UCF quarterback Blake Bortles, the 2013 American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 3 overall pick, highlighting a group of four American Athletic Conference players chosen in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and a group of 12 players from the American taken over the three-day selection process.

Louisville led The American with five players drafted, while UCF, UConn and SMU had two players each selected. Memphis had one player chosen.
 
After Bortles was taken third overall, Louisville had three players taken in the first round. Safety Calvin Pryor went to the New York Jets with the No. 18 pick in the first round, while Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith – the 2013 American Defensive Player of the Year – went to the Philadelphia Eagles at pick No. 26. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was tabbed by the Minnesota Vikings with the final pick of the first round after trading up to the No. 32 spot.
 
The American’s four first-round selections trailed only the SEC, which had 11, and the ACC, which had five. The Big Ten joined The American with four first-rounders, while the Pac-12 had three and the Big 12 and MAC had two each.
 
Bortles was the first quarterback chosen in the draft and became the highest selection in UCF history, surpassing Daunte Culpepper, who was taken 11th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999. The selection caps an incredible collegiate career for Bortles, who came to UCF as a three-star recruit in 2010, took over as the Knights’ starter in 2012 and played his way into the national spotlight in 2013, his first year in The American.
 
Bortles was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and was an all-conference first-team selection after he threw for 3,581 yards and 25 touchdowns, rushed for 272 yards and six TDs, and completed 67.8 percent of his passes. He finished the season by leading UCF to a 52-42 win against Big 12 champion Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, earning Offensive MVP honors in the process.
 
Aside from his individual accolades, Bortles led UCF to a 12-1, and an 8-0 mark in the American Athletic Conference and a final Associated Press ranking of No. 10. He went 22-5 as a starter in his career, including a 2-0 mark in bowl games, and helped UCF to a Conference USA East Division title as a sophomore.
 
Pryor, like Bortles, was the first player at his position taken in the 2014 draft as the hard-hitting safety was tabbed by the New York Jets with the 18th pick overall. Pryor was a first team all-conference selection and an Athlon Sports second team All-America choice after he had 75 tackles and three interceptions as a junior in 2013.
 
Smith was a first team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America and a second-team Walter Camp All-America pick after he led the nation with 14.5 sacks and had 17.5 tackles for loss in 2013. Smith was recruited to Louisville as a quarterback before moving to linebacker and, eventually, defensive end.
 
Bridgewater led the nation in completion percentage (71.0 percent) and threw for 3,970 yards and 31 touchdowns for Louisville in 2013. He capped his junior year by throwing for 447 yards and three TDs in Louisville’s 36-9 win against Miami (Fla.) in the Russell Athletic Bowl, earning game MVP honors. He was the 2012 Big East Offensive Player of the Year and the MVP of the Allstate Sugar Bowl after he led the Cardinals to a share of the conference title and a postseason win against No. 3 Florida.
 
 
American Athletic Conference Players Chosen in the 2014 NFL Draft
 

Round	Overall	Player	Pos	School	NFL Team
1	3	Blake Bortles	QB	UCF	Jacksonville
1	18	Calvin Pryor	S	Louisville	New York Jets
1	26	Marcus Smith	DE	Louisville	Philadelphia
1	32	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville	Minnesota
3	73	Preston Brown	LB	Louisville	Buffalo
5	150	Aaron Lynch	DE	USF	San Francisco
6	180	Kenneth Acker	CB	SMU	San Francisco
6	214	Garrett Gilbert	QB	SMU	St. Louis
7	220	Shamar Stephen	DT	UConn	Minnesota
7	222	Storm Johnson	RB	UCF	Jacksonville
7	238	Yawin Smallwood	LB	UConn	Atlanta
7	256	Lonnie Ballentine	S	Memphis	Houston