2014 NFL Draft: Day one winners and losers

Day 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft is done and over. Some teams made immediate improvements to their rosters, while some fell short of doing so, settling for less than ideal options.

Here are the winners and losers of day one:

Winners

Buffalo Bills - The Bills showed some gusto and trading up to get the bonafide number one receiver in the draft class, Sammy Watkins. This move now gives the Bills a dangerous and deep receiving group of Watkins, Robert Woods, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams, and Marquise Goodwin. Coach Doug Marrone now has ample options for quarterback E.J. Manuel to throw the ball to, and if Manuel progresses, the Bills could be challenging the Patriots for AFC East supremacy in the near future.

St. Louis Rams - With two draft picks yet again in the first, the Rams were able to make their roster more complete yet again. Greg Robinson was a solid choice at pick two, as he should improve the offensive line from day one, and I loved the pick of defensive lineman Aaron Donald. The Rams now have a dangerous front seven, with many players that can get to the quarterback, including Donald, who's a great run stopper and shows surprising agility and quick feet for a big boy.

New Orleans Saints - Besides second year player Kenny Stills and Jimmy Graham, the Saints options at receiver are either getting older or lack above average talent. The move of drafting Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks was a perfect pick for the Saints and their fast track offense that gets to play 8+ games per year on turf. Cooks is a speedster that can blow the top off a defense, and after losing Darren Sproles the Saints needed a versatile and shifty option in the passing game. Along with Stills, the Saints are going to be a handful for secondaries to account for, on any given play Cooks and Stills have the ability to make a big play.

Chicago Bears - With Aaron Donald going off the board a pick prior, I loved the pick of Fuller. Going up against the Lions and Packers two times a year would continue to be very challenging if the Bears didn't try to improve their secondary, as they were used and abused last year often. Fuller is an aggressive corner that also plays disciplined, is able to break up most plays when a ball is thrown his way, and is a willing run defender. The other option here would have been safety, but I feel the Bears made the right choice.

Losers

Carolina Panthers - The Panthers desperately needed a receiver and found one in Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin, but I don't feel it was the right choice. Benjamin still has rawness to his game and is on the older side for a rookie at 23 years old. The depth at receiver is so bad for Carolina they should have instead looked for a wideout with a little more polish, such as Marqise Lee, Cody Latimer, or Allen Robinson. If it takes Cam Newton and Benjamin a while to get on the same page, this will be a long year for the Panthers.

Johnny Manziel - I will concede that the 2014 Browns could field a competitive team, as they have talent at many positions, but is there where Manziel really wanted to go? Until proven otherwise when it comes to sports, Cleveland is a town where championship dreams come to die. Good players stay for a little while and leave the first chance they get.

Detroit Lions - The Lions drafted the best tight end prospect, Eric Ebron, which would have made sense if they didn't have Brandon Pettigrew and promising second year 6'7" Joseph Fauria at the position. The Lions are allergic to the idea of improving their secondary, and they really need to bolster it. They have enough options for the time being in the passing game and it would have been a better route to draft a cornerback or safety in this spot.

Jerry Jones - The Cowboys ended up picking a versatile lineman in Zack Martin, a safe pick. The pick isn't bad, but Ian Rapoport tweeted that Jerry listened to his scouts for the selection. I would have preferred to know who Jerry really wanted, as he has the tendency to do crazy things in the draft. Was Jerry thinking kicker here? Did he find a sleeper that he was going to go all in on? We may never know.