PHILADELPHIA -- In all of my years of doing this, I can't remember a wilder first 10 picks than what we saw unfold here Thursday night. And we were just getting started.
With Round 1 of the 2017 NFL draft in the books, let's run through some of the best picks of the night, the biggest surprises, my favorite team/player fit and the team that stole the show in Round 1. Here are the Round 1 awards.
Biggest steals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama (pick No. 19)
Howard fell further than he should've, the result of three wide receivers and three quarterbacks coming off the board in the top 12 picks. Tampa Bay entered the draft with a need for another playmaker in the middle of the field for Jameis Winston, and they ended up with Howard (No. 7 overall player) at pick 19. The Buccaneers have done a nice job of bolstering their passing game this offseason with the additions of DeSean Jackson and Howard, a help after Vincent Jackson's departure.
New York Jets
Jamal Adams, S, LSU (pick No. 6)
The Jets were the biggest beneficiaries of a wild first five picks. Adams, our No. 2 overall player, fell into their lap at the sixth overall pick. It was reminiscent of two years ago, when my No. 2 player (Leonard Williams) fell into the Jets' lap at the sixth pick. Adams is one of the few culture-changing players in this draft, and the Jets had a massive need for more players like that in the secondary. Total home run.
Best overall first round
San Francisco 49ers
Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford; Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama (picks No. 3 and 31)
Thomas and Foster are two of the eight best players in this draft, so this is quite a haul for the 49ers. But what really stands out are the additional picks GM John Lynch was able to acquire as he moved up and down the draft board. They collected a ransom from Chicago, as the Bears gave up third- and fourth-round picks this year and a third-rounder next year to move up to No. 2 and take QB Mitchell Trubisky. I mean, that was flat-out highway robbery. The 49ers used some of their extra ammo to trade back into the first round with Foster still on the board. All in all, San Francisco netted out with two Day 1 difference-makers on defense and extra midround picks. Not bad for Lynch's first draft.
Biggest surprises
Cincinnati Bengals
John Ross, WR, Washington (pick no. 9)
Ross is the best big-play threat in this draft. His 4.22 speed shows up all over the tape, but I'm a little surprised he came off the board this high -- and that Cincinnati was the team to select him. We had him as the No. 20 overall player, with durability questions keeping him from being ranked higher (he has had shoulder and knee issues). Yes, the Bengals needed to add depth to their WR corps, but after spending a second-rounder on Tyler Boyd last year, I was surprised to see them use another premium pick on a wide receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech (pick No. 10)
Leading up to the draft, I had heard that the Chiefs and Cardinals were eyeing Mahomes. With Arizona picking 13th overall, Kansas City opted to move all the way up from 27 to 10 to get their guy, giving up a 2017 third-round pick and a 2018 first-rounder. This is a great landing spot for Mahomes: He'll be given the time to refine his raw skill set, and won't be rushed onto the field. Andy Reid is the perfect QB mentor; I was just surprised Kansas City moved up that far. At the end of the day, no one will remember what the Chiefs gave away if Mahomes turns out to be its decade-long starter -- and the same's true for Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago.
Favorite fit
Atlanta Falcons
Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA (pick No. 26)
The Falcons needed to find an explosive pass-rusher to complement Vic Beasley Jr. off the edge. McKinley shows excellent first-step quickness on tape, and he plays his tail off. He has the best motor of any defensive player in this draft. The Falcons clearly covet speed on defense, and they added more to the fold on Thursday night.