NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Houston Texans
beefed up their defensive line by taking extraordinary pass rusher
Jadeveon Clowney from the University of South Carolina with the first
pick of the 2014 National Football League Draft on Thursday.
The Texans, picking first after a league-worst 2-14 season,
kicked off the annual selection party at Radio City Music Hall by
taking defensive end Clowney to partner two-time All-Pro DE J.J.
Watt, the league Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
"I'm going to do everything I can to help the program," said
Clowney, who 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."
Commissioner Roger Goodell was subjected to some jeering as he
officially opened the draft, which produces the primary pool of
talent for NFL teams as well as plenty to cheer and boo for
thousands of fans in attendance decked out in team jerseys.
Clowney was the first of 32 picks in the first round of the draft.
Rounds two and three will be held on Friday with the last four
rounds conducted on Saturday in the three-day extravaganza.
A freakish athlete, Clowney, who stands 6-feet-5 (1.96 m) and weighs
266 pounds (121 kg), stunned observers at the NFL Scouting Combine
in February by running a blistering 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash
- a time better than many of the wide receivers tested.
The St. Louis Rams used the second pick of the draft to take Auburn
offensive tackle Greg Robinson, with the Jacksonville Jaguars
grabbing quarterback Blake Bortles of Central Florida University
with the third choice.
Jacksonville's selection of Bortles seemed to stun the crowd, many
of whom had anticipated that Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel would be the
first quarterback taken in the draft.
The first trade of the draft sent Cleveland's pick to the Buffalo
Bills, who used the fourth pick to take dynamic wide receiver Sammy
Watkins of Clemson.
In return, the Browns got Buffalo's first-round pick, number nine
overall, as well as the Bills' first-round choice in 2015 and their
fourth-round pick next year.
Hard-hitting linebacker Khalil Mack from the University of Buffalo
was taken fifth by the Oakland Raiders ahead of offensive tackle
Jake Matthews of Texas A&M, the latest member of his illustrious NFL
family to join the league.
Matthews will be the seventh member of the clan to play in the
league following his grandfather Clay Matthews Sr., his father Bruce
Matthews, uncle Clay Matthews Jr., and cousins Clay Matthews III and
Casey Matthews, and brother Kevin Matthews.
"It's been my dream since I was a kid," the Falcons player said
before being asked about his famed football family. "That's some big
shoes to fill. I'm just so proud to have this last name, and excited
to be on the Atlanta Falcons."
Cleveland kept their trading cap on, sending a fifth-round pick to
Minnesota to move from ninth to eighth spot and select cornerback
Justin Gilbert after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected towering wide
receiver Mike Evans from Texas A&M.
Minnesota followed by taking linebacker Anthony Barr out of UCLA
before former Detroit Lions running back and Hall of Famer Barry
Sanders announced that Detroit had selected tight end Eric Ebron
from North Carolina to round out the top 10 picks.
