NFL Draft First Round

     The NFL draft's first rounds was coming in as the most highly anticipated first round since the Reggie Bush and Mario Williams was picked one two in the 2006 draft. The draft went like normal as everyone thought that the Carolina Panthers with the first pick would choose Cam Newton then Denver Broncos chose Von Miller with the second pick. Buffalo Bills chose Marcell Dareus to help out their dismal rushing defense then with the fourth pick the Cincinnati Bengals selected AJ Green but the Arizona Cardinals had what many believe to be the best quarterback prospect in Blaine Gabbert but passed on him to select the best player in the draft Patrick Peterson and this was the first interesting pick of the first round.
     The sixth pick brought the first trade of the night when the Atlanta Falcons traded up to get Julio Jones and the Cleveland Browns got five draft picks out of the deal. The seventh pick was the first "reach" of the draft as the San Francisco 49ers selected Aldon Smith instead of Gabbert but the Tennessee Titans would top "reach" pick and select Jake Locker and not Gabbert. Dallas Cowboys helped out their offensive line by selecting Tyron Smith and then Washington Redskins would trade their pick with the Jacksonville Jaguars would end up picking Blaine Gabbert. With the selection of Blaine Gabbert the AFC South will most likely have two rookie starting quarterbacks next year in Locker and Gabbert.
     The most shocking of all the picks would be Christian Ponder being taken by the Minnesota Vikings at number 12. Ponder was considered by many a mid 2nd round pick and I had him going to the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round. The best value draft pick would have to be Nick Fairley going to the Lions at 13. Fairley was thought to be the first pick of the draft when mock drafts first made their apperances. The player to watch for out of the first round that will be a star in the NFL is Cameron Hayward who got drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 31st pick.

First Round Draft Picks:
1. Carolina Panthers- Cam Newton QB
2. Denver Broncos- Von Miller LB
3. Buffalo Bills- Marcell Dareus DT
4. Cincinnati Bengals- AJ Green WR
5. Arizona Cardinals- Patrick Peterson DB
6. Atlanta Falcons (from Cle)- Julio Jones WR
7. San Francisco 49ers- Aldon Smith LB/DE
8. Tennessee Titans- Jake Locker QB
9. Dallas Cowboys- Tyron Smith OT
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Wash)- Blaine Gabbert QB
11. Houston Texans- J.J. Watt DE
12. Minnesota Vikings- Christian Ponder QB
13. Detroit Lions- Nick Fairley DT
14. St. Louis Rams- Robert Quinn DE
15. Miami Dolphins- Mike Pouncey OG
16. Washington Redskins- Ryan Kerrigan DE
17. New England Patriots- Nate Solder OT
18. San Diego Chargers- Corey Liguet DT
19. New York Giants- Prince Amukarma
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Adrian Clayborn DE
21. Cleveland Browns- Phil Taylor DT
22. Indianapolis Colts- Anthony Castonozo OT
23. Philadelphia Eagles- Danny Watkins OG
24. New Orleans Saints- Cameron Jordan DE
25. Seattle Seahawks- James Carpenter OG
26. Kansas City Cheifs- Jonathan Baldwin WR
27. Baltimore Ravens- Jimmy Smith DB
28. New Orleans Saints (from NE)- Mark Ingram RB
29. Chicago Bears- Gabe Carimi OT
30. New York Jets- Muhammand Wilkerson DT
31. Pittsburgh Steelers- Cameron Hayward
32. Green Bay Packers- Derrek Sherrod OT

* 12 defensive lineman were taken in the first round, it was an NFL draft record.