Tonight started off on a predictable note, as the names of Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, and Gerald McCoy were called (in that order). But soon after that, the Draft launched into exciting uncertainty towards the end of the top 10 selections, and continued until the very end of round one.

Of the many surprises, several stood out more than the rest.

Ndamukong Suh drafted by Detroit Lions (NFL.com)

First, was the Jaguars selection of Tyson Alualu. Unless I am mistaken, nobody predicted that pick, and many people, including myself, thought he would not be in the first round at all. Perhaps, the Jaguars are looking to transition to a 34 front.  I figured they would go for Earl Thomas, but those Jags seem to beat to their own drum.

Undoubtedly, the second biggest surprise was the dynamic drop-off of Mel Kiper’s favorite player, Jimmy Clausen.   What was going on there?  I’m sure Todd McShay is gloating to Kiper because McShay had been warning us that this could happen. Perhaps, McShay will get to be on set next year, instead of the too-talkative Steve Young.

By the way, did anyone else who was watching the draft on ESPN think that Young talked too much, and Kiper too little?

Third big surprise was the Eagles trade up to get Brandon Graham.  I am a huge fan of Graham, and he absolutely deserves to go this high. But I didn’t think many teams felt the same way.

Fourth shocking event was the fact that Tim Tebow wound up getting a call from the Broncos at #25.   When the cameras switched to the Tebow party, somehow I thought he was celebrating in a room not unlike a dentist’s office.

The fifth surprise for me was the absence of Taylor Mays.  I guess all teams saw his lack of instincts and were afraid of taking him in the first round.

And the sixth thing that caught me off guard was how far Bryan Bulaga slipped.  Him going to Green Bay makes a lot of sense. But thought he would be scooped up no later than #9.

The final surprise was how aggressive the Detroit Lions have become in the Draft. They came away with two impact players in Suh and Jahvid Best.  If they had waited to see if Best was available at #34, I think they would have been disappointed.

Overall, I was very excited to watch the first round this year.  The new format was an excellent decision because it not only gives the GM’s a breather, but it also makes watching the Draft more palatable for fans. I look forward to more trades tomorrow!

1. St Louis Rams- QB Sam Bradford

2. Detroit Lions- DT Ndamukong Suh

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DT Gerald McCoy

4. Redskins- OT Trent Williams

5. Kansas City Chiefs- OT Bryan Bulaga

6. Seattle Seahawks- OT Russell Okung

7. Cleveland Browns- DB Eric Berry

8. Oakland Raiders-  OT Anthony Davis

9. Buffalo Bills- QB Jimmy Clausen

10. Jacksonville Jaguars-  DB Earl Thomas

11. Denver Broncos- WR Dez Bryant

12. Miami Dolphins- DE Derrick Morgan

13. San Francisco 49ers- RB C.J. Spiller

14. Seattle Seahawks- WR Demaryius Thomas

15. New York Giants- ILB Rolando McClain

16. Tennessee Titans- DE Jason Pierre-Paul

17. San Francisco 49ers- DE Brandon Graham

18. Pittsburgh Steelers-  C Maurkice Pouncey

19. Atlanta Falcons- LB Sean Weatherspoon

20. Houston Texans- CB Joe Haden

21. Cincinnati Bengals- TE Jermaine Gresham

22. New England Patriots- DE Jared Odrick

23. Green Bay Packers- DE Jerry Hughes

24. Philadelphia Eagles- OG Mike Iupati

25. Baltimore Ravens- DT Dan Williams

26. Arizona Cardinals-  OLB Sergio Kindle

27. Dallas Cowboys-  S Taylor Mays

28. San Diego Chargers- RB Ryan Matthews

29. New York Jets- RB Jahvid Best

30. Minnesota Vikings- CB Kareem Jackson

31. Indianapolis Colts- LT Charles Brown

32. New Orleans Saints- DE Everson Griffen

Before I release my mock draft, it made sense to list the reasonable targets for each team.

Here they are:

1. St Louis Rams- QB Sam Bradford,  DT Gerald McCoy, DT Ndamukong Suh

2. Detroit Lions- DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Gerald McCoy, OT Trent Williams, OT Russell Okung

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DT Gerald McCoy, DT Ndamukong Suh, DB Eric Berry

4. Redskins- OT Trent Williams, OT Russell Okung

5. Kansas City Chiefs- OT Bryan Bulaga, OT Russell Okung, DB Eric Berry

6. Seattle Seahawks- OT Russell Okung, OT Bryan Bulaga, OT Trent Williams

7. Cleveland Browns- DB Eric Berry, QB Jimmy Clausen, WR Dez Bryant

8. Oakland Raiders- OT Trent Williams, OT Anthony Davis, OT Bruce Campbell, QB Jimmy Clausen

9. Buffalo Bills- OT Bryan Bulaga, QB Jimmy Clausen, RB C.J. Spiller

10. Jacksonville Jaguars- DB Eric Berry, DB Earl Thomas, RB C.J. Spiller, CB Joe Haden, DE Derrick Morgan

11. Denver Broncos- WR Dez Bryant, CB Joe Haden, ILB Rolando McClain

12. Miami Dolphins- DE Derrick Morgan, OLB Sergio Kindle, DB Earl Thomas

13. San Francisco 49ers- RB C.J. Spiller, CB Joe Haden,

14. Seattle Seahawks- RB C.J. Spiller, WR Dez Bryant, DE Derrick Morgan, WR Demaryius Thomas

15. New York Giants- ILB Rolando McClain, TE Jermaine Gresham,

16. Tennessee Titans- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, CB Joe Haden, C Maurkice Pouncey

17. San Francisco 49ers- CB Joe Haden, DE Brandon Graham

18. Pittsburgh Steelers-  C Maurkice Pouncey, ILB Rolando McClain, OG Mike Iupati, DE Jared Odrick

19. Atlanta Falcons- LB Sean Weatherspoon, DE Jerry Hughes

20. Houston Texans- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, CB Joe Haden

21. Cincinnati Bengals- TE Jermaine Gresham, DE Everson Griffen

22. New England Patriots- DE Jared Odrick, RB Ryan Matthews

23. Green Bay Packers- DE Jerry Hughes, CB Kyle Wilson

24. Philadelphia Eagles- OG Mike Iupati, CB

25. Baltimore Ravens- DT Dan Williams, CB Kareem Jackson, TE Rob Gronkowski, WR Demaryius Thomas,

26. Arizona Cardinals- NT Dan Williams, DE Jerry Hughes, OLB Sergio Kindle, TE Rob Gronkowski, NT Terrence Cody

27. Dallas Cowboys- OG Mike Iupati,  S Taylor Mays, OT Vladimir Ducasse

28. San Diego Chargers- RB Ryan Matthews, NT Terrence Cody

29. New York Jets- LB Sean Weatherspoon, WR Demaryius Thomas

30. Minnesota Vikings- CB, Kareem Jackson, CB Devin McCourty

31. Indianapolis Colts- LT Charles Brown, DT Brian Price

32. New Orleans Saints- DE Everson Griffen

-Wouldn’t the Texans have the most incredible set of DE’s if Jason Pierre-Paul fell to #20?

-There is no conceivable way that Sam Bradford gets past the #1 overall pick.  Whether it’s St Louis or some other team, he is going here.

- RB Ryan Matthews is going to be an excellent pro.  He’s a faster, more elusive version of Knowshon Moreno.

-Rolando McClain could slip into the late teens or early twenties. Yes, he is very smart. But unless you are super speedy and hit like a freight

Rolando McClain should be ready for a slip on Thursday (NFL.com)

train, inside linebackers don’t get picked early.

-TCU DE Jerry Hughes could be the smoothest  3-4 OLB in this draft.

-The 49ers better take C.J. Spiller or else he will tear them apart (Seahawks pick right after the 49ers) for years.

-To me, Derrick Morgan is a good, not great player. I wouldn’t pick him until the late teens/early twenties.

-The high second round will be exceedingly valuable. Some quality 1st round talent will leak into these spots.

-A bunch of teams will be looking at Tim Tebow in the early second round. In fact, I think someone will trade up to get him in the beginning of the second round.

-Jared Odrick will be a hot commodity in the early twenties.  He is clearly the best 3-4 DE available.