Quarterback selections bring normalcy to odd NFL draft

Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft may have looked different, but traditional thinking still ruled the night. It always has been and always will be a quarterback league.

After days of rumors and speculation about the question marks surrounding them and how far they would tumble, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were both off the board before commissioner Roger Goodell had even gone through his odd outfit change from a suit to a sweater as he ran the draft from the basement of his Bronxville, New York, home.

Those selections followed Joe Burrow’s expected selection by the Cincinnati Bengals at the top of the draft.

Tagovailoa was the most intriguing player during the buildup to the draft. He had been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft for nearly two years before an injury-plagued season at Alabama coincided with Burrow’s historic year at Louisiana State.

The injury history became even more of a concern with teams unable to do their own medical work because of the coronavirus pandemic. It didn’t matter.

Herbert possesses prototypical size and arm strength, but his film shows some concerning inconsistencies that make little sense based on his vast skill set. That helped fuel rumors of him tumbling down draft boards in recent days.

No chance. Six picks into the draft and they were all gone, Tagovailoa going to the Dolphins with the No. 5 pick and Herbert to the Chargers at No. 6.

Even enigmatic prospect Jordan Love, who followed a spectacular 2018 season at Utah State with a mediocre one that defied logic given his immense abilities, went to a team with pick No. 26 that already has one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Green Bay fans may experience déjà vu back to the time Aaron Rodgers was brought in with a first-round pick at a time Brett Favre was one of the top signal-callers in the league.

With so much invested in quarterbacks, teams also looked for ways to help out that vital position. All four elite offensive tackles were selected in the top 13 and seven offensive linemen were taken overall in the first round. Six wide receivers were selected as well.

It’s also clear where the largest concentration of talent lies in college football.

Of the 32 first-round picks, a record 15 were from the SEC as the conference once again flexed its muscle.

So the actual picks played out just like any other year.

Now all 32 players selected Thursday and the hundreds more who will get drafted or signed the next few days begin their NFL journey. Some will be solid contributors. Others will never play a down. A few will be true standouts, but that won’t be known for several years.

There were some stars created Thursday, though.

Stud defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw had the moment he dreamed of for most of his life when he was selected No. 14 by the 49ers, but it was his dad who stole the show when he fell off the couch and then danced with joy as the cameras soaked up the excitement of the moment.

The Raiders made Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III, the fastest receiver from the combine, the first choice in the Las Vegas era. While some raved about his speed, it was the robe he wore in his living room while waiting to be selected that blew up Twitter.

That and the debut of the first Las Vegas Raiders hat he placed on his head moments later.

It was a wild night that somehow all felt somewhat normal, even if it wasn’t the outdoor party on the Strip everyone dreamed of this weekend.

It’s only temporary, though. Next year will be another large-scale spectacle in Cleveland followed by Las Vegas in 2022.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.