446 yards and 2 touchdowns while Seattle's Paul Richardson had 29 catches for 271 yards and 1 touchdown.

Third rounders John Brown (48 catches, 696 yards, 5 touchdowns) of the Cardinals and Donte Moncrief (32 catches, 444 yards and 3 touchdowns) of the Colts also showed promise. The only wide receiver drafted after round three who made an impact was the Steelers' fourth round pick Martavis Bryant with with 26 receptions for 549 yards, a whopping 21.1 yard average and 8 touchdowns.

Remarkably, the totals accumulated by the 2014 draftees were decidedly front-ended, with surprising little help provided by the 18 wide receivers drafted after the third round. In order to accumulate hefty cumulative stats for an entire draft crop, you'd normally at least a few surprises from the later rounds. Wide receivers drafted after the third round in 2014 caught only 64 passes for 971 yards and 11 touchdowns, the poorest results since 2007 and 2008 for receivers taken so late in the draft. Note that the Steelers' Martavis Bryant. a fourth round pick, accounted for more than half those yards and touchdowns. In contrast to 2014, wide receivers drafted in the fourth round or later in 2009 caught 294 pass for 3,512 yards and 22 touchdowns. There are several ways of think about these results. The first is that teams can no longer wait until later in the draft to get a good wide receiver since there is such a high premium placed on the position in the pass-happy NFL. Another thought is that these results bode well for the potential lasting power of the 2014 draftees in their pursuit of becoming the best draft crop ever over their careers since the rookie totals were overwhelmingly accumulated by the best of the best and were not contributed to significantly by less athletic players who are less likely to keep up the pace over the long term.

Wide Receivers Drafted in 2014
Name	Team	Round	Pick	Player	College	Team	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
Sammy Watkins	Bills	1	4	4	Clemson	Bills	65	982	15.1	6
Mike Evans	Buccaneers	1	7	7	Texas A&M	Buccaneers	68	1051	15.5	12
Odell Beckham Jr.	Giants	1	12	12	Louisiana State	Giants	91	1305	14.3	12
Brandin Cooks	Saints	1	20	20	Oregon State	Saints	53	550	10.4	3
Kelvin Benjamin	Panthers	1	28	28	Florida State	Panthers	73	1008	13.8	9
Marqise Lee	Jaguars	2	7	39	USC	Jaguars	37	422	11.4	1
Jordan Matthews	Eagles	2	10	42	Vanderbilt	Eagles	67	872	13.0	8
Paul Richardson	Seahawks	2	13	45	Colorado	Seahawks	29	271	9.3	1
Davante Adams	Packers	2	21	53	Fresno State	Packers	38	446	11.7	3
Cody Latimer	Broncos	2	24	56	Indiana	Broncos	2	23	11.5	0
Allen Robinson	Jaguars	2	29	61	Penn State	Jaguars	48	548	11.4	2
Jarvis Landry	Dolphins	2	31	63	Louisiana State	Dolphins	84	758	9.0	5
Josh Huff	Eagles	3	22	86	Oregon	Eagles	8	98	12.3	0
Donte Moncrief	Colts	3	26	90	Mississippi	Colts	32	444	13.9	3
John Brown	Cardinals	3	27	91	Pittsburg State (KS)	Cardinals	48	696	14.5	5
Jalen Saunders	Jets	4	4	104	Oklahoma	Saints	1	7	7.0	0
Bruce Ellington	49ers	4	6	106	South Carolina	49ers	6	62	10.3	2
Shaq Evans	Jets	4	15	115	UCLA
Martavis Bryant	Steelers	4	18	118	Clemson	Steelers	26	549	21.1	8
Kevin Norwood	Seahawks	4	23	123	Alabama	Seahawks	9	102	11.3	0
Ryan Grant	Redskins	5	2	142	Tulane	Redskins	7	68	9.7	0
Devin Street	Cowboys	5	6	146	Pittsburgh	Cowboys	2	18	9.0	0
Jared Abbrederis	Packers	5	36	176	Wisconsin
Robert Herron	Buccaneers	6	9	185	Wyoming	Buccaneers	6	58	9.7	1
T.J. Jones	Lions	6	13	189	Notre Dame
Matt Hazel	Dolphins	6	14	190	Coastal Carolina
Walt Powell	Cardinals	6	20	196	Murray State
Quincy Enunwa	Jets	6	33	209	Nebraska
Mike Campanaro	Ravens	7	3	218	Wake Forest
Jeff Janis	Packers	7	21	236	Saginaw Valley State	Packers	2	16	8.0	0
James Wright	Bengals	7	24	239	Louisiana State	Bengals	5	91	18.2	0
Tevin Reese	Chargers	7	25	240	Baylor
Jeremy Gallon	Patriots	7	29	244	Michigan

Rookie Seasons of Tight Ends Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Tight ends drafted in 2014 didn't make a significant impact in their rookie seasons. There were 10 tight ends drafted in 2014. None had as many as 40 receptions, 350 yards receiving, or three touchdowns. In comparison, four tight ends drafted in 2013 had over 400 yards receiving, three had at least three touchdown receptions, and three equaled or bettered the top performer in receptions for 2014. Check out the rookie seasons for tight ends drafted in 2013.

The top rookie tight end for 2014 was second round pick Jace Amaro of the New York Jets with 38 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns. The Detroit Lions Eric Ebron, selected with the 10th pick in the first round, finished the season with a rather pedestrian 25 receptions for 248 yards and one touchdown in 13 games. Ebron's totals were nearly matched by Tampa Bay second rounder Austin Seferian-Jenkins (21 receptions, 221 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Green Bay third rounder Richard Rodgers (20 receptions, 225 yards, 2 touchdowns). The Ravens got some productions from third rounder Crockett Gillmore (10 receptions, 121 yards, 1 touchdowns). The Cardinals second round pick Troy Niklas (3 receptions, 38 yards, 0 touchdowns) and the Texans third round chose C.J. Fiedorowicz (4 receptions, 28 yards, 1 touchdown) at least got on the field.

Tight Ends Drafted in 2014
Name	Team	Round	Pick	Player	College	Team	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
Eric Ebron	Lions	1	10	10	North Carolina	Lions	25	248	9.9	1
Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Buccaneers	2	6	38	Washington	Buccaneers	21	221	10.5	2
Jace Amaro	Jets	2	17	49	Texas Tech	Jets	38	345	9.1	2
Troy Niklas	Cardinals	2	20	52	Notre Dame	Cardinals	3	38	12.7	0
C.J. Fiedorowicz	Texans	3	1	65	Iowa	Texans	4	28	7.0	1
Richard Rodgers	Packers	3	34	98	California	Packers	20	225	11.3	2
Crockett Gillmore	Ravens	3	35	99	Colorado State	Ravens	10	121	12.1	1
Arthur Lynch	Dolphins	5	15	155	Georgia
Ted Bolser	Redskins	7	2	217	Indiana
Rob Blanchflower	Steelers	7	15	230	Massachusetts

Rookie Seasons of Quarterbacks Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Fourteen quarterbacks were drafted in 2014. Eight got on the field to throw passes in their rookie seasons, four extensively.

Blake Bortles, the third player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, received a rocky reception to the pro game, completing 58.9% of his passes for a measly 6.1 yard average, 11 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a lowly 69.5 rating. Bortles was sacked 55 times (10.4% of the times he dropped back to pass) the most in the league. The Jaguars will need to add more talent for Bortles to have any chance of developing into a reasonable starter.

Although he was the fourth quarterback drafted in 2014, Derek Carr got on the field first and showed the Raiders that they may have someone to build a team around. But there was both bad, along with the good, that came along with Carr. Carr's completion percentage of 58.1 was the lowest of the four rookie quarterbacks who had substantial opportunity to play. His 5.5 yard average was also the lowest of the four, by a substantial margin. Carr's rating of 76.6 was very pedestrian. Yet Carr did throw 21 touchdown passes with just 12 interceptions and he was sacked just 24 times for a very low 3.9 sacked percentage. Carr has promise but the Raiders need will need to provide him with much more support for the team to thrive.

Teddy Bridgewater had to wait longer than Carr and Bortles to get on the field, but he performed better, completing 64.4% of his passes for a 7.3 yard average, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a rating of 85.2. He was sacked 39 times, an 8.8% which is quite high. Bridgewater will need to cut down on his interceptions and avoid being sacked, but the Vikings must be pleased thus far.

Zach Mettenberger received an opportunity to play after Jake Locker got hurt once again, and Charlie Whitehurst couldn't rise to the occasion. Mettenberger showed both good and bad before getting hurt. He completed 59.8% of his passes, second only to Bridgewater among the four rookies who played extensively. His 7.9 yard average bested the other four substantially. His rating was 83.4. But Mettenberger threw nearly as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns (8) and was sacked 18 times (9.1%). He also displayed the type of mouth that riled opponents which is uncommon for quarterbacks, especially rookies. It's clear that the Titans will continue to look for opportunities to improve their quarterback situation, but Mettenberger could still win the job.

Johnny Manziel had to wait for the Browns to completely lose faith in Brian Hoyer before he got on the field and then he stunk up the joint against Cincinnati and quickly got injured by the Panthers. In the meantime he did not look good on the field and displayed immaturity and caused unnecessary controversy while off it. Manziel has the real possibility of becoming the next Ryan Leaf or JeMarcus Russell. Stay tuned, the outcome will likely be known within the year. In his limited time on the field, Manziel completed 51.4% of his passes for a 5.0 yard average with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a miserable rating of 42.0. Still, Manziel maintains the type of competitive nature that is hard to give up on this soon.

The Patriots gave Jimmy Garoppolo a couple of chances to get on the field when games were no longer in doubt. Garoppolo completed 70.4% of his 27 passes for a 6.7 yard average, one touchdown, no interceptions and a rating of 101.2. However, Garropolo was sacked 5 times, a whopping 15.6% of the times he dropped back to pass, which could be a concern.

The Texans' Tom Savage and the Cardinals' Logan Thomas each had a small taste of action in 2014. Both looked very raw. Savage completed 52.6% of his 19 passes for a 6.7 yard average, no touchdowns, one interception and a 51.9 rating. Thomas was horrible despite receiving an incomprehensible rating of 101.6 caused by his lone completion which went for an 81 yard touchdown. All 8 of Thomas' other passes went incomplete, resulting in a 11.1% completions. Thomas was also sacked twice, for 18.2% of his dropbacks. Those stats are why the Cardinals didn't go to Thomas in the playoff game against the Panthers, despite the fact that Ryan Lindley was overly mismatched.

The Chiefs' Aaron Murray and Bengals' AJ McCarron were injured in 2014 but may get an opportunity to compete in the upcoming preseason. Despite the Bears' meltdown, David Fales did not get to toss a pass in 2014 as Chicago instead looked to Jimmy Clausen the game that Jay Cutler was sent to the bench. It seems unlikely that we'll be hearing much about the on field exploits of Keith Wenning, Tajh Boyd or Garrett Gilbert anytime in the near future, but you never know.

Rookie Seasons of Quarterbacks Drafted in 2014
Name	Year	Round	Pick	Player	Team	College	Att	C	Pct	Yds	Avg Att	Avg Comp	TD	TD Pct	Int	Int Pct	Sacked	Pct Sacked	Rate
Blake Bortles	2014	1	3	3	Jaguars	Central Florida	475	280	58.9	2908	6.1	10.4	11	2.3	17	3.6	55	10.4	69.5
Johnny Manziel	2014	1	22	22	Browns	Texas A&M	35	18	51.4	175	5.0	9.7	0	0.0	2	5.7	3	7.9	42.0
Teddy Bridgewater	2014	1	32	32	Vikings	Louisville	402	259	64.4	2919	7.3	11.3	14	3.5	12	3.0	39	8.8	85.2
Derek Carr	2014	2	4	36	Raiders	Fresno State	599	348	58.1	3270	5.5	9.4	21	3.5	12	2.0	24	3.9	76.6
Jimmy Garoppolo	2014	2	30	62	Patriots	Eastern Illinois	27	19	70.4	182	6.7	9.6	1	3.7	0	0.0	5	15.6	101.2
Logan Thomas	2014	4	20	120	Cardinals	Virginia Tech	9	1	11.1	81	9.0	81.0	1	11.1	0	0.0	2	18.2	101.6
Tom Savage	2014	4	35	135	Texans	Pittsburgh	19	10	52.6	127	6.7	12.7	0	0.0	1	5.3	1	5.0	51.9
Aaron Murray	2014	5	23	163	Chiefs	Georgia
AJ McCarron	2014	5	24	164	Bengals	Alabama
Zach Mettenberger	2014	6	2	178	Titans	Louisiana State	179	107	59.8	1412	7.9	13.2	8	4.5	7	3.9	18	9.1	83.4
David Fales	2014	6	7	183	Bears	San Jose State
Keith Wenning	2014	6	18	194	Ravens	Ball State
Tajh Boyd	2014	6	37	213	Jets	Clemson
Garrett Gilbert	2014	6	38	214	Rams	Southern Methodist

Stark Contrast in Running Ability of 2014 NFL Playoff Starting Quarterbacks

By Chris Malumphy

There is a stark contrast in the running ability of the quarterbacks starting in the 2014 NFL playoffs. Age is a key factor. The Seahawks' Russell Wilson (849 yds) and Panthers' Cam Newton (539) often do more damage to their opponents on the ground than through the air. The Colts' Andrew Luck (273 yds) and Packers' Aaron Rodgers (269 yds) can run well when necessary. The Bengals' Andy Dalton (169 yds) can move some. The Lions' Matthew Stafford (93 yds), Ravens' Joe Flacco (70 yds), Cardinals' Drew Stanton (63 yds) and Cowboys' Tony Romo (61 yds) are far less mobile. The Patriots' Tom Brady (57 yds) and Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger (27 yds) are now stuck in the mud. Unless I missed something, the Cardinals Ryan Lindley didn't try to run at all in 2014. And the Broncos' Peyton Manning (-24) averaged minus one yard per carry.

2014 NFL Playoff Starting Quarterbacks Yards Rushing
Team	Name	Rushes	Yds	Avg	TD	Draft	Round	Pick	Player
Seahawks	Russell Wilson	118	849	7.2	6	2012	3	12	75
Panthers	Cam Newton	103	539	5.2	5	2011	1	1	1
Colts	Andrew Luck	64	273	4.3	3	2012	1	1	1
Packers	Aaron Rodgers	43	269	6.3	2	2005	1	24	24
Bengals	Andy Dalton	60	169	2.8	4	2011	2	3	35
Lions	Matthew Stafford	43	93	2.2	2	2009	1	1	1
Ravens	Joe Flacco	39	70	1.8	2	2008	1	18	18
Cardinals	Drew Stanton	25	63	2.5	0	2007	2	11	43
Cowboys	Tony Romo	26	61	2.3	0
Patriots	Tom Brady	36	57	1.6	0	2000	6	33	199
Steelers	Ben Roethlisberger	33	27	0.8	0	2004	1	11	11
Cardinals	Ryan Lindley	0	0	0.0	0	2012	6	15	185
Broncos	Peyton Manning	24	-24	-1.0	0	1998	1	1	1

DraftHistory.com

§ Home

§ Contact Us

§ Follow @DraftHistory

§ 2014 Draft Order

§ Drafts by...

§ Drafts for Teams by...

§ Hall of Famers by...

§ Picks by College Sorted by...

§ More Draft Info...

§ Other Drafts...

Draft Status of Players Selected for 2014 Season NFL Pro Bowl Game

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 Super Bowl Starters

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 NFL Hall of Fame Nominees

By Chris Malumphy

New York Jets Welcome QB Guru Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator

By Chris Malumphy

Locker, Sanchez, McCoy & Hoyer Top Potential Unrestricted Free Agent QB List

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Running Backs Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Wide Receivers Drafted in 2014—The Best Rookie Crop Ever

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Tight Ends Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Quarterbacks Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Stark Contrast in Running Ability of 2014 NFL Playoff Starting Quarterbacks

By Chris Malumphy

Other Articles

Thanks for visiting DraftHistory.com.

Copyright 2000 - 2015, Chris Malumphy

DraftHistory.com

§ Home

§ Contact Us

§ Follow @DraftHistory !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

§ 2014 Draft Order

§ Drafts by...

§ Drafts for Teams by...

§ Hall of Famers by...

§ Picks by College Sorted by...

§ More Draft Info...

§ Other Drafts...

Draft Status of Players Selected for 2014 Season NFL Pro Bowl Game

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 Super Bowl Starters

By Chris Malumphy

Draft Status of 2015 NFL Hall of Fame Nominees

By Chris Malumphy

New York Jets Welcome QB Guru Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator

By Chris Malumphy

Locker, Sanchez, McCoy & Hoyer Top Potential Unrestricted Free Agent QB List

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Running Backs Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Wide Receivers Drafted in 2014—The Best Rookie Crop Ever

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Tight Ends Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Rookie Seasons of Quarterbacks Drafted in 2014

By Chris Malumphy

Stark Contrast in Running Ability of 2014 NFL Playoff Starting Quarterbacks

By Chris Malumphy

Other Articles

Thanks for visiting DraftHistory.com.

Copyright 2000 - 2015, Chris Malumphy

§ Follow @DraftHistory