Round 1 NFL Draft Tracker: Travon Walker Goes First Overall

Follow along with Day 1 of the NFL Draft from an Eagles perspective

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles start the night with picks 15 and 18 and rumors swirling that Howie Roseman may make a move up for a difference-making defender.

No. 1 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Edge rusher Travon Walker, Georgia

The thought was that the Jags were having a three-way debate with owner Shad Khan preferring Aidan Hutchinson, GM Trent Baalke liking the upside of Travon Walker, and coach Doug Pederson preferring an offensive tackle, either Evan Neal or Ikem  Ekwonu.

Baalke wins out and Walker, an edge rusher with a huge ceiling, is the first Georgia player to go No. 1 overall since Matthew Stafford in 2009.

No. 2 - Detroit Lions - Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Hutchinson stays home going from Ann Arbor to Detriot, giving Dan Campbell one of the cleanest and safest players in the draft.

No. 3 - Houston Texans - Cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr., LSU

There was a lot of talk about the Eagles moving up to get Stingley but the smoke of the Texans having the LSU corner No. 1 on the board was accompanied by fire.

No. 4 - New York Jets - Cornerback Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati

Any hope the Eagles had of getting into the top 10 for one of the best CBs quickly ends as the Jets make it four defenders in a row with "Sauce" Gardner.

No. 5 - New York Giants - Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon

It's five straight defensive players in the era of offense as the Giants pull the trigger on Thibodeaux, another potential trade-up player for the Eagles.

No. 6 - Carolina Panthers - Offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State

The Panthers had their choice of the best three OTs and kept Ekwonu close to home. The first offensive player comes off the board.

No. 7 - New York Giants (from Chicago) - Offensive tackle Evan Neal, Alabama

Here come the OTs as the Giants get help on both sides of the line of scrimmage with top-10 talent. Neal should help Daniel Jones settle in what will be a make-or-break season with New York eschewing the QB's fifth-year option.

No. 8 - Atlanta Falcons - Wide receiver Drake London, Southern Cal

Arthur Smith wanted a big receiver and he got the best one in the draft in London. The questionable part is that the Falcons probably don't have the consistent vehicle in quarterback with Marcus Mariota to get Kyle Pitts and London the football.

The selection pushes the WRs the Eagles might be interested in down the board a bit.

No. 9 - Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) - Offensive tackle Charles Cross, Mississippi State

The OT run lasts from No. 6 to 9 with Cross being the last of the top three off the board. It would have been nice to get that kind of OL talent for Russell Wilson but I digress.  

No. 10 - New York Jets - Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, Ohio State

Unable to get the Deebo Samuel deal done, the Jets go WR and take Garrett Wilson over Jameson Williams, which is a slight surprise.

No. 11 - New Orleans Saints (from Washington) - Wide receiver Chris Olave, Ohio State

The Saints sent the 16th pick to Washington plus No. 98 and 120 to go up five spots, the other show after the pre-draft deal with the Eagles. The move was to get WR Chris Olave, another curious decision by Micky Loomis but the WR run may have spooked the Saints.

No. 12 - Detroit Lions (from Minnesota) - Wide receiver Jameson Williams

The Lions moved picks No. 32, 34, and 66 to get No. 12 and No. 46. The Lions wanted in on the WR run and another player the Eagles like is off the board.

No. 13 - Philadelphia Eagles (from Houston via Cleveland ) - Defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Georgia

The Eagles gave up Nos. 124, 162, and 166 to go up over Baltimore and select Georgia DT Jordan Davis, the logical targeted trade-up candidate.

No. 14 - Baltimore Ravens - Safety Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame

The Eagles certainly weren't the only ones who put the Ravens together with Jordan Davis but getting Kyle Hamilton, arguably the best overall football player in the draft is not a bad consolation prize. 

No. 15 - Houston Texans (from Philadelphia via Miami) - Offensive guard Kenyon Green, Texas A&M

 The Texans drop down into the Eagles' original spot to select offensive guard Kenyon Green.

No. 16 - Washington Commandeers (From New Orleans via Indianapolis and Philadelphia) - Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, Penn State

The Commandeers wanted a WR and felt comfortable falling back and taking Dotson.

No. 17 - Los Angeles Chargers - Offensive guard Zion Johnson, Boston College

Getting help to protect prized young QB Justin Herbert was expected.

No. 18 - Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia via New Orleans) - Wide receiver Treylon Burks, Arkansas

The Eagles traded the 18th pick to Tennessee for veteran receiver A.J. Brown and gave the two-time 1,000-yard producer a four-year extension worth up to $100 million with $57M of that guaranteed. The splash everyone in Philadelphia wanted.

The Titans then selected Brown's potential replacement in the big-bodied Treylon Burks. 

No. 19 -  New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia) - Offensive tackle Trevor Penning, Nothern Iowa

The Saints get the offensive line help they needed after losing Terron Armstead in free agency, selecting Penning.

No. 20 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Quarterback Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh

The Steelers share a facility with the University of Pittsburgh so Kenny Pickett can just head down the hall. This is the latest the first QB has come off the board since 1997 when Jim Druckenmiller was the 26th pick by the 49ers.

No. 21 -  Kansas City Chiefs (from New England) - Cornerback Trent McDuffie, Washington

The Chiefs sent Nos. 29, 94, and 121 to the Pats and selected McDuffie, one of the cleanest players in the draft but a player that lacks the length teams look for at cornerback   

No. 22 - Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas) - Linebacker Quay Walker, Georgia

While everyone zigged toward receiver help for Aaron Rodgers, the Packers zagged toward defense with Walker beating the more-touted Devin Lloyd and teammate Nakobe Dean as the best second-level defender to go.

No. 23 - Buffalo Bills (from Baltimore via Arizona) - Cornerback Kaiir Elam, Florida

The Ravens traded Hollywood Brown and the No. 100 overall pick to Arizona to get back into the first round but then moved back to 25 so Buffalo could get ahead of Dallas to take Florida CB Kaiir Elam, who was really well-liked by NFL personnel people.

No. 24 - Dallas Cowboys - Offensive tackle, Tyler Smith, Tulsa

The Cowboys ultimately defaulted to what had been their strength for years and went offensive line snaring Tyler Smith as a potential replacement for La'el Collins.

No. 25 - Baltimore Ravens (from Buffalo) - Center Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa

The Ravens got the undersized but technically proficient Linderbum to be a potential anchor on the line at a value spot.

No. 26 - New York Jets (from Tennessee) - Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson

Considering some, including yours truly, thought the Jets might tale Johnson in the top 10, getting back into the bottom of the first round to get the edge rusher was a prudent move.

No. 27 - Jacksonville Jaguars (from Tampa Bay) - Linebacker Devin Lloyd, Utah

The Jaguars go back up into the first round to get the LB with the highest ceiling in Lloyd.

No. 28 - Green Bay Packers - Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

Again no help for Aaron Rodgers which is strange.

No. 29 - New England Patriots (from Kansas City via San Francisco and Miami) - Offensive Guard Cole Strange

 A typical Patriots pick that just about no one had going in the first round.

No. 30 - Kansas City Chiefs - Edge rusher George Karlaftis, Purdue

The Chiefs desperately need help on the edge and they get Karlaftis, a player some thought might be top-15 earlier in the process.

No. 31 - Cincinnati Bengals - Safety Dax Hill, Michigan

The talented and versatile Hill got knocked by some teams for poor interviews but gives the AFC champions significant value at the bottom of the round.

No. 32 - Minnesota Vikings (via LA Rams and Detroit) - Safety Lewis Cine, Georgia

Analytics-community favorite Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got taken by Detroit GM Brad Holmes on the valuation scale to drop down 20 spots and then might have lost out on Hill, going instead with speedy Georgia safety Lewis Cine.