Balance returned to the NFL draft鈥檚 first round Thursday night, one year after offensive players went with the opening 14 selections.
This year鈥檚 breakdown: 15 offense, 16 defense and one two-way player.
That two-way player is Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner who went second overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a monster trade with the Cleveland Browns.
An up-down drill of the first round:
Receiver-cornerback Travis Hunter celebrates after being chosen No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
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Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone: In his initial draft since behind hired from the Los Angeles Rams鈥 front office, the 34-year old Gladstone delivered the first and only thunderbolt of the night. The Jaguars flipped Nos. 5, 36 and 126 this week and a 2026 first-round pick to the Browns for Nos. 2, 104 and 200 this week to draft do-everything-and-do-everything-well Hunter.
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Bravo to a terrific move. The Jaguars needed difference-makers on both sides of the football, and Hunter can help them immediately as a receiver and cornerback. He gives the franchise instant juice and makes more sense than staying put and drafting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who went sixth to Las Vegas.
Michigan football program: The Wolverines had three of the top 13 picks in defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 5 to Cleveland), tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10 to Chicago) and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (No. 15 to Miami). Loveland being the first tight end drafted over Penn State鈥檚 Tyler Warren (No. 14 to Indianapolis) was a surprise. I was on the Grant-to-the-Bills bandwagon since the combine, but shoot, he went a half-round earlier than the Bills鈥 No. 30 pick.
Offensive linemen: A year off from quarterbacks (two in the first round) and receivers (three in the first round) flying off the board meant it was a big night for the big fellas 鈥 five tackles, including three in the first nine picks 鈥 and three interior linemen.
Young quarterbacks Drake Maye (New England) and Jayden Daniels (Washington) had to like their teams drafting LSU left tackle Will Campbell and Oregon right tackle Josh Conerly, respectively. The New York Jets drafted a tackle for the second straight year, this time going for Missouri鈥檚 Armand Membou. Kansas City, off a bad-pass-protection Super Bowl, closed the first round with Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons.
On the interior line, Alabama guard Tyler Booker to Dallas (No. 12), North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel to Seattle (No. 18) and Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson to Minnesota (No. 25) were all selected.
Green Bay QB Jordan Love: The home crowd went nuts when the Packers drafted Texas receiver Matthew Golden at No. 23, and he instantly becomes Love鈥檚 top option. It was the first time since 2002 that Green Bay had drafted a first-round receiver 鈥 the Packers didn鈥檛 do it once during the Aaron Rodgers Era.
N.Y. Giants general manager Joe Schoen: Schoen needed a big night, and after drafting Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter third overall, he traded Nos. 34 and 99 this week and a 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans to move up to No. 25 to take Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart. The young QB couldn鈥檛 ask for a better situation than to receive tutelage from Giants coach Brian Daboll, who was Josh Allen鈥檚 first offensive coordinator with the Bills.
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Shedeur Sanders: Good thing Sanders, the Colorado quarterback, didn鈥檛 agree to attend the draft in Green Bay. Two quarterbacks were selected in the first round, and he wasn鈥檛 one of them.
Trades: Only four in the first round and none from picks Nos. 6-24. Teams stuck to their boards and realized it wasn鈥檛 worth moving up, and teams wanting to move down couldn鈥檛 find any takers.
Safeties: Not until No. 27 did a safety get selected, and it was a good one 鈥 Georgia鈥檚 Malaki Starks to the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens can roll out Starks and Kyle Hamilton at safety. Yikes for opponents. Starks was the only safety chosen.
Atlanta Falcons: They must really think Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce is going to be a star and right away. General manager Terry Fontenot traded Nos. 46 and 242 this week and a 2026 first-rounder to the Rams for No. 26.
Roger Goodell鈥檚 shoes: The Commish went with the white sneakers with his suit. I have the worst feet in the world and would wear dress shoes to announce the first-round picks, but I guess that鈥檚 the 鈥渋n鈥 thing these days.
