2014 NFL Draft: The 5 Biggest Surprises of the First Round

By Andrew Schuster

5 Biggest Surprises of Last Night's First Round

roger goodell nfl draft — The 2014 NFL Draft kicked off on Thursday evening at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. Like always, there were several surprises, so let's go ahead and take a look at that five biggest ones from last night's first round.

5. Aaron Donald to St. Louis Rams

aaron donald st. louis rams

5. Aaron Donald to St. Louis Rams

aaron donald st. louis rams — After taking OT Greg Robinson at No. 2 overall, the Rams made a splash by selecting Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald. St Louis' front seven is already stacked, so this comes as a bit of a surprise. However, it was a phenomenal pick. Gregg Williams' defensive unit in St. Louis is going to be nasty with the addition of the aggressive, pass rushing tackle. Well played, Rams. Well played.

4. Minnesota Vikings Take Anthony Barr

anthony barr ucla nfl combine

4. Minnesota Vikings Take Anthony Barr

anthony barr ucla nfl combine — I thought for sure that Anthony Barr would go a little later in the first round. I was also sure that the Vikings would select a quarterback for their first pick, but they were still able to pick up Teddy Bridgewater by trading back into the first round with the Seahawks for their No. 32 overall pick. The pass rushing Barr does make sense, though, after the departure of Jared Allen and Kevin Williams.

3. Oakland Raiders Actually Make a Smart Choice

khalil mack oakland raiders

3. Oakland Raiders Actually Make a Smart Choice

khalil mack oakland raiders — It is no surprise that Khalil Mack went that early; the man is a beast. The surprise is that the Oakland Raiders actually made a smart pick. The Black and Silver have made some pretty atrocious first-round selections in recent past. Now that the Al Davis-era is over, can we expect stronger drafts by the Raiders in the future?

2. New Orleans Saints Trade Up

brandin cooks new orleans saints

2. New Orleans Saints Trade Up

brandin cooks new orleans saints — The New Orleans Saints made a surprising move by trading up for Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks. There were rumors of them doing so, but I thought Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis would stay put at 27 due to the amount of depth in this year's class. They gave up a third-round pick to do so, but Cooks has the ability to be an immediate threat in the Saints' high-powered offense. Drew Brees has a new toy in the Big Easy.

1. Cleveland Browns Get a Steal

johnny manziel cleveland browns

1. Cleveland Browns Get a Steal

johnny manziel cleveland browns — The surprise isn't that the Cleveland Browns took Johnny Manziel. The surprise is that they were able to still get Johnny Football with the No. 22 overall pick. Manziel took a tumble down the first round, and the Browns sill got what they wanted. Being able to select Justin Gilbert at No. 8 and then the former Heisman Trophy winner at No. 22 makes Cleveland the winner from Round 1.