2014
The 2014 offseason looked like another exciting one, and it didn't disappoint. This year there wasn't much to talk about in free agency, but it was the draft that got the main headlines. Before the draft, the Colts, Ravens, and Chargers orchestrated a massive trade that sent Joe Flacco to San Diego, Peyton Manning to Baltimore, and the Colts some first round picks. This huge deal overshadowed the draft, which featured an ok class. Here are the first round selections and other high profile guys:
1. JAC: Wiley Fancyson T/Boise State
2. CLE: Dee Franklin T/Oklahoma
3. ARZ: Greg Shards DE/Michigan
4. DET: Quiet Brown CB/Penn State
5. WAS: Mike Duul G/Oklahoma
6. CLE: Johnny Klein S/LSU
7. NYJ: Kid Grease DE/Troy
8. SD: Todd Lyons S/Texas
9. NE: Ray Morgan S/Georgia
10. DEN: Cody Mannion CB/Oklahoma
11. ATL: Dre Wright S/Alabama
12. STL: Andy Deffers LB/Virginia Tech
13. TB: Tyler Lopez QB/Arkansas
14. MIN: Brady Cunningham WR/Oklahoma
15. CAR: Jeff Brown DT/North Carolina
16. NE: Rich Ryan DE/Northwestern
17. DAL: Troy Glaver C/Wisconsin
18. SF: Canton James DE/West Virginia
19. TEN: Kelly Eubanks LB/Florida State
20. PIT: Rod Browning HB/Alabama
21. OAK: Alex Ryans LB/Alabama
22. NO: Phillips Phillups TE/Auburn
23. CHI: Ezra Taylor LB/Alabama
24. PHI: Peter Patterson LB/Stanford
25. KC: Brian Cain S/Alabama
26. SEA: Teddy Jordan S/N.C. State
27. CLE: Canta Alualu LB/Arizona
28. MIA: Orlando Banks S/USC
29. CLE: Bobby Verlander T/Oregon
30. DET: Drew Martinez Kill LB/N.C. State
31. BUF: Maurice Long S/Oklahoma
32. HOU: J.P. Morgan C/BYU
34. BAL: Percy Young QB/Michigan State
36. DET: Seal Tatum G/Stanford
41. NYG: Christian Zazzali QB/Wisconsin
51. TEN: Eben Walowitz HB/Mississippi State
53. CIN: Jonah Hernandez QB/ECU
55. IND: Justin Robinson QB/Kentucky
68. DET: Brian Lee LB/Alabama
75. ATL: Tommy Schweers QB/LSU
83. DET: Jared Fairchild S/Texas Tech
84. PIT: Norman Hale K/Fresno State
95. NYG: Stefan Paccioli HB/Wisconsin
100. DET: Demetrius Sutton DT/ Boise State
161. JAC: Toad Wilson QB/Michigan
177. OAK: Jim Payge HB/Wisconsin
224. HOU: Josh Romney QB/Oregon (Mr. Irrelevant)
NOTE: I was able to recap this draft better because I recorded the picks, as opposed to the other ones, which I recalled off the top of my head.
Unfortunately, the 2014 NFL season would not be as exciting as the ones before it as there would be no 2014 season. The players and league could not come to terms until November 2014, where they finally reached a deal that heads into 2020.