Here’s what you need to know
- Alabama’s Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 1 pick on Thursday. The Panthers traded up with the Chicago Bears in March to acquire the pick, and for much of the pre-draft process, they seemed keyed in on Young, despite the chatter about his lack of size.
- The Houston Texans were the most aggressive team in Round 1. Before the draft, debate raged over whether they’d use their pick, No. 2, on edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. or a quarterback. When it came time to pick, they went with Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud — and then promptly traded with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire the No. 3 pick, which they used on Anderson.
- The Philadelphia Eagles also traded up within the top 10, swapping their No. 10 pick with Chicago to move up to No. 9. There, they took Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was at one time regarded as the best player in his draft class. In March, he pleaded no contest to reckless driving and racing charges that stemmed from a January crash that killed a teammate and a Georgia football staff member.
