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Ranking the 12 Players Selected Before the Legendary Los Angeles Rams DT in the 2014 NFL Draft

Ranking the 12 Players Selected Before the Legendary Los Angeles Rams DT in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The “los angeles rams roster” is a list of the 12 players selected before the legendary Los Angeles Rams DT in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Rams filled out a card and added University of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald to their ranks after 12 choices in the 2014 NFL Draft. Few, if any, could have predicted that the 6-foot-1, 285-pound pass rusher would quickly enter the ranks of the game’s best players on draft night.

Donald has three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and six first-team All-Pro choices as of December 2021. He’s on his way to 100 sacks and has already shown himself worthy of a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Donald, on the other hand, finished 13th overall in 2014. To begin that year’s draft, twelve clubs, including the Rams, went in a different way. That of the 12 players who competed before Donald over eight years ago is the best?

Only on-field accomplishments and stats are used to rank players on this list. Off-field concerns, such as possible arrests, were not taken into account. The greatest players are ranked as follows, taking into account the aforementioned prerequisites:

12. Cleveland Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert (eighth overall)

Cleveland Browns defensive back Justin Gilbert in 2014.

Cleveland Browns defensive back Justin Gilbert in 2014. Justin Gilbert, a former Cleveland Browns defensive back, didn’t stay long in the league | Jason Miller/Getty Images

Was Gilbert doomed from the moment he was drafted eighth overall by the hapless Browns? Probably. After two seasons in Cleveland, the Oklahoma State product signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he finished his career in 2016. 

In his debut season, Gilbert did return an interception 23 yards for a score. You know, if you’re searching for anything good to take away from this. 

11. Greg Robinson, St. Louis Rams offensive tackle (second overall)

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Greg Robinson in 2019.

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Greg Robinson in 2019. Greg Robinson last played for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. | Diamond Images/Nick Cammett via Getty Images

With the exception of Gilbert, every player on this list made it to the conclusion of the decade in the NFL. Robinson, who started 70 games for three teams in six seasons, is certainly part of that group.

The 2013 SEC champion remained around long enough to earn almost $30 million in the NFL, despite never living up to his draft position. Even if we’re 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, we can afford to celebrate little triumphs.

10. Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions tight end (10th overall)

It’s a one-score game again as Ben Roethlisberger connects with Eric Ebron for a touchdown! The Steelers and Chargers have combined for 24 points and counting in the fourth quarter after a combined 37 points through three quarters! #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/qk5hwwLsiR (via @NFL)

November 22, 2021 — TSN EDGE (@TSN Edge)

Now comes the fun part, which is really talking about guys who are still playing in the NFL. In Detroit, Ebron never lived up to his draft hype (as is typically the case) and only had 11 touchdown receptions in four seasons.

When he joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, the North Carolina product bloomed into a Pro Bowl tight end, setting career highs in receptions (66), receiving yards (750), and touchdowns (13). He’s only 28 years old and in his second season with the Steelers.

9. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (fourth overall)

Is Watkins going to be a flop? Given that he was drafted fourth overall and has only had more than 50 receptions in a season once since 2016, the answer may seem apparent. In eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, he has accumulated over 5,000 yards and a Super Bowl ring.

If Watkins’ longevity keeps him out of the bust debate, we’ll just say he never lived up to the high draft pick he received in 2014. Considering how explosive the two-time All-American was at Clemson, we don’t blame the Bills for picking him.

Blake Bortles (QB, Jacksonville Jaguars) is ranked No. 8 in the NFL (third overall)

In his greatest years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Blake Bortles was a turnover-prone quarterback who nevertheless understood how to tear through opposition defenses. In five seasons with the Jaguars, the UCF great completed 59.3 percent of his throws for 17,646 yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions.

Bortles’ turnover issues never improved, and the Jaguars cut ties with him following the 2018 season. Since then, he’s been a practice squad and backup quarterback all around the league. There are lot worse occupations to hold in 2021, believe us.

7. Houston Texans DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney (first overall)

There will be intriguing and in-depth discussions on Jadeveon Clowney and his status as the No. 1 overall choice. From 2016 through 2018, he was named to the Pro Bowl every year, amassing 24.5 sacks and 53 tackles for loss. Throughout the remainder of the year, he’s battled injuries and inconsistency, and he’s now on his fourth club in four years.

Clowney has accomplished enough to no longer be considered a draft bust. He wouldn’t go first overall… or second overall… or certainly anywhere in the top 20 if clubs had a chance to conduct the 2014 NFL Draft all over again.

6. Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (sixth overall)

Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Jake Matthews in 2021.Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Jake Matthews in 2021.

Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Jake Matthews in 2021.Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Jake Matthews in 2021. The Atlanta Falcons’ Jake Matthews is still going strong | Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Jake Matthews, the son of Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans veteran Bruce Matthews, was picked by the Atlanta Falcons with the hopes of being a 10-year starter at left tackle. Fortunately for the Falcons, this has proven to be the case. Matthews is in his eighth season as a starter, and from 2014 to 21, he only missed one potential game.

Matthews, who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018, is still going strong and is under contract through the conclusion of the 2023 season. Don’t be shocked if the Texas A&M graduate, who will be 30 in February, spends the rest of his career in Atlanta.

5. Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans offensive tackle (11th overall)

Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan in 2021.

Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan in 2021. Taylor Lewan has had a successful career with the Tennessee Titans | Getty Images/Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire

Lewan has had a good career at Tennessee, save from allowing Chandler Jones to record five sacks against him in Week 1 of the 2021 season. The Michigan graduate has been selected to three Pro Bowls and has started five postseason games as of December 2021.

Lewan, like Matthews, has a contract that runs through the conclusion of the 2023 season. If both players spend their first ten seasons with the same team, it will be a remarkable monument to their careers.

4. New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (12th overall)

As a result, there’s a lot of anger regarding Beckham’s weight. If we were compiling this list today, the three-time Pro Bowler would undoubtedly be in the top three. However, his recent injury concerns pushed him to fourth place, and if we had taken into account his behavioral troubles in our evaluation, he may have placed much lower.

Having said that, the LSU product had over 500 receptions and 7,000 receiving yards in 2021, so we won’t be too harsh on him. Overall, OBJ has performed well, and he still has plenty of time to win a playoff game.

3. Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings linebacker (ninth overall)

Barr is an interesting third-round pick, particularly given his own injury issues; the former UCLA standout has only played 16 games in a season twice in his career. He is, however, a four-time Pro Bowler who has been a key player of the Minnesota Vikings for many years.

We’re not going to lie and claim Barr has outperformed Beckham. In fact, in the next years, the latter has a good opportunity to surpass the experienced linebacker on this list. Barr is currently in third place overall.

2. Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders linebacker (fifth overall)

Mack’s first eight seasons were marked with 76.5 sacks, 103 tackles for loss, and 33 forced fumbles, as of the end of the 2021 season. He’s been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL for many seasons and may easily reach 100 career sacks in 2022, barring any injury setbacks.

Mack, as good as he has been, has one flaw: he isn’t Mike Evans.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (seventh overall)

Donald has almost won his bronze bust and Hall of Fame berth. Mike Evans is the only other player from the 2014 draft who we feel has done enough to join him in Canton, Ohio, as of December 2021.

Evans has over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons, and he was on course to do it again in 2021, as of publishing. Even though he is just 28, the three-time Pro Bowler is already one of only 66 players in NFL history with over 9,000 receiving yards. If Evans can remain healthy and achieve 12,000 yards, a bronze bust in his image will be sculpted.

RELATED: The 7 Quarterbacks Who Were Drafted Before Cowboys Star Dak Prescott in the 2016 NFL Draft

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  • 2014 nfl draft
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