Overall, 18 players on offense were taken Thursday, one shy of the Round 1 record. Offense: For the first time in draft history, the first seven players picked were on the offensive side of the ball.
Simply tremendous young man.Īlabama: College football's ruling dynasty tied the 2004 Miami Hurricanes by getting six players – Waddle, Smith, Jones, CB Patrick Surtain II, OL Alex Leatherwood and Harris – called in the first round. Najee Harris: The newest Pittsburgh Steeler held his draft party at a Bay Area homeless shelter where he spent a chunk of his youth. And with a motivated Jimmy Garoppolo still on the roster, no need to rush Lance into action – though he could definitely use the reps given he's played one football game in the last 16 months. 3 pick San Francisco paid so much for, coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch wisely invested in North Dakota State's Lance, whose upside seems to significantly outstrip Jones'. Finally, the Jaguars became the first team ever to draft a quarterback (Clemson's Lawrence) and running back (Travis Etienne) from the same backfield in the same first round.Ĥ9ers' smoke: After weeks of speculation that they'd pick Alabama QB Mac Jones with the No. Alabama WRs Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith will be playing with former Crimson Tide QBs in Miami (Tua Tagovailoa) and Philadelphia (Jalen Hurts), respectively. The Bengals grabbed LSU WR Ja'Marr Chase, who set SEC records with QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati's No.
Reunion tours: Quite a few incoming players will be teaming up anew with their erstwhile college teammates. This was also the third time (1971, 1999) when quarterbacks – Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Zach Wilson (Jets), Trey Lance (49ers) this year – were picked 1-2-3.
Quarterbacks: Five went off the board in the first round, one shy of the 1983 draft's record.