For the most part, round one of the NFL Draft went as you might have expected. You knew the top tier of talent, a grouping of players that is about 10-15 in number, and they all basically went somewhere in that range.

And then you had a dropoff in talent and value, in the late teens and beyond. And this is where things really got interesting. This is the point where your NFL mock draft got absolutely shredded, and predicting the correct selection became a very difficult enterprise.

There had been some chatter about this, sure, but for the most part, we thought Simpson was going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at #21. Or he was going to have to wait until Friday night. Simpson is a smart selection as it's clear Matthew Stafford is nearing the end of the road. While he's still clearly "got it," as he's the reigning league MVP, this pick signals that 2026 should be his last season. As for Simpson, your valuation of this pick is probably directly related to how much stock you put in his only being a one year starter vs. what advantages he brings to the table being a coach's son.

Not a lot of people had a first round grade on Banks, so his slipping into the teens was quite surprising. While it is a bit of reach, we must remember that earlier on in the process, he was considered a middle-of-the-first round level prospect. The Vikings obviously saw and fully embraced that initial perception. This pick could be remembered as one of the riskiest of the entire draft. When he's healthy, which is unfortunately no enough, Banks has incredible movement skills and tremendous power in his 6'6," 327 pound frame.

However, his concerning injury history is a major red flag.

Perhaps I'm biased towards prospects who I actually saw perform in a real live game during the season, but his lemon is not sour, only sweet. 2025 was a major breakout season for him. Illinois safety Miles Scott discussed the challenges of defending Lemon, who absolutely lit them up on Homecoming, albeit in a Trojans road loss. Lemon is exactly what the Eagles need, as he'll open up the vertical passing game in Philly.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts has come under a lot of scrutiny from Eagles supporters (never change Philadelphia sports fans) for being too conservative with the offense. Well, now he's got a new weapon to take the top off an opposing defense. We labeled this pick "surprising" because it was just so perfect.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Three of the most interesting picks from NFL Draft night one