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| 2014 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | May 8–10 |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall in New York City |
| Network(s) | ESPN, NFL Network |
| Overview | |
| 256 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Jadeveon Clowney, DE Houston Texans |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Lonnie Ballentine, S Houston Texans |
| Most selections (12) | New York Jets San Francisco 49ers |
| Fewest selections (5) | Indianapolis Colts |
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting",[1] was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 8 through May 10, 2014.[2][3][4] The draft started on May 8, 2014, at 8 pm EDT.[5] The draft was moved from its traditional time frame in late April due to a scheduling conflict at Radio City Music Hall.[6]
There was early discussion and rumors leading up to the draft on the future of staying at the current location in New York City, where it had been held since 1965. Given the increased interest the draft had garnered over the past decade,[7] there was belief that the event may have outgrown Radio City Music Hall, which had been the venue for the past eight drafts. The possibility of extending the draft to four days was also being discussed throughout the months leading up to the draft. The NFL decided in that summer that the 2015 NFL draft will take place at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
The Houston Texans opened the draft by selecting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the University of South Carolina. The last time a defensive player was taken with the first overall selection was in 2006, when the Texans selected Mario Williams.[8] The Texans also closed the draft with the selection of safety Lonnie Ballentine of the University of Memphis as Mr. Irrelevant, which is the title given to the final player selected.[9]
The 2014 draft made history when the St. Louis Rams selected Michael Sam in the seventh round. Sam, who became the first openly gay player to ever be drafted in the NFL, was selected 249th out of 256 picks in the draft. After this, Sam's jersey was the second best selling rookie jersey on the NFL's website.[10] Sam came out publicly in the months leading up to the draft, but he never actually made the final roster of an NFL team and was out of the league the same year.[11]
- ^ Hiro, Brian (April 21, 2010). "NFL: Draft's popularity shows no signs of abating". North County Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ Brinson, Will (May 28, 2013). "2014 NFL Draft date set for May 8–10 at Radio City in New York". Eye on Football (blog). CBS Sports. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ "NFL Draft Locations". FootballGeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "2014 NFL Draft notes" (PDF). National Football League. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
- ^ "Roger Goodell: Draft shifts to May". ESPN. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ Gagnon, Brad (April 22, 2013). "How the NFL Draft became the biggest non-sporting sports event". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "2014 NFL Draft round 1 notes" (PDF). National Football League. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ Corbett, Jim (May 11, 2014). "'Mr. Irrelevant' Lonnie Ballentine could prove title wrong". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ^ Silver, Michael. "St. Louis Rams draft Michael Sam, make NFL history". NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Connelly, Chris (February 10, 2014). "Mizzou's Michael Sam says he's gay". Outside the Lines (blog). ESPN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.