The most unpredictable first round in perhaps NFL history has come and gone. For starters, wow. Last night was a shellshock of a night that saw two star receivers get traded in Marquise Brown and A.J. Brown. The Titans recouped another receiver at the end of the night, while the Cardinals sent their first-round selection to Baltimore for Brown and a third-round pick. That was just the start of everything that happened, which doesn’t include picks overall, plus only one quarterback going in the first round. Without further ado, let’s get into the most surprising picks of the night.
5. New York Giants – Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
When the Giants went on the clock with the fifth selection, everyone thought they would select Evan Neal. Well… they did, just two picks later with their second first-round selection. With the fifth pick, New York shocked everyone by taking Thibodeaux, who many said would slide. Thibodeaux comes in immediately and will be paired with Azeez Ojulari, and the New York brass hopes they can terrorize quarterbacks for years to come.
12. Detroit Lions – Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
Last year, the Eagles traded up with the Cowboys when they wanted to select DeVonta Smith, which many said was weird because it was an in-division trade. This year, the Lions moved up 20 whole spots and threw in their pick in the second round to trade with the division-rival Vikings to take Jameson Williams. It was a massive shock to see the Lions move up that far and not take a quarterback. Now, Jared Goff has a young trio of Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and DJ Chark to throw to. Minnesota moved down and grabbed the second pick in the second round tomorrow, while the Lions will have to wait until pick 46 to pick on Friday.
15. Houston Texans – Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M
When the Texans skipped out on a tackle to take Derek Stingley with the third overall pick, many were surprised. Then, the Texans moved down and recouped day three capital to move down two spots with the Eagles. After moving down, the Texans selected Green, who could play tackle or guard for them. The surprise was that he went as early as he did. Green had a low relative athletic score, and while the Texans are doing the right thing building up their offensive line, they let Zion Johnson slip to the Chargers two picks later.
16. Washington Commanders – Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
Another team moving down in the first round was the Commanders. Washington moved down with the Saints, picking up two mid-round picks in the process. When Washington went on the clock at 16, there was a lot of intrigue around the selection. The Commanders ended up selecting Dotson, who had quite a wide range of draft value on mock draft sites. Dotson will join Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Dyami Brown in the receiving room. While Dotson isn’t a horrible prospect, it was surprising to see him go so high.
18. Tennessee Titans – Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
It was a massive shock when the Titans traded their star receiver to the Eagles, who immediately gave him a shiny new contract. Burks is similar to Brown in many ways, and Tennessee immediately replaced the guy they just traded in the first round. Burks will immediately factor into the Tennessee offense from the start, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make more of an impact than expected in year one.
22. Green Bay Packers – Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
This was the second-most surprising selection of the first round. Even with all of the receivers off the board, the Packers had a ton of defensive talent to choose from at their disposal. With a need at edge rusher and safety, Green Bay had plenty of options from their 22nd slot. If there was one position the Packers were least expected to take in round one, it was linebacker. De’Vondre Campbell just signed a five-year extension, and Krys Barnes is fine. Green Bay has generally not valued the linebacker position, so this was a massive surprise to see Walker, who many didn’t have as a first-round prospect.
Both Baltimore Selections – Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum
The Ravens always seem to take the players that shouldn’t be there when they select, and tonight it happened twice. While Baltimore didn’t necessarily need Hamilton, they took the best player available. Linderbaum slid down the board, and when the Ravens went on the clock, everyone who knows anything about the draft knew who the selection was, just because they always get the players that somehow slide down the board. Baltimore added capital and added potentially two top-five talents, regardless of position.
29. New England Patriots – Cole Strange, IOL, Tennessee-Chattanooga
The Patriots moved down from 21 with the Chiefs, and while that wasn’t a surprise, the player New England selected after trading down was. With linebackers and cornerbacks on the board, the Patriots shocked everyone by taking Strange from UT-Chattanooga. After trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots had a need at their guard spot. While most media outlets are furious in the Boston area, this pick isn’t that bad, considering Strange likely wouldn’t have been there for the New England pick in the second round, according to those connected to the league.
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