The first round of the 2010 NFL Draft took place Thursday night.

Starting with quarterback Sam Bradford going to the St. Louis Rams, the first NFL draft in prime time was a showcase for the Big 12.

The Oklahoma junior became the eighth quarterback since 2001 taken atop the draft. He was immediately followed by Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, taken by the Detroit Lions; while defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and offensive tackle Trent Williams, Bradford’s Sooners teammates; each went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins respectively.

Some notable picks and highlights:

• After trading down twice, the Denver Broncos traded up to take Florida quarterback Tim Tebow with the Ravens’ 25th pick.
• Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry went 5th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Florida cornerback Joe Haden was chosen by Cleveland with the 7th pick, followed by Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain to Oakland at 8. Both were All-Americans last season.
• Clemson‘s C.J. Spiller went to the Buffalo Bills with the ninth pick, becoming the first running back taken in the draft.
• The San Francisco 49ers solidified their offensive line needs by taking Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis and Idaho State guard Mike Iupati with the 11th and 17th picks.
• The Dallas Cowboys traded up for the 24th pick to select Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant; considered by many to be the best receiver in the draft; although Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech was the 1st receiver selected by the Broncos.
• The San Diego Chargers moved up from 28th overall to 12th in a trade with Miami to select Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews who is expected to replace LaDainian Tomlinson.
• Cal Bear running back Jahvid Best was taken by the Lions with the 30th pick.
• TCU linebacker Jerry Hughes went to the Colts with the 31st pick. Hughes was a consensus All-American and the Mountain West conference player of the year.
• Surprisingly, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, USC safety Taylor Mays, Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy and linebacker Sergio Kindle all made it through the end of the first round without being drafted. Many experts had these players slotted as 1st round selections.
• Get your favorite team hats here!

The 2010 NFL Draft will resume Friday night with the 2nd round which will leave teams plenty of time til then to go over their draft boards and ponder trades to move up or down in what should be a busy day.

Popularity: 8% [?]