Grading the 2014 NFL first round picks

Here are my grades for the first round picks for the 2014 NFL Draft.

1. Houston Texans — Jadeveon Clowney (DE South Carolina): A: Great selection, best player available. Look out Andrew Luck because Clowney and JJ Watt will be facing you two times per season.

2. St. Louis Rams — Greg Robinson (OT Auburn): A: Great fit, top lineman on the board. When Jake Long gets healthy, this Rams offensive line will be outstanding.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars — Blake Bortles (QB Central Florida): C-: One of the few surprises of the first round. I think Bortles was drafted too high and I expected Jacksonville to take Watkins. I think the Jaguars should waited till round two to draft a quarterback (Derek Carr or Teddy Bridgewater).

4. Buffalo Bills (via Cleveland) — Sammy Watkins (WR Clemson): A+: I love this pick for Buffalo. This is one of my favorite players in this draft and this is a great fit for Watkins. I love the fact that Watkins can develop with quarterback EJ Manuel. Best wide out in this draft without a question.

5. Oakland Raiders — Khalil Mack (DE/OLB Buffalo): A: This was a great selection for Oakland. I like the fit and Mack will learn from new teammate defensive end Justin Tuck.

6. Atlanta Falcons — Jake Matthews (OT Texas A&M): A: Another great selection in this top ten. Atlanta needed protection for quarterback Matt Ryan and they got it.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Mike Evans (WR Texas A&M): A: This was a decent pick by Tampa Bay. This receiver tandem of Evans and Vincent Jackson will be fun to watch with whoever quarterbacks this team whether it's Mike Glennon or Josh McCown.

8. Cleveland Browns (via Minnesota) — Justin Gilbert (CB Oklahoma State): B-: I do think Gilbert is a great prospect, but I thought Cleveland would've gone with Johnny Manziel here. Gilbert is a fantastic playmaker and the Browns defense should be interesting to watch in the future.

9. Minnesota Vikings (via Browns, Bills) — Anthony Barr (LB/DE UCLA): B: I am surprised that Barr went this high. But I do understand why they made this selection, since head coach Mike Zimmer is a defensive-mind guy. This should be an interesting fit for Barr.

10. Detroit Lions — Eric Ebron (TE North Carolina): B-: Detriot decided to get quarterback Matthew Stafford yet another weapon. I found this pick to be a cute one for some strange reason. Ebron's weakness is that he is not a good blocker. I do think Ebron was by far the best tight end in the draft but I thought he'd be a better fit on another team.

11. Tennessee Titans — Taylor Lewan (OT Michigan): C: The grade is lower because Lewan is a luxury pick after the team just signed Michael Oher for a bunch of money. I think Tennessee should have gone defense with the pick.

12. New York Giants — Odell Beckham Jr. (WR LSU): B+: I thought the Giants would go offensive line here, but they did need a wide out to replace Hakeem Nicks. I think Beckham Jr is a great fit in the new Ben McAdoo offense the Giants are establishing.

13. St. Louis Rams — Aaron Donald (DT Pittsburgh): A-: The defensive line of the Rams just got even better. This was a great selection by St. Louis and I cannot wait to see Donald play alongside Robert Quinn.

14. Chicago Bears — Kyle Fuller (CB Virginia Tech): B+: Chicago went defense with their pick and I like the fit. They needed another press-man corner and Fuller could and should be able to get the job done.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers — Ryan Shazier (LB Ohio State): B: I am surprised Shazier was drafted this early. Pittsburgh more importantly filled their need at the linebacker and this was a decent pick to say the least.

16. Dallas Cowboys — Zack Martin (OT/OG Notre Dame): A-: So much for all the talk about Johnny Manziel potentially ending up in Dallas. Instead, they fill a very important need at offensive line with Martin. This gives quarterback Tony Romo the protection he needed.

17. Baltimore Ravens — C.J. Mosley (LB Alabama): B+: This was a great selection by Baltimore. Mosley is the best interior linebacker in the draft, and Baltimore had a need there in their hybrid defense.

18. New York Jets — Calvin Pryor (S Louisville): B: I thought the Jets would go wide receiver here, but safety is not a bad direction for the Jets to go since it was another area of need. This is general manager John Idzik's Seattle Seahawks blueprint right where it meets head coach Rex Ryan's love of big, hard-hitting defensive backs. 

19. Miami Dolphins — Ja'Wuan James (OT Tennessee): B: Miami certainly went in the correct direction with their pick by going with offensive line help. James is an athletic guy who can play either tackle or guard, and he should be a better natural pass-protector than anyone left on the board for Miami.

20. New Orleans Saints (via Arizona) — Brandin Cooks (WR Oregon State): A+: This was another favorite pick of mine in this first round. I find Cooks an absurd steal, especially for a contending team like New Orleans. This makes up for the loss of Lance Moore.

21. Green Bay Packers — Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S Alabama): A-: I like this pick for Green Bay. They had a hole in their defensive back field and they filled the hole. I thought Clinton-Dix should've been drafted earlier than this, but I like this fit.

22. Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia) — Johnny Manziel (QB Texas A&M): A: Cleveland finally found a potential franchise quarterback that they desperately wanted and needed. Manziel already has a stud wide out in Josh Gordon and they will be fun to watch.

23. Kansas City Chiefs — Dee Ford (OLB Auburn): D: Kansas City did not have to go linebacker here. I cannot believe Kansas City passed up on a wide receiver such as Marquis Lee. I find this pick a bit of a waste since they already have Tamba Hali and Justin Houston.

24. Cincinnati Bengals — Darqueze Dennard (CB Michigan State): A: I cannot believe how late Dennard was drafted. He was the best cornerback available and Cincinnati got themselves a steal with their biggest need in Dennard.

25. San Diego Chargers — Jason Verrett (CB TCU): B+: I think San Diego made the right move by going with a cornerback. It was a hole that they had to fill and they sure did. Verrett can potentially play outside, but he's the best nickel corner in this draft.

26. Philadelphia Eagles (via Cleveland) — Marcus Smith (DE/OLB Louisville): C-: This pick was a bit of a head-scratcher to me considering that wide receiver Marquis Lee was and still is available. On the upside, Philadelphia needed a pass-rusher and Smith knows how to rush the passer with the best of them.

27. Arizona Cardinals (via New Orleans) — Deone Bucannon (S Washington State): B: I find this pick to be intriguing, especially with the fact that Bucannon going to be playing on an underrated defense in Arizona that features free safety Tyrann Mathieu and and cornerback Patrick Peterson.

28. Carolina Panthers — Kelvin Benjamin (WR Florida State): B+: Carolina desperately needed a weapon for quarterback Cam Newton, who lost Steve Smith this offseason. I like the fit for Benjamin, especially with Newton still developing.

29. New England Patriots — Dominique Easley (DT Florida): B: I find this pick to be a wise one by New England. They could've gone with wide receiver Marquis Lee, but they needed to fix their defensive line. Easley is a fantastic pass-rusher with NFL-caliber athleticism who has a non-stop motor. Head coach Bill Belichick would like this prospect.

30. San Francisco 49ers — Jimmie Ward (S Northern Illinois): B+: I thought San Francisco would go wide receiver (they traded for Stevie Johnson from Buffalo today) but I do like this pick. This was an area of need and they surely addressed it. As long as Ward keeps the ball in front of him, he can make big plays, because he has great ball skills.

31. Denver Broncos — Bradley Roby (CB Ohio State): A: Denver had to replace Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the draft and they did. Roby is an excellent fit in Denver, where he will play alongside new comer cornerback Aqib Talib.

32. Minnesota Vikings (via Seattle) — Teddy Bridgewater (QB Louisville): A-: Minnesota addressed their quarterback need by drafting back in the first round. It pains me to see someone talented like Bridgewater have a bad pro day. I do think this pick was a bit of a risk considering the poor pro day, but I do like the pick.