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2017 NFL Draft: 5 Biggest Surprise Moves In First Round

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:25 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Dan Parzych/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Mitchell Trubisky (North Carolina) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 2 overall pick to the Chicago Bears in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

With the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft in the books, take a look at the five biggest surprises from Thursday night.

After months of anticipation, the 2017 NFL Draft officially got underway on Thursday night in the City of Brotherly Love, and believe it or not, nobody could have predicted this high level of excitement. From surprise picks to unexpected trades, the first round of this year's draft certainly didn't disappoint, and one can only imagine what's in store for the second day on Friday.

As expected, the Cleveland Browns spent the top overall pick on Texas A&M superstar Myles Garrett to help boost the defense, but what happened from that moment on was almost impossible to predict. From the Chicago Bears coming out of nowhere to swap picks with the San Francisco 49ers to draft a quarterback despite signing Mike Glennon in free agency to Mike Williams being the second wideout selected, opening night of the draft will leave football fans discussing what happened for days.

Until the second round begins on Friday night, the only thing left to do is recap what went down on opening night by discussing some of the biggest surprises that nobody saw coming. Starting off with the Houston Texans making a surprise decision to trade up for Deshaun Watson, take a look at the five biggest surprises from the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Deshaun Watson (Clemson) is selected as the number 12 overall pick to the Houston Texans in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

5. Texans Trading Up to Draft Deshaun Watson

First off, what happened to all of the hype surrounding the Houston Texans giving Tom Savage a chance to prove himself as the starter for the Houston Texans? It's no secret a reliable franchise quarterback has been the one thing holding the Texans back from being true contenders in the AFC over the last two seasons, but to see them pull off a trade to move up to No. 12 in order to draft Deshaun Watson came out of nowhere.

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What made this move even more surprising is the team Houston traded with, the Cleveland Browns, was expected to consider a quarterback themselves with this pick in the first round. There's no question Watson has the potential to turn into a great quarterback at the NFL level after proving to be a winner at Clemson, but that doesn't mean he's not going to bring some concerns to the table as well.

For starters, the 30 interceptions thrown by Watson during his final two seasons with the Tigers sticks out the most, and hopefully he will work on his decision making if he has any intention of running the Texans' offense down the road. But if the interceptions are going to be a concern, it should also be noted that Watson also managed to complete 76 touchdown passes in that same time frame, which is impressive for any quarterback.

Nov 19, 2016; Ames, IA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes II (5) throws a pass against the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

4. Chiefs Trading Up to Draft Patrick Mahomes II

Prior to Thursday, all signs pointed to the Arizona Cardinals making a run for Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II since it's only a matter of time before Carson Palmer (maybe two or three years at best) will have to call it a career. With the 13th pick in the first round, the Cardinals seemed to be in the perfect position to land the Red Raiders quarterback, that was until the Kansas City Chiefs decided to make moves, and interfere with those plans.

In a trade with the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs moved up to the No. 10 spot in the first round so they could get to Mahomes before the Cardinals considered the possibility a few picks later, which will hopefully payoff for Andy Reid and company in the long run. Just like Arizona's quarterback situation, Kansas City will eventually have to think about the future when Alex Smith is out of the picture, and hopefully the next few years will be a good learning experience on Mahomes' end.

The numbers may not always standout like some of the other big-name quarterbacks in the league, but Smith is considered one of the best game-managing quarterbacks in the league, and has plenty of experience to share with his new rookie teammate. But still, who would have expected the Chiefs of all teams to trade up this high in the first round to land a quarterback like Mahomes?

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Leonard Fournette (LSU) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he is selected as the number 4 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3. Two Running Backs Drafted Top 10

Normally when it comes to the NFL Draft, it's always tough to determine which running backs, if any at all, are worthy of using a first-round pick on when considering how most of the successful starters seem to come in the later rounds. Of course, the Dallas Cowboys selecting Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick during last year's draft will always be the one first-round selection that sticks out the most from the last couple of years, but it looks like some teams were more willing to take the risk this time around.

Not only did the Jacksonville Jaguars select LSU's Leonard Fournette at No. 4, but the Carolina Panthers landed the running back they've seemed to have their eyes set on for weeks in Stanford superstar Christian McCaffrey, who is capable of playing multiple positions. While the Jaguars hope the addition of Fournette will finally help bring the best out of Blake Bortles running the offense, the Panthers are excited to see McCaffrey take some of the pressure off Cam Newton, especially when it comes to using him in the slot.

Seeing two running backs selected in the top 10 of the draft almost seems unheard of, but when seeing the potential surrounding these two former college stars, it's hard to disagree with these picks by the Jaguars and Panthers. NFL fans knew it was only a matter of time before Fournette and McCaffrey made the jump to the big leagues, and now that the time is finally here, it will be fun to see what they can bring to the table as rookies for each of their teams in 2017.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Corey Davis (Western Michigan) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he is selected as the number 5 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

2. Corey Davis First Wide Receiver Selected

When taking a look at NFL Mock Drafts over the last few months, most of them had Clemson's Mike Williams being the first wide receiver taken, and rightfully so when looking at the numbers he put together (1,361 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns) last year with the Tigers. With two picks in the first round thanks to last year's trade with the Los Angeles Rams, the Tennessee Titans seemed like a potential landing spot for Williams at No. 5.

Instead, the Titans decided to take a different approach for the fifth-overall pick by making Western Michigan's Corey Davis the first receiver selected in this year's draft. Many expected Davis to fall in the middle of the first round at the earliest, but Tennessee clearly seems special in the Broncos standout.

This may seem like a risky decision when considering that Davis didn't face the toughest of competition in college by playing for Western Michigan, but his insane numbers as a wide receiver simply can't be ignored. For a college player to record 331 catches for 5,278 yards with 52 touchdowns in four years almost seems unheard of. And the Titans hope Davis can make that type of impact at the NFL level.

Nov 19, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

1. Bears Swapping Picks With 49ers to Land Trubisky

After all of the talk surrounding what the San Francisco 49ers would end up doing with the second overall pick, nobody expected them to actually swap picks with the Chicago Bears while getting some extra picks in the later rounds in the process. As soon as the Bears moved up to No. 2, all signs pointed to the team selecting defensive end Solomon Thomas since that seemed to be who the 49ers planned on selecting all along.

Instead, Chicago arguably pulled off the biggest surprise of the first round by going with North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, which nobody could have predicted in a million years. When considering all of the money the Bears invested in Mike Glennon for the next three years, using their first-round pick on a quarterback didn't even seem like a possibility, but they clearly see something special in Trubisky.

For a quarterback that still seems to have plenty to prove when considering he really only had one season starting for the Tar Heels, it will be interesting to see Chicago's plan moving forward with Trubisky and Glennon at quarterback. Wasn't the point of bringing Glennon on board and guaranteeing him all that money was to make sure the Bears offense would be in good hands for the next few years and focus on other areas in the first round in the draft?

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