The 2014 Entire NFL Draft Review

Wide Receiver - Mike Evans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers first overall pick.

The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL). The draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on May 8th through May 10th, 2014. One of the most anticipated drafts in recent years kicked off on May 8, 2014 at 8 pm EDT. The draft was moved from its traditional time frame in late April due to a scheduling conflict at Radio City Music Hall.

There was early discussion and rumors leading up to the draft on the future of staying at the current location in New York City, where it has been held since 1965. Given the increased interest the draft has garnered over the past decade, there was belief that the event may have outgrown Radio City Music Hall, which has been the venue for the past nine drafts. The possibility of extending the draft to four days was also being discussed throughout the months leading up to the draft. The NFL decided in that summer that the 2015 NFL Draft will take place at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

The Houston Texans opened the draft by selecting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the University of South Carolina. The last time a defensive player was taken with the first overall selection was in 2006, when the Texans selected Mario Williams. The Texans also closed the draft with the selection of safety Lonnie Ballentine of the University of Memphis as Mr. Irrelevant, which is the title given to the final player selected.

The 2014 NFL draft made history when the St. Louis Rams selected Michael Sam in the seventh round. Sam, who became the first openly gay player to ever be drafted in the NFL, was selected 249th out of 256 picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. Sam came out publicly in the months leading up to the draft.

A few notable players drafted in 2014 were Johnny Manziel, Derek Carr, Blake Bortles, Khalil Mack, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald, Jadeveon Clowney, Mike Evans, and Sammy Watkins.

A record 98 underclassmen announced their intention to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility and declare themselves available to be selected in the draft. When including four players who received degrees but still had eligibility remaining, the number swells to 102. Fourteen underclassmen—plus Teddy Bridgewater who graduated with eligibility remaining—were selected in the draft's first round, including the first four and six of the first ten players selected.

The draft order is based generally on each team's record from the previous season, with teams which qualified for the postseason selecting after those which failed to make the playoffs. The Houston Texans with a 2–14 record in 2013 held the first selection of each round. The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens finished 2013 with identical 8–8 records and strength of schedule ratings, hence a coin flip was used to determine the selection order — the Cowboys won the flip and thus selected ahead of the Ravens.

The Buccaneers selected from 7th through 3rd in each round starting with the 13th pick in the first round. The 4th round pick was traded to the NY Jets for Darrelle Revis. The Buccaneers traded a 7th & 2015 5th round picks to Buffalo Bills for an additional 5th round pick. The Buccaneers obtained a 6th round pick from Buffalo Bills for Mike Willams. The Buccaneers traded a 6th round pick to Chicago Bears for Defensive Tackle Gabe Carimi.

Click Any Year Here To Review The Entire NFL Draft & Notable Undrafted Players

Player Selections

Notable Undrafted Players

Hall of Famers

• No player selected in this draft has yet been inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. (If we've missed someone please advise)