NFL Draft 2014: Texans opt for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in first pick
Houston Texans have opted for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as the first overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
The Texans bucked the trend of snapping up a quarterback as the No 1 pick instead signing the fearsome South Carolina pass rusher.
Clowney will now team up with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt as the Texans look to put last season’s disappointments behind them.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help the program,” said the 6ft 5in, 266lbs player.
He registered 24 sacks and 130 tackles in three seasons and became the first sophomore to win the Hendricks Award as the nation’s most outstanding defensive end.
“To be the number one pick is the greatest feeling in the world.”
The St Louis Rams also chose to bolster their defence as they made Greg Robinson, a 6ft 5in 332lb offensive tackle from Auburn, the second overall pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars who secured the first quarterback of the Draft as they announced Blake Bortles as the No 3 overall pick – overlooking college star Johnny Manziel.
Manziel had been tipped by some to be the No 1 pick, however, he had to wait for the Cleveland Browns to come in for him at 22nd in the pecking order.
The other QB to be snapped up was Teddy Bridgewater, with the Louisville prospect teaming up with the Minnesota Vikings as the final pick of the night.
The Buffalo Bills traded up five places to take Sammy Watkins with the No 4 pick, with Clemson WR having scored 24 touchdowns in his two years of college football.
The Bills sent their first-round picks this year and next, plus a fourth-rounder in 2015, to Cleveland Browns in order to be in position to take Watkins.
Khalil Mack was the first of four linebackers to be drafted as he joined the Oakland Raiders as the fifth overall pick, with Anthony Barr (Vikings), CJ Mosley (Baltimore Ravens) and Ryan Shazier (Pittsburgh Steelers) also securing first-round deals.
The surprise of the first-round came as the Philadelphia Eagles selected Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith – with the one-time quarterback likely to be utilised as an outside linebacker.
