A Look at the First Round of the Draft Class of 2014

The Draft Class of 2014 is entering Year 3!

That means if the players in the first round haven’t made an impact on their respective teams yet, now is the time to do so now. And if they don’t, teams start making plans that don’t include them. Fifth-year options don’t get picked up and there’s no second contract with that team.

And if the team doesn’t get a big-time free agent to replace them, they’ll be drafting pretty high at their position soon. Then the player has the shame of being officially labeled a bust. There are no grades as the players that aren’t already on track have this year to turn things around.

The writer here has tried a couple of draft grade articles before the three-year mark but will no longer. There are too many factors involved when evaluating how a prospect is doing. You have injuries and those count over time if a player can’t stay healthy and on the field.

Then you have scheme fits as there are often coaching changes right after a player gets picked. The more versatile prospects have to adapt to position changes as some of these players fit different roles than they did in college. Plus every coach’s vision for a player is different.

It takes time to sort that out so we’re only tracking each pick’s progress to date.

Turn the page for a look at what I see on these picks!

Next: Houston Texans