NFL Draft 2014 Preview: Date, Time, Draft Order And Complete Viewing Info For Three Day Player Selection Event

NFL Draft 2014 NYC — The 2014 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, May 8 from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Reuters

Following a long period of workouts that included the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine and individual pro days, college football stars who entered the player selection process are now hoping to hear their names called when the 2014 NFL Draft opens on Thursday, May 8. Superstar talents including former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney – who many project to be the No. 1 overall pick – and Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins are among the hundreds of players looking to latch on with one of the 32 teams in the National Football League and come Thursday, many will watch as their dreams become reality.

Making final preparations before beginning the draft process from Radio City Music Hall in New York City with the No. 1 overall selection, the Houston Texans have a number of needs but if they hold onto the top pick, various NFL Draft prognosticators think the AFC South franchise will select Jadeveon Clowney. Though a need for help at the quarterback position certainly exists in Houston following the trading of former signal-caller Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders, Houston may not be looking to spend that high a pick on any of the QB’s in the 2014 class. Draft-eligible QB’s including Johnny Manziel, former UCF star Blake Bortles, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr – whose brother David was selected with the top pick by the Texans in 2002 – stand as possible options but the South Carolina defensive end appears to be the leader for the top slot.

While the NFL Draft serves as an exciting time for professional football hopefuls and their families, many college coaches use the time to send their former players off one final time. Consistently among the nation’s top programs, the University of Alabama and head football coach Nick Saban have seen many Crimson Tide talents take their abilities to the next level and because of the way Saban’s program is structured, success with the Tide will in many cases lead to player selection in the NFL Draft, something the four-time National Champion is extremely proud of.

“We've had a lot of guys drafted, probably more in the last three, four, five years than anybody else in the country and have been very proud of the way our players have done in the NFL,” Saban, who will be one of 11 college coaches in attendance for Thursday night’s opening round, said recently. “We're going to have probably two or three guys in the first round, probably a couple more guys in the second round. So it's going to be exciting and I just wish all of our players out there the very best of luck in the draft.”