5 Best Defensive Stocks To Own For 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The 2014 NFL Draft is in full swing this weekend at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The crown jewel of the NFL's offseason, the draft features NFL teams looking to bolster their rosters with the top college prospects in the country.

This year's first round concluded on Thursday with Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina being picked by the Houston Texans with the number one overall selection. Potential difference makers Sammy Watkins (WR Clemson, drafted by the Buffalo Bills), Teddy Bridgewater (QB Louisville, drafted by the Minnesota Vikings) and Johnny Manziel aka Johnny Football (QB Texas A&M, drafted by the Cleveland Browns) were all picked on the first day of the three day 7-round event.

A single draft can make or break a franchise for years to come. Waste a top pick on a bust, and it could set your franchise back immensely. However, score on a pick and the returns could set your franchise up for success for a decade.

Current and Future Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, John Elway and Dan Marino were all selected in the first round, and while there have certainly been gems taken in later rounds -- three time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady was chosen in the sixth round --, the first round represents the best opportunity for franchises to turn their fortunes around, or continue with the success they have already built.

That being said it often takes four or five seasons to fully evaluate a draft pick's impact on a team. These are the top 10 first round draft picks of the past 5 years.

10. 


Percy Harvin

Drafted By: Minnesota Vikings

Year/Selection: 2009/22nd pick

College: Florida

Position: Wide Receiver

Percy Harvin is one of the few players from this draft class to not be with the team that originally drafted him -- he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks last offseason -- but he is one of the most dangerous players in the league with the ball i! n his hands. The Wide Reciever and kick return specialist won a Super Bowl this past season with the Seahawks, and despite missing much of the year with various injuries, made an impact on the big game by returning a kick off for a touchdown.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2015: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd (NAK)

Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (Northern Dynasty) is engaged in the exploration of mineral properties. The Company holds 650 square miles of mineral claims in southwest Alaska, United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 50% interest in the Pebble Limited Partnership (the Pebble Partnership). The Pebble Partnership owns the Pebble Copper-Gold-Molybdenum Project (the Pebble Project). Its principal mineral property interest is located in Alaska, United States. The Pebble property (Pebble) is located in southwest Alaska, 19 miles (30 kilometers) from the villages of Iliamna and Newhalen, and approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of the city of Anchorage. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiaries include 3537137 Canada Inc., Northern Dynasty Partnership and U5 Resources Inc. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the re-acquired 100% ownership and control of the Pebble Partnership. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the move: Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ) is up 26% at $12.55 following the company�� acquisition by Packaging Corporation of America Inc. (NYSE: PKG) for $12.55 a share ($1.28 billion). Omeros Corp. (NASDAQ: OMER) is up 68.2% at $8.56 following an analyst upgrade. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NYSEArca: NAK) is down 33.3% at $1.48 following an announcement from Anglo American plc that it was withdrawing from a massive copper mining project in Alaska.

• [By Ben Kramer-Miller]

  This article is about Northern Dynasty Minerals (NAK). Northern Dynasty Minerals has a market capitalization of $190 million. It is a 50% owner of the Pebble Mine in Alaska.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Canadian mineral exploration and development company Northern Dynasty Minerals (NYSEMKT: NAK  ) has approved an $80 million budget for 2013 to advance its Pebble project in Alaska.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Own For 2014: Vale SA (VALE5)

Vale SA (Vale) is a Brazil-based metals and mining company. The Company services are divided into four segments: Bulk Material, including the extraction of iron ore, manganese and ferroalloys, as well as pellet production; Basic metals, comprising the production of non-ferrous minerals, including nickel, copper and aluminum; Fertilizers, including the production of potash, phosphate and nitrogen; and Logistic services, including cargo transportation for third parties divided into rail transport, port and shipping services. Additionally, Vale is active in investments in joint ventures and associate in other businesses. The Company operates through subsidiaries and jointly-controlled entities, incorporated in Brazil, Chile, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Mozambique, Singapore and the USA, among others. In December, 2013, the Company sold Sociedad Contractual Minera Tres Valles to Inversiones Porto San Giorgio SA. In December 2013, it sold entire stake in Log-in Logistica Intermodal SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5) may be active after agreeing to pay 22.3 billion reais ($9.6 billion) to settle a tax dispute with Brazil over profits at its foreign units. Meatpacker Minerva SA may move after Russia lifted a ban on beef exports from one of its plants.

• [By Zahra Hankir]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index advanced 0.2 percent to 1,044.66. The Ibovespa jumped to the highest level since March 18 as iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5) rallied, while AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. drove the FTSE/JSE Africa All Shares Index to a record in Johannesburg. South Africa�� rand jumped to a one-month high, pacing gains among 24 developing-nation currencies.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Own For 2014: Pervasive Software Inc.(PVSW)

Pervasive Software, Inc. provides embeddable software and SaaS services for data management, data integration, B2B exchange, and analytics. Its embeddable Pervasive PSQL database engine provides database reliability in a near-zero database administration environment for packaged business applications. Pervasive Software?s multi-purpose data integration platform, available on-premises and in the cloud, accelerates the sharing of information between multiple data stores, applications, and hosted business systems, and allows customers to re-use the same software for diverse integration scenarios. Pervasive DataRush is an embeddable parallel-processing platform enabling data-intensive applications, such as claims processing, risk analysis, fraud detection, data mining, predictive analytics, sales optimization, and marketing analytics. The company serves customers in approximately 150 countries. Pervasive Software, through Pervasive Innovation Labs, also invests in the explorat ion and creation of solutions for the data analysis and data delivery challenges. Pervasive Software, Inc. has a strategic alliance with A.D.A.M. Inc. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas with additional offices in Greenville, South Carolina; Brussels, Belgium; Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, France; and London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Pervasive Software(R) Inc. (NASDAQ:PVSW), a global leader in cloud-based and on-premises data innovation, reported that it is in receipt of an unsolicited non-binding letter from Actian Corporation proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Pervasive common stock for $8.50 per share in cash.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Own For 2014: Charm Communications Inc.(CHRM)

Charm Communications Inc. operates as an advertising agency in China. The company offers a range of advertising agency services from planning and managing the advertising campaigns to creating and placing the advertisements. It places advertisements for its clients on a range of television channels, including CCTV, and satellite and regional television channels, and on other media platforms, including Internet and out-of-home media. The company also engages in media investment management through identifying, securing, and selling of advertising resources. In addition, it provides branding and identity services, including design, development, and production of advertisements; and marketing consulting services. The company is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) reported a drop in its third-quarter profit. Time Warner Cable's quarterly profit fell to $532 million, or $1.84 per share, from $808 million, or $2.60 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here. Synergy Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SGYP) today announced the start of a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SP-333, its second-generation GC-C agonist and once-daily oral treatment, in adult patients with opioid-induced constipation (OIC). To read the full news, click here. Cigna (NYSE: CI) reported a 19% rise in its third-quarter earnings and lifted its full-year earnings outlook. To read the full news, click here. Charm Communications (NASDAQ: CHRM) announced today that the special committee of the Company's board of directors, consisting of independent directors Mr. Zhan Wang, Mr. Andrew J. Rickards and Mr. Gang Chen, has retained China Renaissance Securities (Hong Kong) Limited as its financial advisor and Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP as its legal advisor. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Bank of America US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets