NFL Draft first-round analysis
1 Houston
DE Jadeveon Clowney, S. Carolina
Needed QB but couldn’t pass up the top defensive player.
2 St. Louis
OT Greg Robinson, Auburn
Physical lineman will play in NFL's most physical division.
3 Jacksonville
QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida
In draft's first upset, Bortles goes to Jaguars.
4 Buffalo (from Cleveland)
WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson
Bills move up to take Watkins, a dynamic playmaker.
5 Oakland
OLB Khalil Mack, Buffalo
Good off the end as a pass rusher and can drop into coverage.
6 Atlanta
OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
Some say it’s draft’s safest pick. Matt Ryan needs protection.
7 Tampa Bay
WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M
With size and vertical, too good a player to pass up.
8 Cleveland (from Minnesota)
CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma St.
Gilbert led Big 12 in picks and has six returns for TDs in career.
9 Minnesota (from Cleveland)
LB Anthony Barr, UCLA
Vikings get player with great size, speed.
10 Detroit
TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina
Proposed to girlfriend atop Empire State Building earlier in day.
11 Tennessee
OT Taylor Lewan, Michigan
Second straight year offensive lineman is first pick.
12 N.Y. Giants
WR Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
Some say Beckham is the best wide receiver in the draft.
13 St. Louis
DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
Donald will plug middle of defensive line for Rams.
14 Chicago
CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech
Bears take instinctive, physical defender.
15 Pittsburgh
LB Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
Aging defense gets boost with Shazier, who can play inside.
16 Dallas
OT Zack Martin, Notre Dame
Martin will walk in and start; Johnny Manziel wouldn’t have.
17 Baltimore
LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama
Ravens had pick of Alabama defenders, took Mosley.
18 N.Y. Jets
S Calvin Pryor, Louisville
Pryor is a fly-all-over-the-field free safety.
19 Miami
OT Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee
James, a four-year starter, is a safe pick for Dolphins.
20 New Orleans (from Arizona)
WR Brandin Cooks, Oregon St.
Cooks considered perhaps best route runner in draft.
21 Green Bay
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
Packers were only team without a pick by a safety last year.
22 Cleveland (from Philadelphia)
QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Johnny Football most-discussed player of the last two years.
23 Chiefs
LB Dee Ford, Auburn
Ford is big-time pass rusher, with 10 1/2 sacks last season.
24 Cincinnati
CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan St.
Bengals needed a corner and got a hard-hitter.
25 San Diego
CB Jason Verrett, TCU
Lacks height, but Chargers will love his tenacity.
26 Philadelphia (from Cleveland)
DE Marcus Smith, Louisville
Solid pass rusher who fits the Eagles’ scheme.
27 Arizona (from New Orleans)
S Deone Bucannon, Washington St.
Big hitter with 15 career interceptions.
28 Carolina
WR Kelvin Benjamin, Florida St.
Makes the tough catches; must work on the routine ones.
29 New England
DT Dominique Easley, Florida
Knee injuries kept him from a higher spot.
30 San Francisco
S Jimmie Ward, N. Illinois
In-the-box safety, but does he meet need?
31 Denver
CB Bradley Roby, Ohio State
Some suggest he could be top corner in this class.
32 Minnesota (from Seattle)
QB Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
Minnesota traded with Seahawks to get quarterback.
This story was originally published May 8, 2014 at 10:58 PM with the headline "NFL Draft first-round analysis."